The Bodyguard
by moyabomb
Summary: A retelling of the Persona 3 story, but if Mitsuru had a bodyguard. Story finished.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Ryuichi Okazaki sat hunched over his desk with both hands clutching his head, one of them pressing his cell phone to his ear. He winced as though in pain as the voice on the other end kept talking—pleading, rather.

"The baby is due in May," his mother told him. "Please, your sister needs all the help we can give."

"I know, Mom," he sighed, feeling like he had worn out those words near the start of their conversation. "I'll help out."

"Thank you. You're such a good brother."

They exchanged "I love yous", Ryuichi's a little more robotic than he intended. When he hung up the phone, he set it down on his desk while he ran his fingers through his silvery-gray hair.

Ryuichi began to piece together his handgun-shaped Evoker before returning it to the holster hanging in his closet. For three years now, he occupied the manager's room on the first floor of the Iwatodai dormitory, and it was quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to him. Now, with his sister's baby on the way, it seemed more like a hindrance, where he anticipated that he would have to travel so far to his parents' house and then back a number of times a week.

He checked the clock on his desk. It was fifteen minutes until midnight, and it was his turn to observe their newest addition to the dorm: a first-year student named Yukari Takeba. Rubbing sleepiness out of his watery blue eyes, he took along the holster with his Evoker and his harness with his two katana—one short, the other standard—and headed up to the command room on the fourth floor.

Mitsuru Kirijo was already seated in front of the bank of consoles against the left wall. Her long, wine-red hair fell about her shoulders in loose waves, and a curtain of bangs obscured her left eye. She sat high in the chair, staring up at the different screens with her arms crossed in front of her chest, as if passing judgment over the sleeping Yukari with a critical eye. After getting to know Mitsuru for the past few years, he knew that she was not passing judgment of any sort. That was simply the way her face was, obscuring the sympathy Mitsuru had for the girl that she expressed to him since her arrival.

"So, what do you think of her?" he asked Mitsuru as he took a seat next to her.

"I've noticed that she seems to avoid me," Mitsuru replied without looking his way. Her expression didn't change, but her voice didn't match the intensity of her stare.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. She might just be shy; that's all."

"Shy? She seems quite comfortable around you."

"Well, you can be a little intimidating at first."

"Hm." It looked to him like she wasn't too happy with his honesty, but at least she appeared to consider it. "Seeing as even someone as skittish as you warmed up to me, perhaps you're right that she might eventually be less wary of me."

The door to the command room opened, and in walked a middle-aged man, Shuji Ikutsuki, in his brown suit and black turtleneck. His long, brown, wavy hair sometimes let Ryuichi's imagination stray to the idea that he could be part of a metal band, but his goofy smile, small glasses, and bad puns never let that image stick.

"Good evening, Mr. Chairman," Mitsuru greeted Ikutsuki. "You made it just in time."

Ryuichi noticed that Ikutsuki looked oddly sweaty and somewhat flustered as the man sat down. "I'll say," Ikutsuki said as he sank onto the sofa. "The chain for my bike kept slipping off, so I had to walk it about nine blocks. I guess you could say it was really 'off the chain'!"

"That's not what that phrase means," Ryuichi grumbled as a fellow second-year student entered the room.

Akihiko Sanada was slightly taller than Ryuichi and built with lean muscles. He, too, had silvery-gray hair, but wore it much shorter. He wore a red sweater vest over his school uniform, carrying his black Gekkoukan High School blazer over his shoulder. His silver Evoker glinted in the holster on his waist.

"I'm heading out," he announced in his low, rusty voice. "Mitsuru, you coming?"

"I think I'll stay and watch Takeba," she said to him. "Ryuichi, you may go with him in my stead."

"I think I'll stay, too." Ryuichi stared up at the sleeping Yukari. "It's my turn, after all."

Akihiko cocked his head to the side. "What, your ankle still botherin' you?"

Ryuichi flexed his left foot to test his ankle. "It's still kinda stiff, so I'll just keep off it for now."

As Akihiko closed the door behind him, Mitsuru asked, "Shouldn't you be using crutches?"

"It's fine. I can walk on it, so I don't need them."

"I still think you should have a doctor look at it."

Ryuichi shook his head. "They'd only tell me to wrap it up, ice it, and keep off of it, so I'm keeping off it now."

He could only see her thinned lip beneath her long bangs. "Weren't you just telling me before that I should go with Akihiko?" he teased.

"That was before I knew your ankle was still causing you problems," she said, almost indignantly.

She started to say something else when the lights went out. Seconds later, the screens on the consoles lit back up again, and soon yellowish moonlight came filtering into the room. The Dark Hour had struck for the night.

"Vitals are stable," Mitsuru reported as she checked the readings on one of the screens.

Ryuichi was impressed to see Yukari still fast asleep. "She didn't transmogrify?"

"Shocking, right?" Ikutsuki went to pour himself a cup of tea. "She's a normal girl, but she's also got the potential."

It was Yukari's second night at the dorm, but it was the first time Ryuichi got to see for himself that she had the "potential" that he and his dorm mates possessed.

"And, you guys watched me sleep like this, too?" he asked the others, knowing he was not going to like the answer.

"We did," confirmed Mitsuru. "You had one moment where you woke up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet but couldn't get the light to work. You were quite frustrated, and the next morning, you never complained about any power outages or faulty wiring."

"Really?" He tried to recall his first few days at the dorm back in middle school. "Wouldn't I remember something like that?"

"Memory loss is one of the symptoms," she explained.

Ikutsuki pushed his glasses higher up on his face. "Her vitals are changing."

The machine began to beep rapidly to indicate her quickened heart rate. "Stress levels on the rise," Mitsuru said.

Ryuichi watched the face on the screen twist up. "It looks like she's just having a nightmare."

"D-Dad," they all heard Yukari utter in her sleep.

Somehow, her tiny cry filled Ryuichi with compassion. She had been quiet when she first arrived at the dorm, but in school, he noticed that she was bright, bubbly, and quite popular among guys and girls. To see her cry in her sleep made him wonder if it was more than just a nightmare she was having.

They observed her throughout the rest of the Dark Hour before heading off to bed. The next morning while Ryuichi cooked breakfast, Yukari came downstairs still blinking sleep out of her eyes, but managed a tired smile.

"Good morning," he greeted her warmly. "I hope you're hungry."

She sat down at the bar seating in front of him. "Ryuichi-senpai, you can cook?" she asked in amazement.

"Simple things, mostly." He threw some eggs into a pan. He then slid a fresh pancake onto the small stack he had growing on a plate.

"Wow. I'll bet you're popular with the girls," she teased, and her face lit up when he set the plate of pancakes down in front of her. "Are those—?"

"Chocolate chips." He relished in her gleeful gasp as he placed a bottle of syrup and some butter next to her plate. "If you give me a few more minutes, I'll have eggs and sausages ready for you, too.

"And by the way, I don't cook like this all the time, so don't get used to it."

Yukari had a relieved smile on her face. "Whew! I don't know if I'd be able to stop myself if you did!"

Mitsuru's maid, Kikuno Saikawa, arrived with Mitsuru's breakfast just as they were finishing up their meal. As thanks for breakfast, Yukari helped Ryuichi wash the dishes while she chattered on about school. She liked to talk a lot, Ryuichi learned as he listened to her tell him all about her friends. He laughed when she did an impression of a boy in her class who liked to crack obnoxious, perverted jokes. The moment Mitsuru appeared in the dining room, Yukari choked on her words and murmured a wary greeting to her.

"G'morning," Ryuichi said to her from the sink.

"Good morning," Mitsuru greeted them both. "Takeba, are you adjusting to the dorm?"

Yukari jumped when she was addressed. "Um, yeah. I was able to sleep a lot easier last night."

"I'm glad. If you need anything, feel free to ask me or anyone else at the dorm."

After the brief exchange, Yukari quickly finished washing the dishes and left Ryuichi to dry them while she hurried off to school, muttering something about having early archery practice.

"Give her time," Kikuno said to Mitsuru. "I'm sure she's still trying to adjust to her new home."

"She seemed pretty adjusted during breakfast," Ryuichi muttered under his breath. Jokingly he added: "Did you do something to her in a past life or something, Ojou-sama?"

Mitsuru's eyes tensed up as she took her seat at the dining table. "There's no need to call me that."

"Kikuno-san does, and since you're my boss, shouldn't I do the same?"

He knew she hated it, but whenever an employee of the Kirijo Group was around, he was more inclined to address Mitsuru more respectfully so as not to get into trouble, despite all the times that Mitsuru told him otherwise.

She spread her napkin across her lap with delicate yet purposeful hands. "Be that as it may, you don't have to be so formal around Kikuno. Anyone else, I would understand."

While she ate breakfast, Ryuichi stopped by his room to get his blazer and his school bag. He was originally supposed to have a room on the second floor where the boys' dorms are, but due to a burst water pipe that flooded the second floor when he first moved in, he was given the old manager's room as a temporary placement. The allure of having his own private bathroom and toilet and being far away from Akihiko's constant battering of his punching bags convinced him that he should stay right where he was.

Someone knocked on his door. "Ryuichi-san, do you have any laundry that needs to be washed?" called Kikuno.

"Yeah. One sec." He went to open his door to let the maid in. He offered to carry his hamper upstairs to the washing machines on the fifth floor.

"I'll have to get used to it anyway," he told her, despite her offer to take it for him. She eventually agreed to it, saying that she would be able to retrieve Mitsuru's laundry on the way upstairs, as well.

"So," Ryuichi began to say as they headed up to the laundry room, "you're really not going to help us out here anymore?"

"I will still come by, but only to serve Mitsuru Ojou-sama," Kikuno replied. "You will still see me around to bring her meals and perform a few other tasks, but for the most part, you and the others will have to take it upon yourselves to keep the dorm clean."

"Aw, what? You expect the four of us to clean this whole place ourselves?"

"Of course. And don't forget that you will have to start helping me with cleaning Mitsuru Ojou-sama's room at least once a week."

Ryuichi frowned. "I thought I was just gonna be in charge of making her tea and snacks."

Kikuno's smile shone brighter. "In all technicality, yes, but don't forget that you are also in charge of vacuuming her room."

"Ah, the one thing she's letting me do," he sighed. "What's the point, though? Why don't you just vacuum it and I'll take care of the tasty stuff?"

She unlocked Mitsuru's bedroom door. "Don't forget that everyone on the Kirijo maid staff is well-versed in combat _and_ cleaning," she reminded him, and slipped inside the room. "Think of it like training."

"Training. Right. And I guess that means I'm a maid, too?" he asked himself aloud.

"You're a butler, Ryuichi-san," he heard Kikuno call from within.

He made a face. "At least say it like that half-giant guy from those wizard books," he muttered.

Up on the fifth floor, he loaded his own laundry into one of the three large machines while Kikuno took care of Mitsuru's. Once the machines were running, they headed back downstairs, still discussing the other expectations of his new job as Mitsuru's butler. While cleaning the dorm was supposed to be a shared task between the residents, Kikuno was more than happy to share some of her cleaning techniques for stubborn messes in the bathroom and the kitchen.

"And remember: nothing too decadent for tea time," Kikuno said when they returned to the lounge. Ryuichi was already planning to make a monster of a chocolate cake for Mitsuru, figuring a little decadence never hurt anyone.

When they reached the kitchen, Mitsuru was finishing up her breakfast. She placed her napkin on the table and stood, appearing taller than she actually was (high heeled boots or not) with the poise of modest prestige, pausing to adjust the red bow of her uniform. She never bothered to wear the uniform jacket, no matter how cold the weather became, and in the middle of February with the city skirting the ocean, the late winter's chill sometimes forced the students to wear additional coats and scarves, even when it went against the dress code.

Mitsuru and Ryuichi separated again, heading to their respective rooms. Ryuichi hurriedly brushed his teeth and finished with mouthwash, making sure that every bit of bad breakfast breath was eliminated. He took a quick glance in his mirror to make sure his uniform was immaculate—straightening his silk, red necktie even though it was already perfect, and making sure his black vest kept it in place before he threw on his black uniform blazer. He adjusted the collar of his charcoal gray dress shirt, giving it a small tug for relief before meeting Mitsuru at the front door.

When Ryuichi opened the front door for her, he was greeted by a freezing wind that pierced through his uniform with icy needles. While he shivered, Mitsuru walked right through the cold without so much as a wince. Her knee-high, high-heeled boots clicked across the pavement as they went on their way towards the train station.

"I'm thinking about introducing Takeba to SEES," Mitsuru said as they reached the first crosswalk.

He looked at her in amazement. "Already? It's only her third day. Don't you wanna at least give her a chance to settle in?"

He almost couldn't hear her when a car roared past. "The sooner we recruit her, the sooner we will have a full team to work with."

"Yeah, but she doesn't strike me as the combat type," he replied uneasily.

"You might be right, but remember that we thought the same of you when you first joined," Mitsuru pointed out. "You turned out to be more reliable than Akihiko."

That remark got him grinning. "Ah, so you think Yukari-chan might be more reliable than Akihiko someday?"

She didn't return his smile. "She hasn't given me reason to think otherwise yet."

As they continued onward to the train station, Ryuichi remembered that he still had to inform Mitsuru about his sister's predicament. He looked around to see men and women in suits, and fellow Gekkoukan students all around them. It would have to wait until he could speak to her privately.

Ryuichi never got tired of the train ride from Iwatodai to Tatsumi Port Island. The artificial island floated atop the ocean, giving the passengers a view of the water shimmering in the morning light. He always preferred standing on the train, just so he could see the view. The short, five-minute ride was never long enough, ending in the droves of businessmen and women heading left towards the business district while the students went straight ahead to Gekkoukan High School.

He carried a bit of pride for his school. Known for being among the top schools in the nation, Gekkoukan was a vast campus made up of different divisions for elementary, middle, and high school students. It was more like a tiny university, where some students from the different age divisions lived in the dorms on campus. Beyond the school gate to the high school was a vast yard split by rows of trees planted around the stone walkway. To the left of the school's entrance was a small, white gazebo where some students would eat their lunches.

Just inside the entrance were rows of shoe lockers. Ryuichi and Mitsuru split for a moment to change their shoes, then joined up again to head up to their classroom on the second floor. Black and white tiles made up the school floor, and thick columns of what looked like real marble adorned the entryway. Past the school lockers was a small store where a woman sold snacks and other goods to students. She already had a short line forming of those who had not had a chance to have breakfast yet, waiting for her to set up shop. Towards the rear of the foyer were two pedestals bearing a scepter and broadsword with the inscription "Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection" engraved on a small plaque—The Kirijo family motto.

"Good morning, Mitsuru-san!" a girl greeted as they passed.

"Good morning," Mitsuru replied. She was cordial, but some nearby first-year students seemed to stiffen from her presence alone.

"G'mornin', Captain!" one of the members of the kendo team called to Ryuichi. "Hey, I saw Miyamoto already training in the dojo this morning!"

"The first-year?" Ryuichi searched his mind for the boy's face. "If you're not careful, he'll pass you up."

"No way! I ain't gonna let that happen!"

As they headed to their classroom, the greetings from students became more frequent, particularly for Mitsuru. Most of the students who greeted her were from their class, members of the student council, or on the fencing team, most of whom were familiar with her. Even the seniors respected and admired her, with some having the same respectful fear of her as the underclassmen did.

In the classroom, the desks were arranged in six rows. Each row was partnered with another, with space between the pairs for a wide walkway from the front of the room to the rear. Mitsuru sat at the front of the middle column, left row, and Ryuichi sat right behind her. It had always been the same arrangement for many years now, and he could never figure out how it worked out that way. He had spent most of his school years staring at the back of her head, where the gentle curls of her hair were probably more familiar to him than her face.

"Captain?" One of the girls from the fencing team nervously approached Mitsuru and held out a white box tied up in a red ribbon. "H-Happy Valentine's Day!"

The girl sparked a flood of other students—all girls—to swamp Mitsuru. Ryuichi nearly fell out of his seat trying to survive the torrent of admirers, eager cries, and goodies. He could barely hear Mitsuru amid the squall.

"I appreciate that you all took the time to prepare something for me, but I will have to decline all of them," Mitsuru called over them.

The students chorused their disappointment and began asking her why, as she had done the same thing each year since elementary school.

"It is simply too much. I would hate for all your efforts to go to waste, and so I have to be fair to everyone by declining all your chocolates."

Incredibly, all the students obeyed her. They gradually filtered out of the room, dejected as they dragged their feet. Ryuichi raised his eyebrows in awe at one girl holding a particularly large box that likely held a cake inside.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just tell them you don't like chocolate?" he asked Mitsuru.

"If I did that, then they would only find alternative presents to give me," she answered coolly, as if she hadn't just dispelled a terrifying storm of girls.

As it was Saturday, school only lasted until one in the afternoon. By then, Ryuichi found himself with some of his own chocolate from girls in the Orchestra Club and one from the girls' kendo team. They were just friends offering him obligatory chocolate, mostly store-bought, but he was happy all the same to receive something at all.

"And don't forget me on White Day!" some of the girls joked after presenting him with their gifts.

"You don't mind store bought chocolate, do you?" he joked right back, and he got some who were not happy with his response while one actually called out, "It better not come from the clearance section!"

As he put away the gifts into his bag, Mitsuru finished packing her things and got up from her desk. "I have to stop by the Student Council Room for a moment; it won't take long."

Ryuichi followed her across the hall to the Student Council Room. While she looked through some files, Ryuichi opened one of the small boxes he received to see little chocolates inside with colorful decorations on them. He tried one, tasting more salt than cocoa.

"Is it not to your liking?" Mitsuru asked him without glancing up from the folder.

"I think she mistook salt for sugar." Not wanting to waste the treat, he popped the rest of the piece into his mouth and closed up the box, regretting doing so when the salty flavor made his face twist. "I think I'll save these for later."

He heard Mitsuru turn a page. "So, have you thought about what I said earlier?"

"About Yukari-chan? I was just gonna go along with whatever you decided."

They agreed that they would call Yukari up to the fourth floor room that night before the Dark Hour. When Ryuichi saw Yukari down by the shoe lockers chatting happily with some friends, he immediately felt guilty for what they were about to do. His own life was never the same when he was recruited into SEES, and soon, she would experience the same changes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

That night, up in the command room, Yukari looked absolutely mortified when she entered and saw the three soon-to-be seniors and the chairman. Her light brown eyes fell on the silvery Evokers they all wore, then to Akihiko's boxing gloves, Mitsuru's rapier, and Ryuichi's two katana.

"Uh, aren't you all a little too old to cosplay?" Yukari tried to play off as a joke. The nervousness in her dry laugh that followed did not share the humor.

"Takeba, this is Shuji Ikutsuki," Mitsuru introduced them. She sat on the lone armchair while Ikutsuki waved to Yukari from the couch. Ryuichi stood by Mitsuru's chair while Akihiko perched himself on one of the three ottomans that sat across the table from the sofa. "He is the advisor of our group called 'SEES': The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."

"Have a seat," Ryuichi invited her, and she timidly settled on the far side of the couch, away from Ikutsuki.

"Um, so, what exactly do you guys do in SEES?" she asked them, still sounding skeptical. "And what's with those guns?"

"These are Evokers," Mitsuru explained, holding her own up. "But, I will get to that in a moment. First, I would like the chairman to take over."

"With pleasure." Ikutsuki shifted his body to face Yukari. "Now, what if I were to tell you that there is a hidden hour after midnight?"

Yukari blinked. "I would think you were kinda batty."

He let out a chuckle. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it? That hidden hour actually occurs between midnight and twelve o' one."

"Okay, and what happens then?"

Ikutsuki flashed her a good-natured smile. "We call it the Dark Hour. That is the time when monsters called Shadows appear. During that time, those without the potential are transmogrified into coffins, where they are protected from these Shadows. But those who have the potential are able to remain conscious during this hour and possess the power to summon what we call Personas."

Yukari popped off the couch. "Whoa, okay, wait a minute! Please tell me this is some anime you're all into!"

"It's no anime," grunted Akihiko in his low rasp. "We actually fight these things almost every night."

"Every night?"

Ryuichi stepped up next. "Yukari-chan, I know it's hard to believe, but we're telling you the truth."

Mitsuru nodded. "We need your help to combat the Shadows. The three of us aren't enough."

"Wh-Why me?" Poor Yukari looked like she had just woken up and was told she had been in a car wreck. "Look, if this is a bad joke, you can drop it now."

"It's no joke, Takeba. There's nothing humorous about what we do."

Ryuichi glanced down at the small outer screen on his cell phone. "One minute to midnight," he announced.

"Takeba," Mitsuru said in a softer voice. "In the next minute, the power will go out, the city will fall silent, and a tower will appear in place of Gekkoukan High School. When that happens, we will demonstrate for you the power of Persona."

Yukari's mouth fell open without any words coming out. No one else said anything as she sank back down onto the couch, gripping her knees. For a long time, she said nothing.

"Okay," she finally said. "But I still think this is all—Whoa!"

Just then, darkness fell upon them as the lights all went out. Several seconds passed until Ryuichi's vision adjusted to the dark, spotting the rotten yellow moonlight pouring in through the windows and illuminating the shock on Yukari's face.

"This is the Dark Hour," Ikutsuki said to her. "Right now, everyone else has transmogrified into coffins, asleep and completely unaware of this hidden hour. We are the only ones conscious."

"This can't be happening!" Yukari was back on her feet again.

"Ryuichi." At Mitsuru's unsaid command, Ryuichi held his Evoker with the muzzle pointed under his chin.

The alarmed Yukari gasped. "Wait! Wh-What are you doing, Ryuichi-senpai?"

"Don't worry," he reassured Yukari. "This is how we summon our Personas. You don't die from it, but I guess it is pretty terrifying the first time you do it."

He started to squeeze the trigger. "Wait!" Yukari pleaded again, but was cut off by the sound of glass shattering as shards of blue light burst out the top of Ryuichi's head. Above him manifested the figure of a towering, powerfully built man wielding a massive leather shield with a bronze plate. He shone with a bright light as he stood impressively, ready for battle.

"This is Ajax," Ryuichi told Yukari. "He's wind-based and can strengthen an ally's defense."

Without getting to his feet, Akihiko fired a round from his Evoker into his own forehead. His Persona appeared with a blue body, white armor, and long, flowing blonde hair. His right arm was as thick as a missile with a sharp point sticking out the end.

"This is my Persona, Polydeuces." Akihiko looked to Yukari. "His element's lightning."

It was Mitsuru's turn now. An elegant female figure with high, white boots wearing ice blue armor appeared overhead, wielding a dagger in one hand and a rapier in the other.

"Penthesilea," she said. "Her element is ice and she is also capable of scanning areas for enemies, though her range is very limited."

Yukari's gaping face turned to Ikutsuki. "And do _you_ have one, too?"

"Oh, not me," he replied with a smile. "I don't have the potential."

Mitsuru placed an aluminum case onto the table. "This Evoker is yours," she said to Yukari as she opened it to reveal the same gun-shaped object as the others. Next to it was a red armband with "S.E.E.S." printed on it, the same as what the others wore on their sleeves. "When you use it for the first time, you might fall unconscious for a few days, but after the initial shock, you will be able to summon your Persona without compromise. We will ask that you summon your Persona for us now."

"Huh? Now?" Yukari stared at the Evoker glinting in the yellow moonlight. "But, don't I get to think about it first?"

Ryuichi turned to Mitsuru. "She's got a point about that," he said, feeling guilty that they were pushing her to join them. "We just kinda rushed her into it."

Mitsuru's face fell as she gripped her elbow. "Yes, you're right," she conceded, sounding disappointed. "Takeba, we will ask that you consider what we have talked about here tonight."

Akihiko got up and put his Evoker back in its holster. "Well, if that's all, then I'm going on patrol." He looked to Ryuichi. "Your ankle okay to get a little exercise?"

"Sure. Why not?" He started to follow Akihiko out before turning around to look to Mitsuru. "Is there anything else you needed to talk about?"

"No," she replied. "That will be all for tonight."

The two boys headed out, hurrying down the stairs to the lounge. Muscle memory guided their feet in the darkness, along with the dim moonlight that managed to peek in through the windows.

"If you ask me, I don't think she's built for battle," Akihiko grunted. "I don't know what Mitsuru's thinking, asking someone like her to join."

"I don't think she had a choice." Ryuichi kept a hand on the banister on the way down.

"Yeah, she's got the potential, but what good is it if she can't fight?"

"We don't know that. We pretty much just slapped a parachute onto her and threw her out the plane tonight, so it's normal that she'd be freaked."

Akihiko paused on the stairs. Ryuichi almost ran into him. "You're really optimistic about her. Are you saying she might be okay for this kind of work?"

"I don't know that yet, and that's why we gotta give her a shot."

They left the dorm and stepped out onto the streets. There were no sounds of cars driving by, no motorcycle engines roaring through Port Island, no trains clacking across the tracks, nothing. All the buildings remained dark and dead, as if everybody had packed up and abandoned their homes. The moon provided the only light for them, casting everything in a dim glow. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind and two sets of feet pattering across the pavement as the two went around the neighborhood.

The first time Ryuichi went on patrol, he almost couldn't stand the silence, as if all life had ceased to exist. Even with both Mitsuru and Akihiko with him, the silence had been almost unbearable, where he felt as if he was going mad from the isolation. Now, he was fine with how quiet the world was, having gotten so used to it, and even sometimes looked forward to being able to hear his thoughts.

Both boys put on headsets to hear Mitsuru speak to them. Her voice was heavy with static, but still audible enough for them to understand what she was saying. She was calling them, almost shouting when they finally got the headsets on.

"—est of your location, I repeat, the Shadow is west of your location—"

"Got it. We're on our way," Akihiko said, and the two took off running.

"Keep going another block," Mitsuru said. "It should be on your left."

They heard it before Mitsuru said anything. When they rounded the corner building, they saw a reddish-pink and gold fish-like creature whose fins scraped the asphalt when it swerved in the air.

Akihiko cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Too easy," he scoffed, striding up to it. Ryuichi raised his longer katana, ready to help his friend but keeping a short distance back.

"I sense two more Shadows," Mitsuru said urgently, making the two frantically look around. "They're coming from the north. Get ready!"

At Mitsuru's warning, Ryuichi summoned Ajax and sent him ahead towards the two new Shadows. He heard a burst of wind from his Persona's Garula spell, followed by a hollow thunk. As he reached the street corner, he saw two inky puddles of Shadows wearing blue, sorrowful masks. Each had two black arms that whipped at Ajax with daggers and knives, striking his massive shield. He thrust his shield forward against each strike, pounding, smashing them back. A horizontal swing, and the arms were sliced clean off, knives clattering to the pavement. Another blast of emerald winds tossed them above Ajax's head, and he leaped up and bashed his shield against them a final time before they dissipated into wispy, black smoke.

"Targets eliminated," Ryuichi reported to Mitsuru. He turned back to Akihiko, who stood all alone in the street.

"Not even a warm-up," he heard him grumble to himself. "Hey, Ryuichi. You had to use your Persona on those two?"

He flashed him a sheepish smile. "Mitsuru would have me executed if I messed up my ankle again."

"Indeed," said Mitsuru. "You should exercise caution as well, Akihiko."

Despite her advice, Akihiko just shook his head and headed down another road. The streets were silent again, even more so after all the noise they had made in their brief battles. The silence became so loud it threatened to crush Ryuichi. He intentionally made noises with his mouth, hummed, adjusted his equipment—anything to cover the high, tinny whine in his ears.

The two passed by a street that was normally lit up by the row of vending machines against apartment complexes. Cigarette butts and beer bottles littered two coffins that stood upright, both with a shiny finish and eerie red lights glowing from underneath them. As they passed an alley, Ryuichi noticed a group of coffins there, three surrounding one that lay flat on the ground.

"We should do something about that," he said to Akihiko. The boxer made a face at the sight.

"Yeah. Let's move it."

They hoisted the coffin off ground and carried it away from the others, hauling it further down the street to give the poor person inside a chance to flee once the Dark Hour ended. They returned to the three coffins and kicked them over.

"Crazy to think that stuff like this happens in a place like Iwatodai." Akihiko gave one of the coffins another kicked. "You call yourselves real men? It takes three of you to take on one?"

"It could've been a girl, too," Ryuichi said woefully. He shuddered, feeling badly for whomever the victim was.

"Guy or girl, they shouldn't attack people like this."

Ryuichi kicked at another coffin and grimaced when he felt a painful twinge in his ankle. "I regret doing that."

Akihiko glanced down at Ryuichi's foot. "Mitsuru's gonna kill you if she sees you hurt yourself again."

"That's why we're not gonna tell her." He tested his ankle, still feeling the tiny twinge of pain. "Good. I can still walk."

"Better be careful with that; there's no way I'm carrying you back to the dorm."

Ryuichi shuddered. "I think I'd rather let Mitsuru execute me."

"Is that so, Ryuichi?" came Mitsuru's voice. Both boys jumped.

"I-I'm fine!" Ryuichi blasted. "My ankle's fine! No worries here!"

He turned his scowl to Akihiko now. "You just had to go and say something," he muttered.

Akihiko could only cringe and shrug in apology on their way out of the alley.

The rest of the night went uneventful, and the two returned to the dorm just before the Dark Hour ended. All the power came back on just as Ryuichi prepared to take a well-deserved bath. When he finished, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went to look at himself in his full-length mirror.

His pale body was chiseled—not too lean, but not too bulky, either—with a number of scars that left ragged tears, dips, white spots, dark rips, thin cuts, and more. He stared at the one on his right arm above his elbow, a thin line that wrapped all the way around. He touched the scar, remembering the night his arm had been sliced clean off by a Shadow. Wiggling his fingers, he saw the uneven, twitchy movement that once gave him relieved joy after his arm had been reattached.

He looked to his old keyboard pressed up against the wall, now covered by an old towel that Kikuno refused to let dust touch. When he stared back down at his hand to see his fingers stick when he tried to move them, he made a tight fist, the only motion he seemed able to do.

"I hope Yukari-chan will be okay to fight," he sighed, and went to get ready for bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Yukari began to avoid the three second-years, sneaking around the dorm or leaving early for class so that no one had a chance to talk to her. At school, Ryuichi passed her in the hallway during lunch, but she pretended to not see him. When she crossed paths with Mitsuru, she gasped in horror, dug her heels into the floor, and then briskly walked away in another direction.

The three soon-to-be-seniors agreed to just give her more time to adjust to the new information. Until then, they busied themselves with final exams coming up next week. Ryuichi even cancelled kendo practice the previous Saturday after learning that some of the team members were struggling with their grades. He hoped that they would use that extra time wisely to study, reminding them that they had to maintain good grades to stay on the team. The guys protested when he made his announcement, but Ryuichi was already set in his decision. What Ryuichi was more worried about was when he had to make his other announcement after exams about his plans to quit kendo before the start of the new school year.

"We can study in the library after school," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi just minutes before lunch break ended. "I believe you said before that you're still having trouble with history?"

"Yeah," he murmured, dreading the thought of demonstrating once again how poor he was in memorizing dates, names, events, and whatnot. "And everything else that isn't English."

She remained true to her word: After school, Ryuichi dragged his feet after Mitsuru to the school library. She sent an email to Akihiko to invite him to join them, but he declined, saying that he worked better alone. Ryuichi knew the real reason was because of Mitsuru's intimidating demeanor, but even he managed to look past that, especially when he considered her track record of always scoring the highest on every exam she had ever taken. She was actually a patient tutor, at least with Ryuichi, but as kind as she was, he was always tense whenever she helped him understand the material.

The Gekkoukan library was a circular room with the librarian's station situated at the center. The shelves all formed concentric circles, and most of the tables lined up end to end in one area. They were able to get an empty table to themselves, but Ryuichi could feel some of the library goers eyeing them as they spread their books and notes out on the table.

"Your handwriting is looking much better now," Mitsuru complimented while he copied some things he missed from Mitsuru's notes.

He looked at his notebook, noticing that she had a point. "Hey, you're right," he agreed, pleased that he could actually read what he wrote.

Mitsuru finished writing a history date and event on a small flashcard. "If it's getting easier for you to write, does that mean that you're able to play piano again?"

His pencil stopped. "I haven't tried yet."

She looked surprised at his answer. "But, it's been months already."

"I know," he sighed, tapping his eraser on his notebook. "It's not that I haven't played since then, so I know how it sounds when I play. I just haven't tried in a while."

He spotted the pained look on Mitsuru's face. "Hey, I already said that I don't blame you for what happened, so stop trying to make it that way."

"But—"

Ryuichi held up his right hand and flexed his fingers quickly, noticing a slight lag and uneven rhythm. "It's really not so bad, and I at least have my grip back, so it's not a big deal."

"So you say, but if you want your dexterity back, I would urge you to practice again."

He let out another sigh, still wiggling his fingers about. "I'll give it a shot when we get back to the dorm."

Mitsuru looked satisfied to hear him say that, but the guilt remained plain on her face. Seeing her look so remorseful made him feel guilty in turn. He had been honest about not blaming her for what happened to his arm, but she never seemed to forgive herself, no matter what he said.

They studied until closing time. The sun was already setting by the time they changed their shoes and left. All the clubs and sports teams were closed for the week due to upcoming exams, where there was no laughter in the hallways, no shrill whistles coming from the field or the gym, and everyone just seemed to be blank-eyed or near tears after burning their eyes out from studying for so long. It was like all life was halted for two weeks of suffering, then revived right on schedule once the last of the exams were handed in.

"Oh, uh, there's something that I need to talk to you about." Ryuichi had forgotten all about his mother's request as they headed to the train station. "So, my sister's going to be moving back to my parents' house."

"Is she? She's going to be done with her bachelor's degree, isn't she?" Mitsuru's face lit up.

"Yeah, in business," Ryuichi confirmed, feeling pride swell slightly in his chest. "The thing is, she's expecting a baby in May, so my family's counting on me to help out every now and then, since Mom and Dad are gonna be busy running the restaurant."

Mitsuru smiled. "I will have to send her a card congratulating her on both her degree and her baby. Does she know if she's having a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know. My mom didn't say."

She studied his face as they passed the fountain outside the station. "You seem troubled by something. Is it because you're afraid you might be shirking your duties?"

"Kinda?" All his concerns over the matter came rushing through his head, never letting him focus on one long enough to identify it.

"Tell me what's on your mind," Mitsuru said as she dug her train pass out of her bag.

While they waited on the platform for the train, Ryuichi took a moment to glance around at the others waiting to board the train. Mitsuru was kind enough to have them stand back away from the other passengers to give them some privacy while they spoke.

"The thing is, they're expecting me to come by after school almost every day," he began. "My parents don't get home until late at night, and they want me to be with Shizue until they get back."

Mitsuru nodded. "I see. It not only interferes with your daily life, but it compromises your studies and your SEES duties.

"What about the father of your sister's baby? Will he be helping out?"

Ryuichi felt all his nerves pinch simultaneously. "Well, uh, it's a bit complicated, so..."

He couldn't go on, feeling shameful for his sister's irresponsibility. Mitsuru seemed to understand his sister's plight and nodded again.

"If anything, you're really only supposed to be my bodyguard during the Dark Hour, so I see no problem with you going to help your family," she told him. "However, I think that you would do well to remember that you are going into your third year of high school and have college entrance exams to concern yourself with."

He thanked her for her understanding, relieved that he wasn't being accused of abandoning his job. She was right that he was only needed during the Dark Hour, and so he would not have to guard her any other time. He did realize that it would compromise his new butler duties to her, but of it, she said nothing.

Back in his room at the dorm, he looked to his keyboard, still covered by the towel. He gave it some thought until convincing himself to at least try to get through a song or two, or even just a few scales. Ryuichi pulled the keyboard over to the edge of his bed and removed its cover. The gray keyboard looked exactly the same as when he last saw it months ago, but no longer felt inviting to him. He plugged in his oversized headphones before warming up with a few scales—major, minor, and chromatic—hearing the twitchy, uneven notes his right hand produced.

"Dammit." He let his left hand rest on his lap while he worked with his right. He tried a few exercises of having his fingers play the same five notes up and down in succession, trying to even out the notes. Some got stuck, some sounded off before the previous note had finished. He tried some chords, trills—anything that would work out every part of his hand, until he decided it was time to try a song.

The first song he chose was from an animated family movie that had come out a few years earlier. His left hand started the light, bouncy rhythm while his right was supposed to play a friendly melody, warm and comforting. The warm-ups he had done helped to loosen up his hand, allowing him to play with fewer uneven notes, but the few that did occur were like needles in his ears. Powering through the odd notes—either uneven or completely wrong—helped him to not dwell on how awful the song sounded. He wanted to make it through at least one song.

There were moments when he couldn't remember how a part went and needed to take a few tries to get it right. Before he knew it, he had been playing for over an hour.

"I guess I missed it more than I thought," he said to himself as he put his keyboard back against the wall. "I've got a long way to go."

As the week progressed, Kikuno began coaching Ryuichi in his new butler duties to Mitsuru between their study sessions. She taught him new recipes for sweets and sandwiches and how to prepare different kinds of tea, which ones were served with milk, and what tea paired well with what snack. He gave up trying to learn names of teas and just went by the colors of the packages and their smells, but prided himself in being able to bake pastries and craft light, tasty sandwiches.

"Ooh, is that lemon I detect?" Kikuno asked after sampling a cake he had just baked. "And it's light and fluffy, too. Good work, Ryuichi-san."

He bowed, smiling. "It's really nothing," he said, unable to hide his glee. "I learned from the best."

"You won't get extra points for flattery," she chuckled. "Now, how about I teach you how to clean the bathroom?"

"Am I going to clean Mitsuru's bathroom, too?" he grumbled.

"I will be the one to do that. I just thought it won't hurt if you can clean a bathroom properly."

After school the next day, Mitsuru had to meet with some of the teachers about plans for the upcoming graduation ceremony.

"They just want to allocate some of the responsibilities for preparations to the student council," Mitsuru explained to Ryuichi on their way downstairs to the faculty hallway. "It won't take long; you can go ahead without me."

"I don't mind waiting," he offered, yawning. "I'll just chill in the courtyard and hope to stay out of trouble."

That made Mitsuru chuckle. "I'll believe that when I see it."

With a wave, Ryuichi headed down the opposite hallway for the courtyard. Located between the gym and the school's main building, the courtyard was one of his favorite places at school. It was a small patch of grass about the size of a classroom, with some small trees and white, stone benches. A puny persimmon tree stood at the center, never once producing any fruit. Incredibly, he was the only one there for a change, something he attributed to everyone studying for exams.

Ryuichi leaned against the cool stone wall under the shade. It was the first time in more than a week that he had a quiet moment to himself, where he wasn't frantically studying, or learning how to clean or cook, or trying to not die while combating Shadows. He closed his eyes for what felt like only a moment, only to open them to see Mitsuru standing before him with a smile on her face.

"Resting your eyes?" she asked.

Ryuichi yawned and stretched. "Eyes, body, and just about everything else," he mumbled. "So, how was the meeting?"

She started for the main building. "The usual. All they talked about was how we would decorate the auditorium and making sure that the yearbook club was ready with the yearbooks—just the typical concerns."

Ryuichi trotted ahead of her to get the door. "Sounds, um, fun?" he murmured, still slightly groggy as he let her enter the building first.

"It really wasn't. If anything, they were confused on a few details."

Mitsuru paused just inside the main building hallway, waiting for the door to close after them. "I've been meaning to ask you: How are you going to get to your parents' place?"

"Well, I guess I was just gonna use my bike," he answered, his mind still in a fog.

"What about getting your license?"

"I could do that, I guess. But, I still need a motorcycle. I can't keep borrowing yours."

"There's still time for you to get your license," Mitsuru said to him as they continued down the hall to the shoe lockers. "You've already completed the courses, and you did very well whenever we practiced. I know that you've been too busy to take the test, but I think you would benefit immensely if you get your license soon.

"How long does it take to get to your parents' house from the dorm?"

He took a moment to think about it. "About forty-five minutes if I take my bike without stopping."

"That long?"

"Yeah. It takes longer if I go by bus."

Ryuichi's mind went back to their talk of motorcycles. "Hey, you're going to take the test this year, too, right?" he asked.

"Of course." She stopped by her shoe locker first. "Your birthday is on the twenty-eighth, correct? Are you thinking about getting your license then?"

"Nah, not on the actual day," he replied, starting for his own shoe locker. "My parents always expect me to visit them on my birthday, so I'll be too busy to take the test."

That evening, Ryuichi browsed motorcycles online while he tried to figure out what kind he wanted. He knew he wanted something a little bigger than Mitsuru's, one that he would be able to transport stuff on, figuring that he would be running a lot of errands for his family when Shizue and the baby arrive. It was only when Akihiko and Mitsuru called him to get ready to go on patrol that night that he was finally able to tear himself away from the screen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Anything yet?" came Akihiko's impatient growl.

"No. Not yet," Mitsuru answered.

The three were downstairs in the lounge, Mitsuru sitting in the arm chair nearest the front windows with her eyes closed. Penthesilea hovered over her, casting a pastel blue light over the room. Akihiko shifted his weight from foot to foot while Ryuichi gave his katana a few test swings.

Mitsuru got up from the chair and started for the back door by the kitchen. "I need the transceiver," she told the others. "I think I sense something, but it's too far for me to detect fully."

The back door led to a rear storage room where Mitsuru's white motorcycle was stored. A boxy machine that looked to Ryuichi like an old radio from the 1930s sat on the rear of her motorcycle. She switched it on, and it crackled and whistled and hummed to life. As she twisted some knobs, Akihiko unlocked the double doors that led to the back alley.

"It's no use," she sighed, shutting off the transceiver. "We'll just have to start at Tartarus and work our way back to the dorm."

Akihiko threw the back doors open. "All right! C'mon, Ryuichi!"

The overzealous boxer shot out of the building before Ryuichi could say anything. All he could do was stare with his mouth slightly agape at Akihiko's reckless impatience.

"Go on ahead of me," Mitsuru said to him on her way back inside the dorm. "I'll meet you outside of Tartarus."

Ryuichi frowned. "You know I'm contractually obligated _not_ to do that, right?"

She paused just inside the doorway. "This just means that we will have to get you a motorcycle as soon as possible," she told him, and continued to head back up to her room to retrieve her helmet.

When they were on the street, Mitsuru shot ahead of Ryuichi with her engine's roar echoing all throughout the dead city. Ryuichi pedaled with legs like pistons, doing a decent job keeping up for the first block before Mitsuru was out of sight. They had to take the long way around to get to Port Island, going through Moonlight Bridge, past the business district, and then to the school. Even though he was still far from it, he could already see Tartarus in the distance like a tear in the great, green sky, piercing the moon with the needle-like top.

When he reached the school, Ryuichi's ragged breath sent jets of steam into the chilly air as he struggled to put down the kickstand with his burning, noodle-y legs. He knew he should already be used to the physical demand of trying to keep up with Mitsuru on his bicycle, but then again, it was a motorcycle's speed he was trying to match.

Mitsuru had arrived long before he did and now fiddled with the transceiver again. "There's two of them," she reported over the whine of the machine.

Catching his breath, Ryuichi craned his neck to look up at Tartarus, bending backwards slightly to see as far up the tower as possible. Tartarus looked as if someone had mashed together different structures from all parts of the world into a single building. It swayed in the breeze, groaning as if in agony and straining to not collapse onto itself. The front doors reminded Ryuichi of a great, electric blue clock with beams shooting out from it.

He pressed a hand over the cramp in his side as he leaned against the school gate. For as many years as he had seen it, it always amazed him that Gekkoukan High transformed into Tartarus every night during the Dark Hour.

Akihiko came running up to them, his face dripping with sweat as he gasped for breath. "A-All right," he croaked. "Where's the, the Shadow?"

"I'm still searching," Mitsuru said to them. The machine emitted more squeaky whines. "There's two, and they're both strong."

"Two?" Akihiko perked right up, sporting his eager grin. "Finally, they're giving us a real challenge."

Mitsuru shook her head at him. "Take this seriously, Akihiko. If they're strong, we should focus our attacks on the first one and then eliminate the other."

"Do you know what kind they are?" asked Ryuichi.

"No. For now, our best strategy will be to start with elemental spells first to determine a weakness."

They all looked up when they heard a horse whinny. Two hollow knights clad in armor wore violet masks, each wielding a massive lance. They rode atop empty horse armor, one rearing its head up to let out another whinny. Both armored horses had long, metal horns sticking out of their heads.

Ryuichi raised the kickstand on his bike. "Mitsuru, get on your motorcycle," he whispered to her.

At first, Mitsuru started to disagree with him, but strapped down the transceiver and hopped onto her motorcycle. "The best we can do for now is try to outrun them while attacking with our Personas," she said, assessing their situation as the two Shadows began to gallop towards them. "Remember: elemental spells first and keep your distance."

She looked to the Shadows again. "Everyone, split up," she ordered. "Ryuichi, you go right and I'll go left. Akihiko, do not engage the Shadows alone. Understood?"

"Roger."

"Right."

Ryuichi gripped the handlebars on his bicycle as he anticipated the Shadows' attacks. His stomach kept doing flips, worsening the more he stared at the sharp lances pointed right at them.

"Now!"

They split. Ryuichi pumped his legs—Duck!—as the Shadow thrust its lance overhead. He blasted the knight with wind, but all it did was sit higher in its saddle as he jerked his steed around to pursue him.

"Shit! It likes wind!" Ryuichi shouted to his comrades.

"My turn!"

Akihiko's voice crackled through his headset. The knight shuddered from Akihiko's bolt of lightning, but shook it off as he sped after his assailant. Metal clattered as the other Shadow rode full-speed into a wall of ice placed by Mitsuru, shattering it into frosty shards. Ajax then rammed Mitsuru's Shadow with his shield, and the knight went somersaulting backwards off his steed.

"Nice one!" came Akihiko's cheer.

Ajax leaped up with his shield raised overhead, preparing to behead the Shadow when its steed plowed into him from behind at the last second. Ryuichi felt pain on his own back, identical to where his Persona had been struck. He swerved on his bike but didn't fall.

Polydeuces boxed the downed knight in the head—pound, stab, pound, stab—while Ajax dug his heels into the pavement as he braced against the horse. Somewhere, Mitsuru's motorcycle growled as she circled around. More ice shattered. More lightning cracked. When Polydeuces pinned the Shadow down, Akihiko ran forward and pounded the knight's head in rapid succession. Pah, pahpahpahpah!—and when he reared back for a powerful strike, a mighty emerald tornado launched the boxer high up into the air with a yell.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru's voice made Ryuichi's earpiece screech.

Ryuichi fired a round under his chin, casting a much smaller tornado that caught Akihiko. As it lowered him back to the ground, the knight got back up on his feet and thrust his lance into Ajax's chest. Ryuichi let out a yell as pain exploded in his own body. He grasped at the woundless pain and toppled over, the pavement scraping his left shoulder and leg until he came skidding to a stop. Akihiko hit the ground hard a few meters away. A second later, he popped right back up on his feet.

"You're gonna pay!" he yelled at the Shadow, charging it.

Mitsuru's tires screech right by Ryuichi. He heard the sound of glass shattering, and a soothing light warmed his body, making his pain fade away.

"Thanks," he groaned as he got back up. She sped off.

"Concentrate fire on the one with the bent mask!" Mitsuru told the others.

Ryuichi started to pick his bicycle back up when the horse reared up at him. If it had legs, his bicycle would have been trampled while he leaped out of the way. He rolled over his right shoulder and popped back on his feet, running while he summoned Ajax again.

The fallen knight clashed against Polydeuces. Lance against blade, metal scraped metal, and another basketball-sized chunk of ice blasted the second knight. The ice shattered, leaving chunks and shards on the ground. Ryuichi used Garula to launch the icy pieces at the knight combating Polydeuces, striking its legs. It dropped to one knee as Polydeuces stabbed it in the face, and the knight began whipping its head around with a hollow, agonized yell.

"Yeah!" Akihiko cheered his Persona on until the knight's steed knocked Polydeuces away. He and his Persona were twins clutching at their sides.

The knight got back to his feet, free from the blade in his eye. He pulled back his lance, poised to skewer Polydeuces when Ajax darted forward. The lance's tip snapped off when it struck Ajax's shield and went flying right at Ryuichi. He ducked too late, and the tip slashed his left side. Hot blood soaked through his shirt, vest, and blazer as he dropped to one knee.

"Damn you!" Akihiko raged.

Polydeuces grabbed at the lance while stabbing his arm sword into the Shadow's body. Ryuichi conjured up Ajax again, but his Persona shot past him right before a loud _thunk_ resounded just a few yards behind him. Ryuichi glanced back to see that Ajax had halted the other Shadow's attack.

Pressing a hand over his wound, Ryuichi trotted over to join Akihiko as he pummeled the Shadow's head again. Ryuichi plunged his sword deep under the knight's armpit, steel scraping armor inside.

Polydeuces struck the Shadow again, this time in the throat. With the final blow, the knight and his steed both became whorls of black smoke that drifted off in the wind. Ryuichi's sword dropped heavily, making him stagger from the sudden weight. He placed a hand back over his wound as he frantically searched for Mitsuru. Ajax and the other Shadow were nowhere to be found.

"Mitsuru, bring the other knight back here!" Akihiko yelled into his headset.

"I'm on my way!" she answered, and they heard her rev her engine somewhere distant, accompanied by armor clanking.

"There she is!"

Mitsuru came zooming at them. Tires screeched when she did a sharp one-eighty turn to face the knight riding after her.

"Ryuichi, have Ajax use Assault Dive. Try to knock it off its horse," she ordered.

"Got it." Ryuichi aimed his Evoker under his chin and fired. Ajax returned, shield raised, and went flying towards the knight. Metallic thunder boomed on impact, and the knight fell in a crunching heap on the ground.

"The enemy is down!" Mitsuru shouted. "Everyone, advance!"

"I've been waiting for this!" Akihiko already charged forward, followed by Mitsuru. Ryuichi sprinted after them, pressing his Evoker against his wound briefly before joining the others. Ajax and the other Personas surrounded the steed while the three teens assaulted the knight, beat it, bludgeoned it, Mitsuru stomping on it with her stiletto heels that gouged holes in its armor. The knight bolted upright, throwing the three off of himself. To Ryuichi's horror, he went for Mitsuru, staggering with every step with his lance in hand.

"Hey, you!" Ryuichi yelled at it. When the knight looked to him, Ajax bashed into him with his shield. He pinned it to the ground, and Penthesilea finished it off with an icy blast. The knight and the horse both disappeared into smoke, and all was silent, save for the teenagers' labored breaths.

"It'll take more than that to beat us," Akihiko sneered at the Shadows, rubbing his thumb against his nose.

Mitsuru dusted herself off and flipped her red locks back over her shoulder. "The Shadows are getting stronger," she noted as she turned to Akihiko. "You're bleeding."

She tapped the edge of her own brow to show him where. He wiped the bit of blood there, smearing it. "Huh. Must've been when I fell," he grunted, shrugging.

"It doesn't look too bad, but you should clean it when we get back to the dorm." Mitsuru looked to Ryuichi next, who straightened up to hide the severity of his injury. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

The darkness covered any bloodstains that showed on his clothes. "I got hit by that thing's lance," he admitted, "but I don't think it's that bad."

He showed her the tear in his blazer, then opened it to show the torn vest and shirt underneath. He couldn't see anything under the dim moonlight, but feeling the sticky blood on his fingers was enough for him to agree with Mitsuru that he should go to the hospital.

"Is that really necessary? He looks fine." Akihiko cocked his head to the side as he stared at the ripped fabric. His eyes went to the tears on Ryuichi's sleeve and on his pants' leg and shrugged off the scrapes underneath.

Ryuichi took out his handkerchief and tucked it into the tears in his shirt and vest, pressing a hand over it.

"He should go to the hospital," Mitsuru said firmly, making Akihiko jump from her icy glare. "I don't want to take any risks. Understood?"

"I'll go by myself, so you two just head back to the dorm," Ryuichi told them on the way to his bicycle.

"I'm coming with you," Mitsuru said with a finality that he knew not to question. "It would do you no good if more Shadows appeared."

"Then I'll just patrol around the dorm," Akihiko said, and started jogging back towards Moonlight Bridge before Mitsuru could shoot down his idea.

Ryuichi's wound only started to hurt towards the end of the Dark Hour, leaving him with a few minutes of pain before the doctor could work on him. He ended up needing several stitches, but it still surprised him that the injury wasn't as bad as he initially thought.

Mitsuru requested to have a car pick them up from the hospital. Numbed up with medicine, Ryuichi sat comfortably during the ride back to the dorm, already feeling fatigue start to weigh down his eyelids. He touched a hand to his wound on his side, where his fingers found dried blood and a layer of gauze.

"You did well tonight," Mitsuru said to him, jolting him awake. "I was impressed that you thought to cushion Akihiko's fall with a Garu spell."

"It was nothing, really," he replied, passing it off with a shrug but secretly proud of himself. The orange glow from the streetlamps showed off his bashful grin. "Those were some fancy maneuvers you pulled with your motorcycle."

"All I was doing was keeping out of the Shadow's reach."

Back at the dorm, they found Yukari sitting in the lounge, still in her school uniform. When they opened the doors, she leaped to her feet and went to meet them, her face wide with horror at the sight of the bloodied Ryuichi.

"S-Senpai? What happened?"

He flashed her a bashful grin. "What, Akihiko didn't tell you?"

Yukari dropped her gaze to the floor. "Not really. He only said that you two were at the hospital before he started telling me about the fight. He mostly talked about himself, though."

She couldn't take her eyes off the rips and bloodstains on his uniform. "It only looks bad," he reassured her. "I'm just a bleeder."

Yukari nodded slowly, still aghast at the sight of him. "I can't believe you guys actually fight monsters," she murmured.

Mitsuru motioned for Ryuichi to head to his room. "You need rest. Good work tonight," she said to him.

"You were superb, as always," Ryuichi replied, and bid both girls good night on his way to his room. When he closed the door, he let out a sigh, mouthing his relief that it was now Sunday and could sleep in. With a small face towel, he wiped himself clean before heading to bed. He was already falling asleep when his phone lit up with a beep.

 _"It seems Takeba believes us now,"_ Mitsuru wrote.

Squinting at his bright screen, he wrote _"I hope that means she'll help us"_ and fell asleep before he could see her reply.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ryuichi was given a stern warning not to exert himself too much while he recovered. He wasn't allowed to go on patrol during the Dark Hour, and Mitsuru forbade him from working out or training. No matter how many times he explained to her that his injury was little more than a paper cut, she still argued that he needed to give himself time to heal.

He was fairly certain that, without any physical activity to give him some respite from his studies, he would soon lose his mind. Mitsuru must have understood his struggle, as she suggested that they review the obstacles for his motorcycle license test. She surprised him with a motorcycle she arranged for him to practice with: medium-sized and large enough to comfortably fit another person behind the driver. He especially admired the shiny black against the silvery metalwork, and the light touch of the twin teal blue stripes that went down the middle.

"So, how much do I owe you?" he asked when she first showed it to him.

"If you score number one on your exams, it's yours," was her answer.

They studied together throughout the week. After school, if the library wasn't too crowded, they studied at one of the tables among the many other students. When there wasn't room, they returned to the dorm and studied up on the second floor at the table in the common area, usually with tea and some kind of sweet treat or sandwiches.

Occasionally, Akihiko would pop out of his room to ask Mitsuru for help with his studies. Once he got what he needed, he either returned to his room or went off for a light run, not able to sit still for more than an hour. It was when he started beating up his punching bag that the other two abandoned the second floor to study in the lounge or up on the fourth floor to get as far away from the noise as possible. At some point, they ended up studying at the low table in Ryuichi's room. Ryuichi said nothing when Mitsuru stopped inviting Akihiko to join them.

The week of exams was a blur of notes and motorcycle rides. The two familiarized themselves with the various obstacles that would be featured on their tests, more as a break from their studies than anything else. Ryuichi always looked forward to the sensation of getting lightly battered by the wind when he sped down the street with Mitsuru, reveling in the freedom he felt. The more they rode, the more attached he grew to the vehicle. He knew there was no way he could score the highest on their final exams to keep the motorcycle, not especially when Mitsuru was his competition. The best he could do was take down the make and model and buy one himself.

Saturday marked the final day of exams, and also Ryuichi's eighteenth birthday. He knew the guys on the kendo team wanted to celebrate, but it always wound up with him paying for everything.

"They'll come looking for you after the exam," Mitsuru murmured softly to him on their way to school.

"I know," he grumbled. "They remind me of your fans."

"They're not 'fans', and they never ask anything of me."

"Lucky you. Wanna trade?"

After the exam that day, the moment he handed forward all his test materials, Ryuichi grabbed his things and practically sprinted out the door, where he walked into a wall of grinning kendo team members. Ryuichi nearly cried when they all started shouting "Happy Birthday!" at him, knowing he was trapped. When he turned to try the other door, Kenta blocked him.

"So, where are we going to celebrate?"

"We should do—"

"How about that one place that just opened—"

"Karaoke with some girls?"

"What girls do you know?"

"Probably the ugly ones."

"Nah, dude. Those girls have standards, too."

"Hey—!"

Ryuichi gave a pitiful smile. "Um, guys? Thanks, but I already made plans with my parents, so—"

There was a collective gasp from his teammates. He regretted his words immediately.

"Party at Toshio's!" they all bellowed, and began discussing their favorite dishes from Ryuichi's family's restaurant. All of Ryuichi's protests were ignored while they debated if the ribs or the brisket was better, and when some of them started emailing the other team members about the celebration at Toshio's, he was sure he overheard one guy say that he was going to invite the girls' kendo team. Ryuichi looked helplessly to Mitsuru, who could only offer up a look of pity that also seemed to say, "Please try to enjoy yourself".

Downstairs by the shoe lockers, more of the kendo team members from both the girls' and boys' teams gathered. While everyone swarmed him to greet him on his birthday, he changed into his regular shoes while regretting ever wishing that he could be as popular as Mitsuru and Akihiko were for their prowess in their respective sports.

"Happy birthday, Ryuichi-kun!" some of the girls from the girls' kendo team greeted him.

Seeing them, Ryuichi wasn't sure if he should ask if they were joining them in the celebration, even if only to confirm. He figured he should just keep quiet. Maybe they don't know, or weren't invited by one of the guys—

"I heard the barbecue ribs were supposed to be good," the girl with light brown hair said to him. "I've never had it before, so I'm looking forward to trying it."

Well, balls. "The ribs are really good," was all he could say through a painful smile.  
As the girls started to ask more questions, Mitsuru passed by yet again. Her presence alone must have been an unintentional, gentle push, as the girls drifted away from Ryuichi to let her through.

"Hey, Mitsuru. Do you wanna come with us to my family's restaurant?" Ryuichi asked her.

He pleaded with his eyes, begging her to join. She had a look of apology as she declined with a shake of her head.

"My apologies, but I have some business to attend to," was her remorseful reply. "Please enjoy yourself. Happy birthday, Ryuichi."

She left, taking his last hope of having at least one actual friend with him. Sighing, he turned back to see the girls now keeping their distance from him. One of them even tucked away a small, pink envelope back into her bag.

It was only when everyone from both teams showed up that they all finally left for the restaurant. Located at the edge of Iwatodai further into the mainland, Toshio's stood isolated on a small island amid a triangle of intersecting streets, away from the surrounding rows of stores. The place where it stood was once a gas station that had gone out of business long ago, now a busy restaurant whose delicious smoke could be smelled from blocks away. As the two kendo teams neared the restaurant, they could see the long line of customers leading out the restaurant doors.

Ryuichi looked up at the orange and blue sign that read his father's name in English letters. It had been a few years since he quit working there, a step he took during his second year of middle school. His parents had been furious with him at the time, but somehow, he survived their wrath. Since then, his mother had forgiven him, and even though his father was friendly with him whenever he visited, Ryuichi was sure that he still harbored a grudge towards him.

"Damn! There's _that_ many people?"

"How long's the wait?"

"Is it _that_ worth the wait?"

"Oh, oh it's _so_ worth the wait!"

"You haven't even lived until you try the barbecue!"

"Pulled pork sandwich! You won't regret it!"

"Gotta go with the brisket!"

The girl's kendo team captain, a second-year named Shiori Hayabusa, came up to Ryuichi. "I'm sorry if we intruded on your birthday," she said to him with apology in her eyes. "One of the guys said you invited us, but we should have—"

"Thanks for coming," Ryuichi said kindly to her, grateful that she had the sense to apologize, even if it wasn't her fault. "Have you been here before?"

She looked at him in amazement. "Are you sure it's all right?"

"Yeah, of course! If anything, I was afraid you got dragged here by the guys."

"No, not at all!" Her little giggle made warmth spread from his core to his face. "So, this is your family's restaurant? What do you recommend?"

He explained the different dishes to her. The more he spoke, the more he started thinking that he should bring some home to everyone at the dorm. He started planning out menu items for everyone, with a Meat Monsoon burger for Akihiko, maybe a rack of ribs or a grilled chicken sandwich for Yukari, and for Mitsuru, he was pretty sure he wanted her to have something she couldn't eat with a fork and knife. Maybe something with bacon?

The line moved along. Soon, Ryuichi was holding the door open for himself and for Shiori, the two still discussing the different dishes. He still couldn't figure out what Mitsuru might want, and every meal he listed off for Shiori somehow seemed unworthy of being Mitsuru's introduction to his father's food.

"Ryuichi!"

His mother, Ayumi, called out to him as she ran out from behind the cash registers to hug him. "Happy birthday! Oh! You brought a lot of friends! Hello! Welcome!"

Ryuichi's mother was all smiles as she hurried back to the counter to help take more orders. The line seemed to move faster, now that his mother knew that he was there. When they reached the counter, Ryuichi told his mother that he would pay for his friends and let her know ahead of time that he would order a few more items later to take home to the dorm.

"Oi! Ryuichi! Cut up some potatoes!"

The familiar gruffness in his father's jovial voice rang out from the kitchen. Groaning, Ryuichi excused himself from his group to rush to his father's aid. He first stopped by the back office where he stripped off his school blazer, rolled up his sleeves, loosened his red, silk necktie and collar, and grabbed an apron. Back in the kitchen, he scrubbed his hands clean before shoving potatoes through the slicer. He pulled a lever that forced potatoes against a grid of blades, and out came fresh-cut fries ready to go into the fryer. Once the fryer was bubbling with fries, he went to help assemble the different sandwiches.

"Number thirty-four!" he shouted as he placed the baskets of food on the counter. "Number thirty-four, your order is ready!"

"Whoa! He's really working!"

"Check him out! Like a pro!"

"On his birthday, though?"

"Orders thirty-two, thirty-three, and thirty-seven!" he called out, and some of his teammates came to pick up their food.

His father clapped a heavy, calloused hand on his shoulder. "The fries, Ryuichi!" he barked.

"Toshio! It's his birthday!" his mother snapped at him. "He's here with his friends! Let him enjoy himself today!"

She practically tore the apron off of him. "Go have fun, Ryuichi."

He whispered his thanks to his mother before heading to the office to grab his things and dress back up. When he rejoined his friends, he discovered that they all managed to procure a few tables to push together. They all joked around, recalling moments of victory during kendo competitions, failures, and claiming their revenge on their rivals. Some of the third-years were asked what universities they were going to, and two of them agonizingly bent low over the table so their noses nearly dipped into their food.

"—I heard that their starter was only a first year," Ryuichi heard Shiori say of their rival school's boys' kendo team. "You were matched up with him during your match last summer, right?"

"Yeah." Ryuichi dipped one of his fries into a small cup of ranch dressing. "I think his name was Hayase. The guy was a beast!"

"But you beat him! Was he that good?"

Sato from the boys' team snorted. "Are you kidding? The Captain could've taken on their whole team by himself! We're unstoppable!"

One of the girls wrinkled her nose at him. "Big talk coming from someone who got beat by a first-year just a few weeks ago!"

Everyone cracked up while Sato's face burned. "I-I had sweat in my eye!"

Their table exploded with laughter at his feeble protest. Ryuichi laughed along with them all, but it was so easy for him to withdraw into himself, feeling like an outsider at his own birthday celebration. It was like he was watching everyone else have fun while he just wanted to go home and eat his Spicy Viper Burger, a greasy bag of fries, a rack of ribs, and help it all settle in his stomach with a blend of every soft drink the restaurant carried.

Ryuichi stayed behind once everyone had their fill, saying that he had plans to celebrate with his parents in the evening. The others all made plans to either go bowling or head to the karaoke place back at Paulownia Mall. Everyone thanked him, greeted him a happy birthday again, and left. Only Shiori hung back a bit.

"It's not much, but, happy birthday," she said as she shyly produced a small, blue plastic bag from her school bag. "I baked these myself. I hope you like them."

His jaw dropped in awe as he took the bag from her. "Wow. Thank you, Shiori-san!"

Her face flushed. "Um, there's one more thing," she said. She turned her face away from his, but her eyes kept flickering back to him.

Ryuichi was still admiring the little bag of treats in his hands. "Yeah? What is it?" he asked. When he tried to make contact with her gaze, she burned even brighter.

"W-Well, um, I was wondering if you would like to go see a movie tomorrow?" she said. Her voice was unusually high and trembled in a way that he had never heard before.

"A movie?" He thought about it, wanting nothing more than to stay home all day and not think about anything.

"It doesn't have to be a movie," she said hastily. "We could just hang out at the mall, or something."

Ryuichi shrugged. "Well, I haven't seen a movie in a while, so why not?"

She gasped. "Okay, um, great! How about I call you tomorrow with the show times?"

"Sure thing." He regretted his answer. "Thanks again for coming today. And for the present."

"Thank you, too." Shiori bowed. "And happy birthday again! See you tomorrow!"

She was still bowing as she made her way backwards towards the bus stop. As she stepped towards the edge of the curb, her foot slipped, and Ryuichi's hand shot out to grab her by the wrist. He pulled her upright, seeing the horror on her red face.

"Whoa! You okay?"

"F-Fine!" A shrill, nervous giggle escaped her. "Um, see ya."

With that, she trotted off towards her friends, all of whom collected her and swarmed around her. Ryuichi watched as some of them glanced his direction with big grins, then looked back to their flustered team captain.

"Girls are weird," he concluded with a sigh, and went back inside the restaurant.

The Okazakis headed to their house for a brief celebration with cake. The house looked the same to Ryuichi, with everything relatively clean from hardly anyone living in it. The restaurant was his parents' lives, where they spent most of their time there nearly every single day. Ryuichi barely had any memories of them outside of the restaurant.

"So, what did that pretty girl give you?" his mother asked while he cut them some slices of coconut cream cake.

The hairs on his back spiked. "Oh, uh, she baked me some cookies," he murmured, embarrassed that they had seen.

His father chuckled as he nudged him. Ryuichi accidentally smeared frosting on his shirt sleeve. "Finally got a girlfriend, huh? How long were you gonna keep that from us?"

"She's not my girlfriend," he grunted.

"She obviously likes you! No girl bakes stuff for a guy unless she likes him!"

"You mean like how you got Mom to fall madly in love with you when you brought her a rack of ribs?"

"Yeah! Same difference!"

Ayumi giggled as she accepted the slice of cake Ryuichi passed to her. "Oh, that reminds me: Shizue said that she needs help packing for the move, so during break, can you go to her apartment and help her out?"

"I still can't believe your sister," Toshio grunted, and the conversation quickly turned into his parents griping about how irresponsible Shizue was, how she shamed the family, and that she now burdened them with the new life she was bringing into the world. Somehow, it all sounded like his parents were lecturing him as if he had been the one to get pregnant out of wedlock.

"Now, now," Ayumi said, forcing a smile as if she hadn't also just lectured their son. "Let's just calm down. It's Ryuichi's birthday! We can talk about Shizue another time."

The tension in the room was already as thick as gelatin. They finished their slices of cake, gave Ryuichi some to take back to the dorm, and headed back to the restaurant, where Ryuichi filled his own orders for his dorm mates to take home with him. Before they parted, Ryuichi hugged his parents, thanked them, and they were back to their cheery mood, leaving behind talks of his sister.

"Thanks a lot, Shiz," Ryuichi muttered on the bus ride back to the dorm. "Even on my birthday you manage to get Mom and Dad to make it about you."

At home, he stopped just outside the front door to test out a proper smile before heading inside.

"Whooo's hungry?" he called out as he entered the lounge. The others were sitting around on the sofas, watching a news report. Akihiko was hunched over a bowl of instant noodles, his hungry eyes fixing on the greasy bags of food in his hand.

"Toshio's!" He set his bowl down and went to snatch the bags from him.

"Yours is the extra greasy one," Ryuichi said to him as Yukari and Mitsuru joined them. "I got you two stuff, too, and here: fries and onion rings!"

Mitsuru closed her eyes and hummed in delight. "That smells divine."

They brought the food over to the table. Ryuichi handed Yukari the California Cheeseburger he got for her.

"This thing is _huge_!" she marveled as she held the paper-wrapped burger in both hands.

Ryuichi handed the other massive burger to Mitsuru. "Here you go," he said nervously. "I hope you like bacon."

Akihiko was already smashing his face into his Meat Monsoon. Sauces slathered around his mouth, and he stopped to pick out a piece of crispy bacon to crunch on.

"Your dad is a meat master," he moaned into his burger.

Yukari wrinkled her nose at him. "Akihiko-senpai, you're staining your shirt."

"I can wash it later." He took another enormous bite, getting mustard on his nose.

"Don't worry; that's the messiest burger on the menu. The others are a lot cleaner," Ryuichi reassured the girls. "We actually use a pretty lean ground beef. Dad grinds the meat up himself after removing most of the fat."

Mitsuru held her burger as if she had just received a present.

"C'mon, Mitsuru. Eat it," Akihiko urged her. "He's been bringing these home for years and you still haven't eaten one."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Ryuichi said, panicked. "I'm sure you had dinner already."

"I haven't." Mitsuru started to unfold the paper on the burger. "I have been wanting to try one for awhile now, though."

Ryuichi clenched every muscle as he watched Mitsuru peel the wrapper off from her burger slowly, as if to take the time to calculate how to attack the giant sandwich. She kept glancing at Akihiko, observing him as he ate.

Yukari pinched the edge of her burger so it flattened enough to where she could take a bite. "Mmm! Ryuichi-senpai, this is really good!"

Ryuichi was all smiles again. "The sweetness is from our own hand-made thousand island, so that's the extra pop you're getting."

"That's what that is? It's amazing!"

He missed the moment when Mitsuru took her first bite out of her burger. "I see what you mean about that 'pop' of sweetness," she said, holding a hand up over her mouth as she spoke. "There's also something tart, and this crunch—C'est magnifique!"

Ryuichi released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Mitsuru plucked a piece of bacon from her burger, admired the wavy pork bark, and appeared to relish in the smoky, salty flavor and the crispiness.

He opened up the bags of fries and onion rings. "Got some ketchup and ranch dressing to dip these in," he offered to the others while taking a fry for himself. He dipped it in the cup of ranch dressing and ate it, savoring the flavor even though he had plenty earlier.

"Oh, and there's barbecue! I thought you guys might wanna try that."

"All right!" Akihiko reached for an onion ring, then a rib, ripping meat off with his teeth.

"Um, Ryuichi-senpai? Is there some kind of special occasion, or something?" Yukari asked him. "What's with all the food?"

"It's his birthday today," Mitsuru answered for him. Yukari gasped.

"Herbee burrdurr," Akihiko said through a full mouth.

Yukari grimaced. "Geez, Akihiko-senpai."

Mitsuru dabbed at her lips with a napkin. "Happy birthday, Ryuichi," she said to him with a smile. "Tell me, do you feel ready to get your driver's license?"

"What, right now?" Panic formed a lump in his throat just thinking about the test.

"You already know the course well enough to do it now."

"Yeah, but, _now_ -now?"

She chuckled. "I have already made an appointment for you to take your test on Monday after school. You'll do fine."

Before he could say anything, Kikuno arrived with a birthday cake for him. Somehow, she had the foresight to not bring any dinner for Mitsuru, as if she had known all along that Mitsuru would be feasting on something else. Ryuichi presented Kikuno with a California Cheeseburger like Yukari's, which she gratefully took and said she would eat later.

After Kikuno cleared away the leftovers, and after Akihiko and Yukari headed upstairs to their rooms with full stomachs, Mitsuru asked Ryuichi to follow her to the rear storage room.

"Are we going for a ride?" he asked her at the door.

"We can, but first, I would like to give you your real birthday present," she said, and let him enter the storage room first.

Both their motorcycles were there as usual, but now his had a big, red bow and a sidecar attached to it, sporting the same teal blue stripes as his motorcycle. Ryuichi stared at the new addition with admiration, but also befuddled at what Mitsuru had described it to be.

"I should've known." He turned back to see her beaming at him. "It was never your intention to wait and see what my scores were, was it?"

"Father and I agreed that we wanted you to have something functional and practical, and with your sister having her baby soon, we thought that this would be the most useful gift to you," she explained, completely ignoring his question. "It also works during the Dark Hour, just like mine. You won't have to wear yourself out anymore on your bicycle."

He touched two fingers to the twin stripes on the sidecar. "I guess, but this is way too generous," he murmured. "You guys spoil me way too much."

Mitsuru's heel clicks came up behind him. "Think of it as a small 'Thank you' for all your hard work and services these past few years."

"'Small'?" Ryuichi climbed into the sidecar, amazed at how comfortable it was. He grinned up at Mitsuru.

"Okay, you guys can spoil me just this once," he reluctantly agreed as he stood back up. "Thank you, Mitsuru. I'll have to thank your father properly, too."

"Good." She gestured to both their motorcycles. "Now, as your test is this Monday, would you care for a little review?"

He leaped at the opportunity. They zoomed all over Iwatodai and around Tatsumi Port Island, finding places where they could practice most of the different obstacles they would expect on their exam. Over an hour later they returned to the dorm, fresh from the night air's chill and exhilarating ride.

"Thank you again and again and again!" Ryuichi exclaimed as he removed his full-faced helmet. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He nearly hugged her. His whole being nearly swept Mitsuru up in his arms with gratitude, but he channeled all his excitement to the big grin that started to make his face ache.

"We can practice again tomorrow afternoon, if you're interested," Mitsuru offered, tucking her own open-faced helmet under her arm. "It's a shame we can't go for another ride the day of your test."

Ryuichi paused just inside the back door, next to the kitchen. "Oh, uh, I actually have plans tomorrow," he said apologetically, and informed her that he was going to see a movie with a friend.

"I thought you didn't like movie theaters."

"I don't." He sighed. "But, I'm willing to give it another chance."

Mitsuru studied him quietly for a few seconds. "It's okay to tell them 'no' if you're not up for it," she advised. "I'm sure they'll understand."

"Nah, I already said I would."

He would have loved to cancel the hang out day with Shiori, but she just looked so hopeful when she invited him out that he couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her. He bid Mitsuru's good night, who greeted him a final "Happy birthday" which he returned with another series of "Thank yous". Back in his room, he rewarded his long day with a hot bath while he imagined the next time he would get to ride his new motorcycle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next day, Ryuichi received an email from Shiori shortly after breakfast, confirming the time they should meet. He blew hot air of regret through his nostrils, wishing he had lied before and said that he was busy, but since she had already gone through the trouble, he knew he couldn't disappoint. He dressed up in blue jeans, a blue long-sleeved T-shirt, and a fleece pullover with the collar popped, figuring he wanted to be comfy if he was going to be sitting in a crowded theater for an hour-and-a-half. After a quick stop at the bank, he went on his way to meet Shiori outside the movie theater.

The late winter morning was still chilly enough that Ryuichi regretted not bringing a scarf. And yet, he found a girl standing just outside the movie theater wearing a short, red, plaid skirt, a black blouse beneath a thick, red peacoat, and had a pastel yellow scarf loosely circled around her slender throat. At first, Ryuichi rolled his eyes at the girl, who was clearly shivering in the cold with much of her legs exposed, but when she waved to him, he choked on his saliva when he realized that it was Shiori.

"Sorry I took so long," he said, smiling while mentally apologizing for his judgment.

"I just got here, too, so you're fine," she replied, beaming. "We're still a little early, but at least we're guaranteed good seats."

They headed to the theater. As Shiori asked for two tickets and reached for her wallet, Ryuichi already had a few bills in his hand to pay for them both.

"You don't have to pay for me," she said quickly. "You already spent so much on us yesterday."

"I got it, so it's cool," he said, taking the tickets. He opened the door to the theater and let her pass through first, stopping to hold it for a young woman with two small children.

At the snack counter, he and Shiori selected popcorn, candy, and sodas, all of which Ryuichi paid for as well.

"Seriously, you don't have to," she protested again, pushing her money to him when the clerk had already taken his money.

"Don't worry about it," he said, grinning. "Got everything?"

They found their seats up near the top of the movie house against the back wall. The trailers had not yet begun to play, but advertisements to go to the concession stands and movie trivia popped up on the screen instead. So far, there were only a few people in the room with them, grabbing the high seats and some in the middle.

"So, uh, fill me in: What's the movie about again?" asked Ryuichi.

Shiori covered her mouth with her hand while she ate some of her popcorn. She held up a finger to let him know she still needed a moment to finish chewing.

"It's about a guy who finds out he's got super powers who gets recruited by a bunch of other people just like him," she explained, already preparing another buttery morsel. "But then, there are others out there using their powers for evil, so the guy and his team have to fight them and save the world."

He made a face. "Let me guess: Spoiler, one of the good guys dies?"

She popped the bit of popcorn into her mouth. "My money's on the tough guy with a heart of gold."

Overall, the movie had a few cheap laughs but a weak story, as far as Ryuichi could see. He had been intrigued with the whole teenagers with powers thing, but the execution felt more like he was watching a movie for kids or younger teens due to its predictability. He thought it had potential to be something greater, something darker, but in the end, Ryuichi regretted paying for their tickets.

After the movie they headed to Paulownia Mall, where Shiori expressed her own disappointment in the movie. Ryuichi ended up having more fun complaining about the movie with her than watching the darned thing.

"Right?" he agreed. "And what was up with that one girl with the fire powers?"

"Oh, her? I know!" she exclaimed. "She was all bold and everything, and then suddenly she was ready to throw herself off the mountainside when her boyfriend died! I mean, come on! He wasn't even worth it!"

At least they had something they could laugh and gripe about. At the mall, they went straight for the arcade, where Ryuichi bought them a bunch of tokens to share. The first game Shiori chose to play was a boxing one with padded targets that would come out for the player to hit. She removed her coat and threw the end of her scarf over her shoulder before dropping into a low stance with her fists raised. In rapid succession, the pads popped out. Her fists were blurs as she struck each one, never once slowing down.

 _Bambambambambam—_ Each hit sent the targets slamming against the metal cage. At the end, a larger bag dropped down from the top for the final hit. Shiori pulled her right fist back and threw all her weight behind the strike. The screen at the rear of the booth showed a meter that flashed a number and the label "Featherweight Champion" that was a quarter shy from the top.

"Impressive," Ryuichi said, nodding. "The boxing team could use your fists."

Shiori popped her knuckles. "Did better than I thought I would," she said triumphantly. "Think you can beat that?"

Ryuichi handed her back her coat and purse. "I'll give it a shot," he replied nonchalantly.

 _BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM—_ He savagely attacked each target with such agility and force that they bounced back out of the game from his punches alone, letting him strike even more times. There was no time to think, only reacting when he saw targets flying at him. At the last bag, he reared his hand back and struck the bag hard enough that it swung back out at him as if to retort. The meter on the screen shot up to read "Nuclear Fists" at the very top.

"You did it!" Shiori cheered.

He couldn't stop the embarrassed smile from spreading across his face. Secretly, he was very pleased with his results. "Yeah, this game's gotta be rigged. There's no way I'd get that kind of score."

"If they didn't give you 'Nuclear Fists', I would've definitely said it was rigged," she argued, and he didn't bother to try to dissuade her.

They played a couple more games, then went to Chagall Cafe to take a break. Ryuichi stared at the upright piano in the corner of the cafe, remembering when he would give flawless performances at that exact piano after he quit working at the restaurant.

"You used to play here, right? Back in middle school?" Shiori asked him. "Why did you quit?"

He stared down at his tea, searching for an answer. "Well, I got busy with school and clubs and sports that I just didn't have time anymore," he murmured.

"Do you still play? I mean, after your accident—"

Shiori seemed to regret asking. It took Ryuichi a moment to recall the "accident" that she was referring to when in fact it was only a cover up story that Mitsuru herself fabricated to hide how he truly injured his arm. The story she came up with told of him being in a nasty car accident that resulted in his right arm getting severed. It was a story he was asked to tell many times after the incident, and every time he did, he would always replay the true traumatic event in his mind.

Regret and apology crossed Shiori's face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just asked like that."

His right hand twitched. "No, it's okay," he said softly. "After I hurt my arm, I couldn't really play as well anymore. I can still write, but I have to concentrate hard just to make my handwriting legible. I even had to switch my chopsticks to my left hand, too."

Pity filled Shiori's eyes, making his stomach twist with discomfort. "I'm still trying to practice, though," he said quickly so she wouldn't feel too bad. "The doctor said that I should be able to regain dexterity in my hand if I keep practicing piano and stuff. I'll probably try to use my chopsticks in my right hand again to speed things along."

"That was just last year, wasn't it? Why weren't you practicing as much before?"

"Well, I had to let my arm heal. Until then, I was used to making my left hand do almost everything."

They left Chagall Cafe for the food court, where Shiori had him use chopsticks to eat his fries. She cheered him on as he fumbled with the cheap sticks, dropping them and his fries a number of times. When he managed to raise a fry to his mouth, she applauded, and he felt more accomplished than he initially thought he would.

"How come you're able to still do kendo but not other things?" she asked while he tried for another fry.

"My hand strength's pretty okay, but not the dexterity," he said, showing her by moving his fingers about. "See how they get stuck?"

They hung out a little longer, mostly just walking around the mall, talking and window shopping. Ryuichi saw that Shiori was actually pretty cool, where she liked some of the same games he played, understood his gripes about training their kendo teams for competitions, and shared in his appreciation of spicy foods. It was nice hanging out with someone who didn't expect him to pay for everything for a change.

By late afternoon, Ryuichi walked Shiori part of the way to her house before heading home to the dorm. Overall, even though the movie turned out to be lame, he still had a fun Sunday with someone he felt like he could call a friend.

At the dorm, he found everyone in the lounge, together but doing their own things. Yukari was having a light dinner with a salad and grilled pieces of chicken at the dining table while Akihiko sat on the couch feasting on a beef bowl. As usual, Mitsuru was seated at her favorite armchair near the front windows reading a book while occasionally glancing up at the TV. A half-filled steaming cup of tea sat on the table in front of her.

"Where've you been?" Akihiko asked Ryuichi when he entered.

"Hung out with a friend today," he answered as he started for his room.

Mitsuru looked up from her book. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah, it was pretty fun, but the movie was kinda lame."

He hung out with the others in the lounge and talked about the movie they saw. Even they agreed that it had to be poorly written if the characters were so inconsistent. Yukari joined the conversation, saying that her friends wanted to see it and that she was glad she didn't bother going. It surprised Ryuichi that she was talking to them again.

"So, who was the friend you went with?" Mitsuru asked him.

"Shiori Hayabusa."

Mitsuru nodded. "Tell me, was she dressed up?"

He cocked his head at her. "Uh, she looked normal, if that's what you mean."

Ryuichi scratched his head. "Then again, I've only ever seen her in either a school or kendo uniform, so it's not a fair comparison."

Yukari gasped. "Wait, so you two went to the movies and spent the whole day together?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Her face twisted in annoyance. "You really don't know? She might've thought it was a date!"

"Nah, there's no way," he said as he headed to his room. "Hanging with her was like hanging out with a buddy."

He lingered at the dorm long enough to grab his helmet and keys for a last bit of review before his motorcycle license test. Not once did he second guess himself on all the different requirements, making sure he didn't skid when he tested the emergency brake and executing the perfect acceleration up an incline without rolling backwards. It was the first time he was able to perform every task correctly on the first try. He feared that he used all his luck on his practice run.

The next day, he spent the entire school day running through the obstacles in his mind in preparation for his test. He could almost feel the way his motorcycle would jerk forward when he accelerated up the incline. It was when he started falling asleep and dreamt he hit the brakes that his whole body thrust forward into his desk. His teacher wasn't impressed.

"Sorry," he said bashfully as he got up and bowed.

Their teacher folded her arms over her chest in disapproval. "Okazaki, for Kirijo's sake, please stay awake so you don't accidentally crash into her."

Despite his mishap during class, he made it through the rest of the school day without any more nightmares. His nerves actually didn't bother him for the first half of his day. It was only when he was on his way to the test site that his nerves finally started to ignite like sparklers.

Somehow, despite nearly getting side-swiped by a car driven by a nervous test taker, Ryuichi was awarded a passing grade. He contained himself enough to not hug his examiner, doing the more polite smile, bow, and giving thanks. When the examiner left him alone, he rapidly messaged Mitsuru a quick _"I passed!"_ before doing a little victory dance. When he arrived home at the dorm, he was greeted by Kikuno who brought a celebratory dinner for him to share with Mitsuru.

On Tuesday, the results for final exams were posted during lunchtime. Ryuichi and Mitsuru headed downstairs to check the results on the board just outside the faculty office. Already, students clustered around the boards to see how well they did or if they had bombed their exams. One guy bumped shoulders with Ryuichi, muttering and swearing under his breath as he left the hall.

By the time they reached the board, there weren't as many students clogging up the hallway. Ryuichi peered over the head of a first-year girl with pale green hair, squinting slightly to read the names. He brimmed with pride at Mitsuru's name taking the number one spot.

"A job well done, Mitsuru," he said to her with a grin.

"C'est très bon," she replied, gesturing to his name at the number two spot. "You've done well maintaining your position. Next time, I want to see you at number one."

Ryuichi's broad grin turned almost painful. "Yeah, because that's totally possible with you around," he murmured through clenched teeth. "Besides, I couldn't have scored as high without you."

As they left the hallway, he asked her, "So, how do you wanna celebrate? My treat!"

Mitsuru chuckled at his offer. "You're always offering to pay for everyone. Did you do the same for Hayabusa?"

He had to search his mind for the name. "Who? Shiori?"

"On your date last Sunday."

"'Date'? That wasn't a date. That was two friends hanging out."

They headed up the stairs to the Student Council Room. On the way there, Ryuichi saw a girl who wept on her friend's shoulder for scoring just outside the top ten. When she raised her face, she appeared devastated by the news.

At the Student Council Room, Ryuichi opened the door for Mitsuru first. It was only after he had closed the door behind them that Mitsuru resumed their conversation.

"So tell me: Did Hayabusa also think it was only an outing with a friend and not a date?"

He watched as she went to one of the shelves full of thick binders. "I'm pretty sure she did. We just watched a movie and goofed off. There was none of that lovey-dovey stuff, and I don't even feel that way about her."

Ryuichi scratched his head. "Why are you so interested in her, anyway? You've been asking about her a lot lately."

Mitsuru pulled out a binder to leaf through. "I'm concerned that she might think you're leading her on," she answered him. "She might think that you do have feelings for her."

"Why would she think that after hanging out only once?"

"It's not just you two spending time together, but the fact that you have a tendency to pay for everyone."

"I was only trying to be nice!" he protested. "And I was forced into paying for everyone last Saturday!"

She closed the binder and put it back before taking out another one. "I know that, but she might not."

Groaning, Ryuichi pulled out a chair and dropped into it, making it squeak under his weight. "What're you so worried about, anyway?" he muttered. "It's just a misunderstanding on her part."

"True, but there's more to it." Mitsuru took her seat next to Ryuichi and looked through the binder. "There's been a lot of talk lately among the students about the two of you. Rumor has it that the captains of the boys' and girls' kendo teams are dating."

" _More_ rumors?" He nearly slammed his face down onto the table. "So what? It'll probably fade off like that other rumor about us dating."

"That rumor hasn't faded off yet."

"It's been over a year. How's it still a thing?"

Mitsuru stopped on a page in the binder, not saying a word. Ryuichi sat up and teetered on his squeaky chair, hoping the noise would urge her to tell him what people were saying, no matter how grating the sound was to him. Still, she took her time, taking out a pen from her pocket to scribble a note directly onto the page.

"I overheard some girls in the locker room before gym class," she began, her tone steady and stoic. "They seem to think that you have been going behind my back with Hayabusa."

Ryuichi snorted. "For real? They think I'm cheating on you?"

"Yes, and they said a few more things about you that I would much rather not repeat."

He laced his fingers behind his head, still chuckling. "Forget about them, Mitsuru. Those guys will dig up drama no matter what."

"That's where I'm concerned." She took out an invoice from the binder's pocket to staple to the page. "Now that they've involved Hayabusa, I'm afraid that such rumors could damage her reputation and yours."

"Don't forget yours," he pointed out as he dropped his hands to his lap. "If I'm the cheating husband, then you're the wife who has no clue about what's going on."

He shuddered. "Wait. That means your fans might already be scouting for the perfect place to dump my body."

She didn't even blink at his poor joke. "All the more reason for you to clear things up with Hayabusa. Out of all of us, she's the one who'll get hurt the most by these rumors."

Ryuichi hung his head and sighed. "Dammit. Well, I guess the wife triumphs over the mistress in this tale of drama and tragedy."

Mitsuru flipped to another page. "You mustn't keep her waiting."

"Said no wife, ever."

"Then it's a good thing we aren't married, isn't it?"

He flashed her a playful pout. "That's mistress talk," he joked, getting up. He thought he saw Mitsuru crack a tiny smile. "But, you're right. I'll go have a talk with her."

Ryuichi took one step out the door when he spun on his heel to turn back into the room.

"About that celebration—"

"We can talk about that _after_ you've rectified the situation with Hayabusa."

"Fine." He hesitated, frowning so deeply he thought his face might fall off. "Well, I guess I'm off to shatter someone's hopes and dreams."

At that, Mitsuru looked up from her work. "At least have some tact, Ryuichi," she sighed.

"I know, I know."

Once he slid the door closed, he checked his phone. There was still twenty minutes left for lunch, but he had no idea where to find Shiori. As he headed for her classroom, he stopped to use the toilet, taking his time selecting which urinal to use, making sure he squeezed every last drop out of his bladder, and goodness! He wouldn't dare face Shiori with filthy hands. He ended up soaping twice, just in case.

Despite all the extra time he spent delaying the inevitable, he still couldn't figure out a way to introduce the topic of them not actually dating. In his mind, he went from "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" to "Hey, you! I don't like you, but we can still be friends!"

When he finally had some sort of idea of what to say, he sent her an email that read: _"Where you at?"_ At least that way, he could locate her in the remaining fifteen minutes of the lunch period and use that time to refine his explanation. Not even a minute after he sent the email she responded back, saying that she was in the courtyard between the main building and the gym.

"Okay," he said to himself. "Just hit her hard and fast—Wait, no. Don't say it like that. Just, um, be gentle, but be firm?"

He ground his phone into his forehead in frustration. "Dammit! How does Mitsuru turn people down?"

The last thing he came up with was finding Shiori, pointing a finger at her, and in a flat, firm voice, telling her "No" before fleeing the scene. When he reached the double doors leading to the courtyard, he paused so he could rethink how he would talk to her. Somehow, he came up with a simple solution: Just be honest.

"All right. I can do this," he said to himself, and headed to the courtyard. He held a hand over his eyes as radiant sunlight threatened to burn his sight. When his vision adjusted, he found Shiori sitting with three of her friends, all of whom were girls. Shiori spotted him right away and waved, but as he waved back, he glanced to the other girls and realized that he couldn't go through with it.

"My mom made more than usual, so I could use some help," Shiori said, offering her lunch to him as he approached.

He hesitated to eat her food and then crush her heart after. As he sat down, he and the other girls greeted each other, and he noticed that some of them smiled a little too broadly at him.

"I saw that you got the number two spot," Shiori said gleefully. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," he replied half-heartedly. He had not thought to check what spot she got. "How about you?"

"Twenty-two." She shrugged. "Not as high as I would've liked, but—"

"Hey, that's still pretty good. Congratulations."

His tiny voice in his head kept telling him to talk to Shiori, but with her friends right there, he knew it would be wrong of him to drag her off and then send her back in tears.

"You should celebrate," one of her friends suggested.

"Next time, you might get the highest score," another encouraged him.

"Nah, not with Mitsuru around," Ryuichi said with a bashful grin. "I couldn't have done as well without her, to be honest."

Shiori's eyebrows shot up high on her forehead. "What do you mean?"

"She's the one who tutored me," he explained. "Actually, it's been that way since middle school. We usually celebrate our scores together, too. It's kinda like tradition."

He watched as her face fell, plunging a stake into his chest. "Yeah, she's been a great friend to me, so I'm glad I can show her that she's not wasting time tutoring me," he added hastily, hoping he hadn't said anything too damaging.

Shiori still hung her head. He took notice of the deathly glares he was receiving from the other girls.

"So, Mitsuru-san is just a friend to you?" one girl asked in an accusing voice.

"Yeah," he said with a shrug. "I mean, what else would she be?"

"A girlfriend, maybe?"

"Nah, no way!" he said, probably too eagerly. "Why would she settle for someone boring like me?"

"Because you're not boring," Shiori chimed in, catching him off-guard.

He wasn't sure what to say, except: "I'm really not all that."

He could feel his face burning, unsure of what to do anymore. It became clear to him that the rumors Mitsuru warned him about were definitely alive, but even more alarming was Shiori's friends' vehemence towards his friendship with Mitsuru. Shiori offered him some of her food again, but he felt terrible for taking even a tiny morsel from her, knowing that he would have to clear things up very soon.

Lunch ended, and everyone went back to their classes. Ryuichi thanked Shiori for lunch, ashamed for eating a few bites of her food and panicked that he still had not had a chance to clear things up between them. When he returned to his classroom, Mitsuru was already there in her seat.

"She had friends with her," he murmured as he passed her to get to his seat.

"Then you can wait until after school," Mitsuru answered him.

For the last few hours of the school day, Ryuichi tried to think of the best way to tell Shiori that he just wasn't interested in her. He wasn't even sure if she did like him more than just as a friend and didn't want to put either of them in an awkward situation.

"Just be frank with her, but don't forget to use tact," Mitsuru said once the final bell rang.

Groaning, he flattened his face onto his desk. "I'd rather face a hundred Shadows naked."

"You can do that _after_ you've taken care of Hayabusa."

He went to Shiori's classroom, only to find that she had already gone home. Mitsuru was not pleased when he reported his second failure.

"It can't be helped," she sighed. Despite not wanting to talk to Shiori in the first place, he felt badly for disappointing Mitsuru.

Ryuichi followed her out into the hallway, but instead of heading to the Student Council Room, they headed down the stairs. It was when they went straight to the shoe lockers that he became even more confused.

"Did you already finish all the preparations for graduation?" he asked Mitsuru. In all honesty, he already knew she was efficient when it came to preparing for events; he just hoped to change the topic.

"Yes, we did," she replied, stopping at her shoe locker. "That invoice I took note of during lunch was among the last few items I needed to take care of."

"Wow. That fast, huh?"

"Of course. They need the auditorium after school to practice for the ceremony, so we had to finish everything by today. We just happened to finish ahead of time."  
Even if it was only to get them to stop talking about Shiori, he was still impressed. "So, you finished a day early? Damn, that's fast."

He left her to find his shoe locker a few aisles away. He reached overhead for one of the lockers on the top row, and out of traumatic habit, gave his shoes a few taps to check for any tacks. Shortly after, the two met up again at the entrance.

"So, how do you want to celebrate?" Mitsuru asked on their way out.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you didn't want to discuss that until _after_ I talked to Shiori."

"You won't be able to talk to her until tomorrow, so we might as well decide on how to celebrate our scores now."

Ryuichi studied her, unsure if she was just being nice or efficient. "I chose last time," he said. "You pick."

They left the school together, and Ryuichi felt a sensation like a finger was being pressed into the back of his head. He whipped around and barely caught sight of a girl ducking behind the shoe lockers.

"What is it?"

He turned forward again. "It's nothing," he said with a shrug. He knew it was the girl who was a huge fan of Mitsuru's, known to be relatively harmless, save for a few mutterings he caught from her when she had not noticed him passing by. He was just grateful that it wasn't Shiori.

Back at the dorm, Mitsuru received a call from Ikutsuki on her way upstairs to her room. Ryuichi was in the kitchen preparing tea and snacks, still unsure of whether or not Shiori did indeed feel something for him. For all he knew, everyone else was just playing up things to make it sound like she liked him when she still hadn't said anything about it. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

He had everything laid out on the coffee table when Mitsuru returned from her room.

"The Chairman says that they found another person with the potential," she announced.

His face lit up. "A new recruit? All right!"

"Yes, but we can't be too sure just yet." She smoothed out her skirt as she took a seat at her chair. "They only know that he has the potential."

Ryuichi poured her some tea. "So, when does he move in?"

"Not until April, I'm afraid. He's coming from out of town, and so he needs some time to prepare for the move."

"Speaking of moving," he began as he passed her the full teacup, "once break hits, I have to help my sister move back into our parents' place. It could take a day or two."

"That's fine." Mitsuru started to raise her cup to her lips when she stopped. "But don't forget: as soon as possible, you need to straighten things out with Hayabusa before those rumors get out of hand."

"I know." He peered down into his own full teacup, seeing his face reflected in the steaming, green beverage.

Mitsuru looked upon him with compassion in her hard stare. "If it's too difficult a task, then if there is a chance that you might be interested in her, then by all means, court her."

His expression soured. "'Court'? No, thanks."

"Why not?"

Ryuichi set his cup down on the table. "For the last time, I'm not interested in her," he murmured with a weary sigh. "Isn't that enough of a reason?"

"You'll never know," she said, reaching for a finger sandwich. "But, on to more pressing matters."

He looked to her in amazement. "And, that would be—?"

Mitsuru's unexpected smile made him nervous. "How shall we celebrate our exam scores?" she asked. "After all, this is the first time you've scored second place all year long. Such a feat deserves recognition."

The tingle of mild anxiety for his talk with Shiori left him for the moment as the two planned out what they wanted to do to celebrate their exam scores. Usually, they just watched a movie from either Ryuichi's or Mitsuru's collections and feasted on a dinner prepared by Kikuno. They entertained other ideas that afternoon, Mitsuru laughing when Ryuichi suggested they try a cake buffet, but in the end, they just wound up talking about strategies for upcoming battles against Shadows.

"Actually, could I bother you for a moment?" Mitsuru said after a time. "I finished writing my speech for graduation, but I could use a fresh pair of ears to help me make some improvements."

"Sure thing." He got up and stretched. "Go ahead and get your notes; I'll make more tea."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"What do you mean, 'you're quitting kendo'?"

It was the Thursday before graduation, and the boys' kendo team members cornered Ryuichi just outside his classroom with the proposal that they should have one last team hangout before the seniors graduate. One of the second-years lamented that their team wouldn't be the same without the seniors, but one of the senior members offered him the comforting thought that their captain would lead them to victory in the coming year. It was then that Ryuichi had to break the news of his resignation.

"You can't just quit on us!"

"We're the defending champs! We can't just—"

"—who'll be the new cap—"

"—just have to—"

The worried and frustrated expressions on his teammates' faces made Ryuichi's stomach sink. He wanted to say something to them to reassure them that they would be fine, but one of the second-year guys asked him that dreaded question he had hoped wouldn't surface:

"So, why are you quitting?"

The guys fell silent, and all closed in around Ryuichi. He clenched his jaw to keep from showing them how nervous they made him, drawing strength from Mitsuru as she passed by to get to the Student Council Room. She looked to him and gave a single nod, to which he returned with a renewed look of determination.

"For family reasons," he told them all. "My sister is due to have her baby soon, so I have to be there to help her out as much as possible. Raising a baby takes a lot of work, so she'll need as many people helping her out as possible."

"A baby?"

"Baby?"

"She's got a kid?"

They repeated the word like a muddling chant. Ryuichi could still see the betrayal on their faces, but at half the rage now with the mention of his sister's baby.

"What about the father?" one of them asked.

Ryuichi swallowed hard. "We're all lending a hand," he answered.

"If you're all helping out, then how come you still have to quit kendo?" a first-year member asked accusingly.

"Because out of all of us, my schedule is the most flexible," he told them all. "Everyone else has to work all day, and since school lets out hours before they get home, I need to be there to help as soon as possible. I won't be able to attend kendo three times a week."

"You don't know that yet!"

"At least try!"

"Work out a new schedule—"

"—What if you—"

They all urged him not to quit. Guilt kept prodding him like cold daggers to his gut, with everything his teammates said just instantly sounded to him like they were all right and he was wrong. The pressure threatened to crush him, dizzied him, until finally he couldn't bear it anymore.

"Okay," he said quietly. "I'll stick with kendo, but if they do need me, I will have to appoint someone else to be the new captain."

The team cheered and patted him on the back roughly, as if trying to see who could leave a perfect imprint of their hands bruised into his skin. Talks of their sendoff celebration for the seniors resumed, everyone agreeing to go to Mandragora for karaoke on Saturday. Ryuichi had to threaten to intensify their workouts if they so much as suggested that he pay for their party in its entirety. It was enough to shut them all up enough where they didn't ask for more details about his future niece or nephew.

"Don't you guys have graduation practice right now?" he hissed at the senior members. That was all it took to send them fleeing for the auditorium.

Graduation went as expected the next day, with everything perfectly organized and not a single hiccup throughout the ceremony. Mitsuru had to nudge Ryuichi awake after the first five minutes of homeroom teachers calling out each individual senior students' names, and then she had to nudge him again when the long series of speeches began afterward. He stayed awake through Mitsuru's speech, but once she was seated next to him again, he began to slip away into another nap. Another nudge and a silent look of reproach from her kept him awake after that.

After the ceremony, yearbooks were handed out, and all the underclassmen went to greet their beloved senpai to say their farewells and wishes of good luck in college. Ryuichi happened to be nearby when the seniors of the girls' fencing team found Mitsuru, asking her to sign their yearbooks. It was the seniors who ended up crying as they thanked Mitsuru for leading them to victory the past two years and for all the encouragement she gave them.

Ryuichi hoped to get something similar from the seniors on his team, only for them to repeatedly urge him not to quit kendo while the other members did the same. Ryuichi almost wrote _"Don't quit kendo!"_ in one of their yearbooks with all of them shouting at him. They made sure to remind him about their karaoke plans the next day, too, and a brief transcription of their reminders ended up in another senior's yearbook.

In the school days to follow, the underclassmen still had classes to attend. The energy in the school was different, more empty, and much quieter. There were less bicycles in the racks outside, and the little shop in the foyer didn't run out of all the good food like usual. As nice as it was for everyone, it was clear that the students missed their senpai dearly.

With graduation and exams out of the way, Ryuichi finally got a chance to concern himself with a few of his other responsibilities. He was less than a week away from when he would have to help his sister move back in with their parents, and he still knew almost nothing about babies. After school on Monday, Mitsuru allowed him to skip the Student Council meeting, as there wasn't much going on at the moment. He headed to the Iwatodai strip mall to stop by the second-hand bookstore, Bookworms, hoping to find information on how to properly care for a baby.

Bookworms was a small store filled with shelves, though most of the merchandise was stacked neatly on top of low shelves, countertops, and on the floor. There was just enough room for Ryuichi to sidle past the stacks, with the occasional dainty step or calculated hop to get around to another aisle.  
"Welcome!" came a dry but cheerful greeting.

Ryuichi spun around. Behind the front counter, two pale faces shone in the dark, grinning at him. He backed away, nearly knocking a few stacks of books over.

One of the faces chuckled. "Oh, he's a jumpy one!"

It was the elderly couple, Bunkichi and his wife, Mitsuko, who let out dry chuckles from behind the counter. Ryuichi straightened one of the stacks with a few pats on its sides, still tingling from surprise.

"Um, hi," he greeted shakily, grinning. "Sorry. I didn't see you two there."

"That's all right," Mitsuko said in her light, creaky voice. "I hope my husband didn't startle you too much."

"'Startle'?" The elderly man stroked his chin. "He just about jumped out of his skin!"

He let out a hacking laugh. All Ryuichi could do was smile, give a light chuckle, and then disappear between the shelves.

None of the books were organized in any way. It looked more like people donated their old books, and whatever Bunkichi and Mitsuko got, they put wherever there was room. There were children's picture books mixed with romance novels with beefy guys baring their chests on the covers, art books piled with self-help books, books with old covers faded and worn out, manga with bent pages, books on caring for plants, and even more books that didn't attract Ryuichi whatsoever. It was when he finally found a book on pregnancy that Bunkichi started to laugh again.

"Don't tell me you're going to be a father!" guffawed Bunkichi when Ryuichi examined a book on pregnancy.

"Don't be silly, dear," Bunkichi's wife, Mitsuko, chuckled. "He's practically a child himself."

Ryuichi grinned uneasily at the couple as he flipped through the book. "Actually, it's my sister who's having the baby," he said to them both, and their faces lit up with delight. "I thought I might read up on it so I can help her out."

"What a wonderful brother you are!" Mitsuko sidled out from behind the counter and past some stacks of books. "Would you like some books on childcare? I think we have some over here..."

He watched her shamble among the shelves. When she accidentally bumped a stack of books, Ryuichi lunged forward to catch it before it toppled over.

"Wow! You're a quick one, aren't you?" an impressed Bunkichi exclaimed.

By the end of his visit, Ryuichi wound up with three books on pregnancy and childcare, along with a plastic bag bloated with plenty of melon bread that the elderly bookstore owners insisted he take with him ("For the baby!"). Ryuichi thanked them again, taking care to nimbly step around the books without touching a single stack.

Outside at the strip mall, he drew in the smell of greasy burgers, salty ramen, and sweet and savory beef bowls, wondering which one he should get for dinner. He headed up one of the spiral staircases to Beef Bowl, figuring he would get a large bowl to eat at home.

"I hope these'll be enough," Ryuichi said about his books on his way up the spiral stairs. It was when he saw the group of guys on the second floor that he flinched with alarm. His old bully, Hideaki Saki, and his four friends all grinned when they saw Ryuichi. They all wore the blue blazers of some other high school, almost unrecognizable from the Gekkoukan black blazers they used to wear. His heart pounded in his throat as he tried backing away, but one of the bulkier thugs blocked the stairs he had just come from.

"It's been awhile!" Sakai's haughty smirk was still the same since Ryuichi last faced him less than two years ago. "How've you been, buddy? My, how you've grown! Isn't that right, guys?"

The others murmured their low, gruff chuckles. One of them muttered something so low under his breath that only one of the guys let out a dry laugh.

"You know, I never got around to thanking you for getting us kicked out of Gekkou," Sakai said. He had his hands in his pockets as he extended himself as tall as possible to just get an extra inch over Ryuichi.

"You're welcome," Ryuichi said in an equally light voice with a big grin of his own. "Now, if you would excuse me—"

"Whoa, hold on a sec!" At Sakai's voice, one of the bigger guys grabbed Ryuichi and thrust him away from the stairs. The others surrounded him again, keeping the railing pressed against his back. "What's your hurry? We're all among friends here, right? You're being kinda rude, don't you think? Don't you wanna stay and chat with us? It's been almost two years since we last saw each other, after all!"

His friends grunted their agreements. "Yeah," Sakai sighed, "and after I just said that we haven't had a chance to thank you properly. What's the deal, anyway? We finally see each other after such a long time. Have you been hiding from us? That's not very nice, Chibi-zaki."

He pretended to be surprised at his own mistake. "I guess we can't call you that anymore, can we?" he asked, looking Ryuichi up and down. "Or maybe we can ask Madam Prez about whether or not you've really grown. Hell, why don't we show her just how big you've gotten? I'm sure she'd wanna know."

Ryuichi's face burned. He watched as some of the guys lunged for him, stomping, making grabbing motions at him, snickering as they most likely recalled the same memory as him. He pressed himself against the railing.

"We can go see her later, _after_ we've thanked you," Sakai continued, still smiling. "After all, it's thanks to you that we all now attend a shitty-ass school now. Gekkou had way better teachers."

Ryuichi narrowed his eyes at Sakai. "Those teachers were no good."

"They were good to us."

Ryuichi thought about how he would escape, trying hard to not shift his eyes around too much to indicate his plan.

"So, how should I show you my gratitude?" Sakai asked, his devilish smirk still plastered on his face. "What is the equivalent of having your father investigated for bribery and fucking up my chances at getting accepted into the best universities?"

"Times five," his gorilla-ish friend grunted. The others agreed.

His only chance was to run. All five of them were trained in some sort of martial arts, and two of them were built like brick walls. His own training would be no match for them. While they all prattled off all the things that "he" had done to them, Ryuichi formulated a plan in his head.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that one," Sakai said, nodding. They kept on talking, listing more things that he was sure had not been his fault.

Now! Ryuichi shoved the gorilla-like guy into the others before leaping over the second-floor railing. He dropped down to the ground and bolted, not daring to look back.

"The fuck?"

"Get him!"

Ryuichi raced to the street and jerked his body to the right. He vaulted over a car's hood, slid across the top and kept going. Melon bread rolled onto the pavement after him. Feet pounded behind him, spurring him to go faster. He was about to cross the street when a truck came shooting across from the right, almost clipping him.

"Sh-Shit," he breathed. His heart hammered in his chest as he bolted across after.

"There he is!"

"Don't think you can run!"

At a traffic light, Ryuichi repeatedly pounded the crosswalk button. Cars sped back and forth, offering no chance to let him escape. He abandoned the street corner and turned right again, plowing right into a man in a suit.

"Hey!"

Ryuichi fell hard on top of the man. "Sorry!" he blurted out as he ran off again.

He cut through a back alley. He scaled a chain link fence and dropped over the other side, thinking of the safest way back to the dorm without being seen. When he came out the other side of the alley, he turned towards the train station when he ran into one of Sakai's brick wall-like friends. The guy grabbed Ryuichi by the lapels— _BAM! BAM!—_ slamming him into the wall. Gasping, Ryuichi thrust his knee up into the guy's groin. He doubled over, and— _BANG_!—Ryuichi's knee smashed into his face. He shoved him out of the way and ran again when he came across Sakai and the gorilla-like goon. His feet skidded on the sidewalk as he whipped his body back towards the other way and saw the weasel friend running up to him.

"Nice try, Okazaki!" Sakai sneered. "But just because you're taller now doesn't mean you can take us on!"

Ryuichi clenched his jaw and rammed his shoulder into the weasel friend. The guy let out a yelp when he hit the ground as Ryuichi ran past. As he rounded the corner, he saw the brick wall guy from earlier stagger towards him.

"Dammit! Why can't they just leave me alone?"

Ignoring the stitch in his side, he sped up. He went down another alley again, then around another corner. He dodged cars, avoided a bike rider, leaped over a white dog being walked by his elderly master—

 _Thud._ He slammed into Sakai's gorilla friend when he turned another corner. The Gorilla grabbed his shoulders and threw him down onto the street. He pinned Ryuichi there with his knee and began hammering his face in with his fists. Ryuichi reached for the knife in his pocket and stabbed his calf. When Gorilla yelped, Ryuichi shoved him off, but was caught by the other brick guy and put into a headlock. Ryuichi stabbed him in the leg, too, broke free, then grabbed his ankle from behind and yanked it upwards. The brick guy fell and smashed his face into the pavement with such a force that Ryuichi felt the ground shake.

Weasel was next. The guy had legs like whips, cracking the air with such speed that Ryuichi felt his hair get ruffled from the wind generated by his kicks. Ryuichi grabbed his leg and swept his foot against the Weasel's other one, dropping him to the concrete. One punch to the face and Weasel was out. He spun around to escape when he got a jaw-full of Sakai's fist. More fists collided against Ryuichi's face, chest, and gut until he slashed the air with his knife.

"You wuss! Fight like a—!"

 _Bam_! He smashed his own fist into Sakai's face. When he staggered, Ryuichi pummeled him. He grabbed his arm, twisted, flipped Sakai onto his back. The Brick's twin caught Ryuichi around the middle. He pinned his arms down, squeezing with python strength, crushing him. When he lifted Ryuichi off his feet, Ryuichi began flailing his feet about, trying to throw his heels high enough to kick the guy in the balls. One solid kick to the groin and Ryuichi dropped to the ground, where Sakai greeted him with his own kick between Ryuichi's legs.

Pain exploded from his groin and rose up to his stomach. For a moment, Ryuichi's vision blacked out as he fell to one knee. Sakai kneed him in the face, knocking him down, and repeatedly kicked him in the stomach. Ryuichi caught his foot and pulled him off his feet. When Sakai fell, he punched him in the face so hard that the vengeful teen went limp. Shaking with pain, Ryuichi gathered up his knife and his bags, then hobbled back towards the dorm while constantly glancing back over his shoulder.

He arrived at the rear doors of the dorm. When he entered the lounge, he could hear the TV on, along with the familiar sound of Akihiko slurping up his beef-flavored instant noodles. Ryuichi had no choice but to cross the entire length of the lounge to get to his room. Akihiko spotted him when he closed the storage room door.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyebrows raising at Ryuichi's battered state.

Ryuichi limped his way to the refrigerator to fill a plastic bag with ice. "I learned that I can take on five guys on my own," he rasped. He tasted blood when he talked.

"Sakai, huh? I'll get the first aid kit."

Ryuichi limped to his room, grateful that he lived on the first floor. Akihiko had gone ahead of him to retrieve the first aid kit from Ryuichi's closet while he went to lie down on his bed.

"So, what happened this time?" Akihiko asked.

"Can we talk later?" Ryuichi murmured.

"Mitsuru will want to know what happened."

"Don't tell her anything."

"I don't need to. You better just get it over with now."

Ryuichi placed the ice pack over his groin. "Maybe later," he said, wincing.

"You might need to go to the hospital to get looked at."

"It's probably just a concussion. I don't feel any broken bones."

"Quit being an idiot!" Akihiko barked at him.

"You wouldn't go get your wrist checked when you sprained it last fall!" Ryuichi shouted back. "How is this different?"

"Because my wrist isn't your head! Look at yourself!"

Ryuichi let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'll go," he said, getting to his feet. "But I'll go by myself. You can tell Mitsuru what happened after I'm gone."

"I'm not telling her anything!" Akihiko's face paled. "You tell her yourself when you get back."

Ryuichi made a point to leave before Mitsuru noticed the commotion. He took his motorcycle to the hospital, where the doctor shook his head when he recognized his patient.

"Back again so soon?" he said as he looked him over.

"I don't do it because I like it," Ryuichi muttered.

It was just as he expected: a concussion, minor scrapes and cuts, plenty of bruises, but miraculously, nothing broken and nothing too serious. When he returned home covered in a few bandages and clutching some ice packs, his stomach dropped when he saw Mitsuru waiting for him in the lounge.

"Akihiko told me everything," she said, closing her book. "I can't believe that after all this time, they would come back and terrorize you again."

"I tried to run," Ryuichi said immediately when she got up from her chair. "They split up and caught me, so I had to defend myself."

"Then you should have come straight here to the dorm," she said icily.

"And let them know where I live? That could endanger you and the others."

"They don't know we live here. I'm sure you could have outrun them and made it back here before they could see you."

Anger flared up in Ryuichi's chest. "I didn't fight them because I wanted to," he protested, getting frustrated with her.

He started for his room, furious and in pain. All he wanted to do was get to bed without further questions.

"I'm not done talking to you, Ryuichi."

Frustrated, he obediently turned to face her without looking at her. He felt like a child getting scolded by his mother for something he did not do.

"You're not the type to pick fights with others, so I know that you tried your best to run," Mitsuru said, surprising him. "Did you use any of your equipment?"

"The knife," he muttered, shuddering as he remembered the sensation of puncturing flesh. "I hated using it, though."

She paused, deep in thought. "I will put in a request for you to be given a taser, so at least you have something to fend them off. It's only a small solution that won't solve the real problem, but at least you might have a better chance of escape."

There was concern and sorrow in her eyes, and he sensed genuine care from her. "You should go rest now. If you need anything, just call me."

Relieved to finally get back to his room, he flopped onto his bed and fell asleep mere seconds later. When he awoke the next morning, his body ached worse than the previous night. He took a hot shower that soothed some of his aches, debating if he should even bother attending school that day. When he got out of the shower, he saw a black and yellow taser on his desk with a little note from Kikuno.

 _"Please be more careful from now on,"_ the note read.

Ryuichi picked up the taser and practiced aiming it, already knowing that he wouldn't be fast enough to draw it on his assailants. At best, he could subdue one guy, and that's if he hit his mark. He would still have the others to worry about, and he was certain that the results would be similar to his most recent encounter.

Unless, Mitsuru's intent for the taser was to merely to scare them off.

"It's not going to help anything," he sighed, but still tucked the weapon down into the bottom of his school bag. It was a risk he was taking, bringing it along with him to school, so he knew he would have to be wary about his teachers finding out about his new little piece of protection.

He knew that Mitsuru was only looking out for him, and as much as he appreciated it, he hated letting her see him so weak. At breakfast, he could feel her eyeing his bruised face as if she was touching the dark splotches with her fingertips. He didn't say much all morning, and at school when their classmates asked what happened to him, he lied and said he was hit by a car.

Ryuichi's injuries got him a lot of attention that morning, especially from Shiori, who had come running into his classroom when word first got around that he was in a car accident or had been mugged, depending on what rumor came up first. She had been insistent that he go home to recover, but he just smiled, thanked her, and reassured that he was okay. The greatest comfort came from the guys on the kendo team, who offered to beat up whoever rearranged his face.

The only solace he found was when the bell rang, forcing everyone to head to their seats and leave him alone. Mitsuru took one last glance at him with concern in her eyes before turning back around in time for the teacher to begin roll call.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The first time Yukari saw Ryuichi's bludgeoned and beaten face, she nearly screamed. He couldn't blame her, as he wasn't the prettiest thing to look at for the moment, but when he told her about what happened, she apologized for her reaction and offered to help him out in any way possible.

The four dorm mates were in the lounge, all wanting to know more about Ryuichi's encounter with his old bullies. He hated telling the story, feeling like he was being judged by them for failing to subdue Sakai and his friends. His gut twisted when he got to the part about stabbing some of them.

"I guess I'm better at fighting Shadows than people," he joked weakly. No one laughed.

"Fighting five against one is no easy feat, no matter how skilled you are," Mitsuru said, and though he knew that she was trying to lessen the damage, he still felt like he should've done better. "In any case, I would advise you to refrain from any SEES duties for the time being."

Ryuichi's face soured. "Again? Thanks, Sakai. Thanks a lot."

He could feel Yukari studying him as he slurped up some of his instant noodles. "Um, Senpai?" she asked. "I know that you fight Shadows and all, but you seem to get hurt a lot."

"Well, yeah," Akihiko piped up. "It's his job."

"His 'job'?"

Mitsuru nodded. "He's my bodyguard," she explained.

Yukari's jaw fell open, which seemed to be quite often nowadays. " _That's_ why you two are always together? Everyone keeps saying that you two are dating!"

Ryuichi covered up his embarrassment with a chuckle. "Nah, we're friends at best," he said jovially, well acquainted with the rumors.

"So, she's your boss?"

"My father is, in all technicality," Mitsuru said. "Ryuichi and I are friends and comrades in arms."

"Wow." The flustered girl cast a shameful gaze to her knees. "And to think, I believed those rumors."

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru. "See? I told you I should call you 'Ojou-sama'."

Akihiko shuddered. "Don't. That'll just make it even weirder."

That night, as he lay in bed, Ryuichi's thoughts weren't on his injuries, but on someone who was more concerned about them than he was. He didn't want to admit it, but the way that Shiori kept popping up everywhere to check on him made him begin to agree with Mitsuru that she might actually like him. She had been adamant about him staying home to recover, to the point where he started siding with Mitsuru by saying that he wasn't so badly injured that he couldn't attend school—even if it was just for the sake of proving Shiori wrong.

As he stared up at his ceiling, he envisioned Shiori's long, straight hair, slender neck, wide forehead, and the look of worry she wore whenever he caught her staring at him at school that day. He despised the fact that he had worried her, like he was dragging her into his world of ceaseless combat. And worse, the way she kept checking on him that day left him feeling as though she was digging a little too much into his business.

The next day after school, Mitsuru suggested that they go straight home for his sake.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he sighed with relief. "If I have to deal with another person staring at me, I might find the first person to test my new taser on."

"I hope you're not serious."

"I'm actually questioning that myself."

Once they had packed their bags, Ryuichi got to the classroom door first and found Shiori standing on the other side, looking surprised to see him there.

"Oh. Hey, Shiori-san," Ryuichi murmured.

"Hey," she replied shyly. "Um, are you busy right now?"

He glanced over at Mitsuru. "Kinda, yeah."

"Oh, sorry. Um, are you feeling better?"

"Tons." He averted his eyes. "Sorry, but I gotta get going. We'll talk later, okay?"

As he and Mitsuru headed down the stairs to the first floor, Mitsuru whispered to him: "Aren't you going to speak with her?"

"What, now?" he asked. "I thought we needed to get home so I can rest."

She said nothing. They split up to change into their regular shoes and boots and came back together at the front doors. It was only then when they were a little distance away from other students that she spoke up.

"That was Shiori Hayabusa, correct?" she asked him. "She's been watching you from afar lately. Haven't you noticed?"

His face twisted up in annoyance. "For real? No way. So have the rest of the student body, if you haven't noticed."

"Yes, but she has been concerned about you since yesterday, and you just brushed her off."

"I didn't 'brush her off', I just told her that I was fine. Why would I lie about that?"

She shook her head disapprovingly. "You still haven't had a chance to talk to her, have you?"

He shoved a hand in his pocket and dropped his voice low. "There hasn't really been a good opportunity to do so," he muttered.

"You have to talk to her sometime. You can't just keep stringing her along like this," Mitsuru advised. "Or perhaps, you could give her a chance. You might end up growing to like her."

"No, thanks."

"And why not? Unless you have someone you already like."

Every pore on his body filled with ice. "I just don't see her that way; that's all," he said flatly.

Back at the dorm, Mitsuru refused to let Ryuichi prepare her tea or any kind of snack. Instead, she found a small vanilla cake topped with sliced fruit inside the refrigerator, along with a canister of tea selected to perfectly pair with the cake. She prepared the tea for Ryuichi and cut him a slice of cake, to which he quickly sampled before allowing Mitsuru to partake of either.

"Before I forget: This Friday, I will be going home to have dinner with my father," Mitsuru told him as she served herself a slice of cake.

Ryuichi rapidly chewed through his mouthful of strawberries and kiwis before giving his reply. "He's in town?" he asked. "It's been awhile."

"Yes, it has." Mitsuru watched him carefully before finally taking a small bite of cake. "He won't be staying for very long; I wanted to at least give him Saturday to rest quietly before he leaves again."

"That's very considerate of you," he said, raising another fork loaded with cake to his mouth. "You know, sometimes I picture your father with a low battery sign flashing, and then when he gets to see you again, he gets recharged."

"Is that so?" Mitsuru chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

"Please don't. At least, don't tell him it came from me."

After their tea, Ryuichi managed to get halfway through washing the dishes before Mitsuru finally realized what he was doing. Scolding him, she sent him to his room to rest up. No matter how many times he insisted that he was just fine, she wouldn't hear any of it.

"Fine with me," he said with a satisfying stretch and a yawn. "Because now I get to do slightly more important things."

For the rest of the day, he played video games, practiced piano, and read a few chapters in the books he got from Bookworms. From maiming bandits to playing twitchy songs to learning about creating life in the womb, the thing he found the most fascinating had to be the chapter on childbirth. By the end of the chapter, he thanked every god out there for making him a man.

After the last bell on Friday, Ryuichi started packing his bag when some of the fencing team members approached Mitsuru with invitations to celebrate the end of the school year. They suggested seeing a movie, singing karaoke, eating someplace, and even just wandering around Paulownia Mall, but Mitsuru declined.

"I'm sorry, but I already have a previous engagement," she said to the girls.

Ryuichi thought the girls all smiled through their disappointment as they all echoed "That's all right" and "Maybe next time!", along with their hopes that Mitsuru would join in their fun for the next event. Mitsuru offered no promises as she got up from her desk, saying only that she would try to make time for the team's next activity.

A car was already waiting outside the school gates for Mitsuru. As they crossed the schoolyard, Mitsuru asked him: "What will you do today?"

He gave it some thought. "I think I wanna go home and just soak in the peace before I have to see my sister on Sunday."

"That sounds lovely—"

"—and maybe burn down a village or two, depending on my mood."

That made Mitsuru pause. "You're referring to your video games, aren't you?"

He grinned. "If it helps, I already worked on my betterment by reading some of those maternity books, so I'm at least kinda prepared for Shizue."

"Is that so?" She flashed an accusing eye at him.

He sighed. "And to not incur the wrath of my family," he grumbled uneasily. "They still benefit from this, you know."

"Of course."

He got the car door for Mitsuru. As she took her seat, Ryuichi caught sight of Yukari hurrying past the car towards the train station. She didn't look back, but her rigid frame said it all for him.

"Have fun tonight," Ryuichi wished Mitsuru while she got settled in the back seat. "And behave yourself."

She flashed a tiny wince of a smile. "I'll do my best," she said, and let him close the door.

He watched the car pull away, still grinning as he waved to her. When it reached beyond the school campus, he went on his way to the train station, anticipating that he might not get to enjoy the quiet evening to himself like he planned. He enjoyed a single minute quietly while standing on the station platform when someone called out to him.

"Hey!"

Ryuichi groaned internally when he saw Shiori slip through the crowds to get to him. He put on a tired smile for her, wishing that he could get Mitsuru's nagging voice out of his head that kept pushing him to talk to Shiori.

"So, got any plans for the break?" she asked him.

All he could think about was how he was mere minutes away from shattering her smile. But, in a crowded train station?

"I actually have to help my sister move back in with our parents," Ryuichi said with a shrug.

Shiori's smile brightened. "Really? That's so nice of you! You must be a really good brother!"

He didn't try to hide his bitter grin. "Not really," he muttered through a clenched jaw.

She gasped. "So, is it true? I heard from some of the guys that she's having a baby soon."

His face fell. "Yeah, it's true," he murmured, hoping that not too many of the surrounding people heard.

"Do you know if she's going to have a boy or a girl?" she asked eagerly. "Does she have names picked out?"

Any questions she had, he answered, if only to keep up the niceties. Somehow, she never once asked about the father of his sister's baby, and he found himself talking a lot more than he wanted, if only to keep her from asking. He told her about the maternity books he had been reading and the hopes he had that it would help him assist his sister better during her pregnancy.

"Wow." Shiori's eyes were wide, clearly awestruck with something he actually didn't think was all that remarkable. "Sounds like you're ready to be a dad."

He shrugged. "Books can only prepare me with so much," he said, unable to look anywhere in her general direction. "I'll learn the real stuff once the baby's born."

Shiori nodded, but said nothing more. The silence between them grew too loud for Ryuichi, louder than all the voices on the station platform. Within that silence, he could hear Mitsuru in his head again, urging him to clear things up with Shiori before it was too late. His own voice in his head argued back that it wasn't the place for it, throwing in her own advice of having to use tact in such a situation.

"Say, Ryuichi-kun?"

He looked to Shiori, seeing a coy smile on her face.

She started playing with a few loose strands of her hair. "Um, when you get a chance, do you want to—"

The shrill ring of Ryuichi's cell phone cut her off. Apologizing, he took out his cell phone as he walked away, quietly thanking Kikuno when he saw her name on the screen.

"Kikuno-san, what's up?" he greeted with relief.

"Good afternoon, Ryuichi-san," she returned with her kind voice. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

He took a few quick glances around. "Nah, you're good," he replied, still looking out for the maid. "So, what's up?"

"I am calling you to inform you that Kirijo-sama is requesting your presence at his home tonight. He wants to discuss some things with you."

Ryuichi knew what that meant. "All right. What time?"

"I will send a car to come get you at seven, so after dinnertime. Please dress appropriately."

"Will do. Thanks, Kikuno-san."

He snapped his phone shut and sighed. "Yup, I knew that would happen," he muttered to himself.

He turned around to see that the platform had cleared out. The train had come and gone without him, and Shiori went with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The Kirijo mansion was hidden deep within a dense forest that was surrounded by high, white walls. After passing through the front gates, the car's headlights traced the long driveway in the darkness all the way to the Kirijo home.

The forest opened up to a clearing where the mansion stood. To Ryuichi, it looked like the mansion had been chiseled from a colossal hunk of marble, right down to the towering columns surrounding the front doors. The car had to drive around the enormous, swimming pool-sized fountain to park in front of the building.

When he got out of the car, Ryuichi took a moment to smooth out his military-style uniform. It was the uniform of those who joined the Kirijo security team, though he felt more like the Kirijo Group had their own police or military force whenever he wore it. He set his black peaked cap on his head, hoping it was on straight, then straightened his necktie for the hundredth time. The buttons, belt buckle, and boots he made sure to polish all afternoon before donning the uniform, but despite his confidence in his work, he still felt like he could have done a better job. It took everything he had to resist rubbing his boots against the backs of his slacks to shine a bit more as he headed up the few steps that led to the front doors.

Two maids in black dresses and white aprons greeted him with a bow just inside the doors. He slipped his cap off before returning their greeting, and kept it tucked under his arm as he glanced around the vast foyer. He admired the grand staircase that split halfway up, forking on its way to the second floor landing.

The maids directed Ryuichi to the music room, as was common with his past meetings with the head of the Kirijo Group. When he entered the room, he saw the familiar fireplace opposite the door, with the portrait of the most recent generation of Kirijos hanging above it. The Takeharu Kirijo in the painting frowned, but his dark eyes shone with a subdued joy covered by his stoic expression. He stood with a hand resting on the shoulder of the young woman sitting in a chair next to him.

The first time Ryuichi saw the woman in the picture, he thought it was Mitsuru. She was actually Takeharu Kirijo's wife and Mitsuru's mother, who looked remarkably similar to their daughter. Despite her wine-red hair being pinned up, some loose strands revealed the same waviness as Mitsuru's. She held a baby in her arms swaddled in cloth, with just the tiniest tuft of wine-red hair visible to indicate who it was.

Ryuichi turned to the grand piano. Hesitating, he set his cap down on the piano and planted himself on the hard bench, already imagining the labored movements of his right hand across the keys. He chose a slow song to play, one that would give his hand time to stretch or bend to play the right notes. There were still moments where notes were delayed, and worse, many wrong notes that made him question why he even tried at all.

"You're out of practice."

Ryuichi recognized the harsh tone yet soothing voice of Takeharu Kirijo. He popped up off the bench and turned, snapping into a salute.

Takeharu was a tall, lean man with short, dark hair. An eye patch covered his right eye while his left pierced through Ryuichi, sucking him into a world of darkness that only the man himself could begin to understand. His face could have been carved from stone from the way it never seemed to change from his critical glare.

"Play that song again," Takeharu ordered as he came around to stand by the piano and observe him play.

As Ryuichi started the song over, a maid came and lit the fireplace for Takeharu while another brought him some tea. Ryuichi went rigid from his boss' presence looming over his shoulder, relaxing slightly only when he felt the powerful aura move away and settle at the table. Ryuichi could feel him criticizing his playing without him saying a word, where his silence was not a way of approving of his performance, but the silence of impending judgment.

"Tell me, Ryuichi: How is Mitsuru these days?"

Ryuichi became tense again. "She keeps herself busy with school, clubs, and sports, as usual," he reported.

"Anything else?"

"Well, she's been trying to recruit this new girl into SEES. She already introduced her to the Dark Hour, but so far, she's only said that she will give it some thought."

He heard the _scrit_ of a lighter. "It must be difficult, trying to recruit someone who isn't as eager to enter combat as the other members."

He nodded. "Mitsuru Ojou-sama expressed that she also did not like the idea of recruiting her because of the demands of what we do, but she knows that we need more help."

"Yes, that's very much like her."

"And, for some reason, Yukari-chan doesn't seem to like Ojou-sama, even when she had just moved in."

"Mitsuru can be a little intimidating, as you already know."

"Yes, sir."

Takeharu exhaled. The scent of smoke found its way to Ryuichi's nostrils. "You'll be entering your third year next month. Do you already know what you want to do after high school?"

Ryuichi knew where his question was going. "With your permission, I would like to continue my service to the Kirijo family," he answered.

"You have a lot of potential to go into anything you choose to pursue. Why would you waste it here, where you are constantly putting your life in danger?"

"Because I think I would be useful to you and your family, sir."

"Is that all you see yourself as? Useful?"

Ryuichi hiccupped on a few notes but said nothing. Takeharu took another long drag on his cigarette and released his smoky breath slowly.

"You have to let go of your affections for Mitsuru," Takeharu warned. "If you think that I'm saying this to keep you away from her, you are mistaken; I'm saying this because I don't want you to think that this is all you're good for, so you can see beyond Mitsuru. Don't let your feelings for her determine your future."

Ryuichi steeled himself. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't feel that way about her," he told him firmly. "I am, however, happy being a good friend to her and serving her."

Takeharu let out a frustrated sigh. "You're as stubborn as she is. You say you want to continue as her bodyguard, but it seems to me that you've grown complacent with your training."

Ryuichi almost raged at him but bit back his words.

"You know what I'm talking about. You let yourself get attacked by your old nemesis and his friends, and it looks to me like you didn't fare well. If you can't even defend yourself against others, then how can I expect you to protect Mitsuru?"

His fingers froze above the keys. He wanted to lash out at his boss to defend himself, but fear made him clench his jaw instead. In agonizing silence, he conceded that Takeharu was right, that he wasn't doing his job well enough.

"Mitsuru tells me that you faced all five of them and came out with minimal injuries. While I would rather that you avoid fighting completely, I will acknowledge that you've improved greatly since middle school."

Ryuichi bowed his head, unsure of how he felt. "I still have a long way to go."

"Yes, you do. And maybe next time, run a little farther and hide somewhere instead of engaging in a fight. I don't want to hear from Mitsuru that you were reckless again."

"Yes, sir."

He picked the song up from where he left off. As frustrated as he was with the elder Kirijo, Ryuichi sensed a quiet care from him. It was the same feeling he got whenever Mitsuru got upset with him, where they were both intimidating but somehow caring in their firmness. He knew he had to push himself to be better, stronger, so that Mitsuru's safety would be ensured.

"What will you do if the Dark Hour continues long after you've graduated?"

He sat up higher on the bench. "I can't just leave it up to Ojou-sama to fight the Shadows by herself. It would be irresponsible of me to abandon her when I'm among the few who have the power to combat the Shadows."

"I hate to agree with you, but even though I'm against you endangering yourself more than necessary, I am grateful that you are willing to stick around and help."

Another long exhale. "Understand that I do not want you to endanger yourself any more than I want my own daughter doing the same," Takeharu said, sounding tired. The harshness in his voice had dulled, showing concern more than scorn. "The only reason why I am allowing any of you to fight is because of your power."

"I understand, sir."

"Do you? Then tell me, what would you do if Mitsuru had not decided to recruit you? What would you have done for a career?"

Ryuichi lowered his face even more, wishing he had his cap to cover his eyes. "I don't think I would have made it to that point," he muttered.

"What was that?"

He didn't repeat himself. Mentioning anything was a mistake at that point. For several long, tense moments, neither said anything. The smoke floating above them seemed to stagnate with them, with only Ryuichi's playing moving forward without them.

"You do intend on going to college, do you not?"

"I do, sir."

"Do you know which university you want to attend? What major do you plan to pursue?"

"I'm not sure yet. I do want to continue to hone my skills as a bodyguard, though."

"Would you have pursued music if—"

Takeharu stopped when they heard Mitsuru's heels click across the tiles. Moments later, she appeared in the music room doorway while Ryuichi played on, hiding the wound that Takeharu had gouged into his stomach from their conversation.

"Oh? When did you arrive?" she asked Ryuichi as she entered the room.

"Just a few minutes ago," he replied, feeling his mouth automatically wedge itself into a smile.

She came and stood by the piano, observing him play. Ryuichi glanced up briefly to see her look to her father.

"Did you call him here?"

"I did," Takeharu said. "Ryuichi and I were having a little discussion about his plans for college."

"College?" She turned to Ryuichi now. "Do you know what you want to major in?"

Ryuichi always felt guilty whenever Takeharu invited him over to the mansion, as he felt as if he was intruding on precious family time between father and daughter, even if Takeharu was the one who requested for him to come. For some reason, Mitsuru didn't seem to mind much, but he wasn't about to take comfort in his own interpretation of her mood. After a brief discussion on their plans for college, Mitsuru and Ryuichi left for the dorm.

"Before I forget—" Ryuichi whirled around and bowed to Takeharu on their way out. "Thank you for the motorcycle. I promise to make good use of it and to take good care of it."

Takeharu held his quiet, critical gaze on Ryuichi, where even though he couldn't see it, Ryuichi could feel his stare burning holes into his head.

"You are most welcome," Takeharu said after a time.

"And thank you, too," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru on their way to the car.

"You're welcome," she replied, smiling as he got the door for her. "I hope it will be of good use to you, especially when your sister and her baby arrive."

She gave her father one final look as the car pulled around the fountain. Ryuichi twisted around in his seat to see Takeharu still standing there, watching them head down the driveway. Ryuichi could still feel Takeharu's powerful gaze on them, even when he was beyond their view.

"It must have been inconvenient for you to have to come all this way," Mitsuru said when they passed beneath the thick canopy of trees. "And especially for only a brief moment."

"Not at all," Ryuichi replied. "I hope I didn't ruin your evening by dropping by."

"I was already preparing to leave when I heard you playing," she answered him. "Though, I wish he had invited you for dinner. Had I known he would call for you, I would have suggested that you come with me."

"Oh, no. That's your time with your father. I don't wanna cut in."

Mitsuru surprised him with a smile. "You probably already know this, but my father has also expressed concern for you. I know he doesn't look it, but he's only hard on you because he's quite fond of you."

Stunned, Ryuichi turned his face as far towards the window to try to hide his reddening face. "He doesn't have to do that," he murmured. "I'm just your but-guard."

He cringed. "Butler-bodyguard," he corrected himself hastily. "I meant butler and bodyguard."

Mitsuru's chuckle made him burn hotter. "Well then, as the man whose duty it is to safeguard his only daughter, I think it's only natural for him to be concerned for you, too."

"Okay, sure. But maybe from now on, I'll just refer to myself as a 'master sandwich craftsman' to avoid any confusion."

"Not until you have surpassed Kikuno, that is."

After another shared chuckle, she stared out the window into the darkness of the Kirijo forest. "So, you want to continue as a bodyguard and butler for us? Are you sure you're happy with that decision? You might change your mind later."

Ryuichi thought about what Takeharu had said. He tried to think if there was anything else he would much rather do than kick ass and make sandwiches. Despite his nasty little run-in with Sakai and company reminding him that he still had plenty of room for improvement, he still couldn't see himself doing any other job.

"I'll stick with it for now and see if I find something else I'd prefer later," he said, and Mitsuru seemed appreciative that he was open to possibilities.

Saturday marked the first day of break, and Ryuichi needed to spend the day preparing for his long trip to his sister's apartment. He hadn't seen his sister since she left for college a few years ago, and even when she visited a few times in the past, he always made sure that he was "busy" with something or other, whether it was for kendo, school, or work. Her visits never lasted beyond a few hours, but it was enough for their parents to at least see that she was alive—and to give her some tuition money.

Ryuichi's most recent memories of Shizue were mostly the bad ones. While he trained on his wooden dummy in his room, he started scowling at every miserable encounter he could recall with his sister. Some of them resulted in their parents dumping their wrath on him afterward, as if he had been the offender from the start. A few of the good memories surfaced, but only to get drowned out by the ones that made his muscles tense and his strikes to the wooden dummy harder.

"Okay," he sighed, stepping away from the dummy. His hands were beaten raw, but not broken. "She's in a pinch, and we need to help her."

When his vision of her troublemaker grin entered his mind again, he punched the dummy.

"She might've changed," he told himself in a voice lifted by forced hope. "Maybe she's better now. There's no way she would've agreed to moving back home if—"

He sighed again. "Just help her," muttered, and went to pack an overnight bag.

Early Sunday morning, he began his trip. It rained that day, convincing Ryuichi that he should bundle up in a parka over his fleece sweater and scarf. The trip took a few hours, with a few train transfers and a half hour or so of walking. It wasn't long enough.

His mired thoughts wouldn't let him enjoy the gentle walk in the rain. The soft percussion of raindrops tapping on his umbrella went unnoticed as he replayed arguments and shouting matches between his sister and their parents in his head. He kept telling himself that it had been years since those times, and that by now, they all should have cooled off and gotten over their hatred for one another.

When his sister opened the door to her apartment, he was first shocked by her gaunt face, with her eyes ringed with dark circles but somehow still smiling. Even more startling was the growing bulge of her stomach that stuck out of her body. He gasped when she flung herself onto him in a big hug.

"You're so big now!" Shizue exclaimed. "Come on in! I'll make us some tea!"

He couldn't take his eyes off of her protruding belly. He followed her inside, finally getting struck in the head with the realization that a baby really was on the way, and he would be partially responsible for raising the child.


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: This chapter contains mention of sexual assault. Discretion is advised.**

 **Chapter 10**

Having not seen his sister in a few years, it was strange for him to see her shorter than him, where the top of her head just came up to his nose. Her eyes were streaked with red cracks and sunken in, surrounded by dark rings. She had plumped up a bit due to her pregnancy, a sight that shocked Ryuichi when he had only ever seen her thin.

Her apartment was small but cozy, with the puny kitchen by the front door, a small living room with a sofa that occupied a third of the space, and a bedroom branching off from it. There were stacks of clothes on the green sofa, cardboard boxes that were still flattened, fresh from the store, and many other personal items that Shizue pushed aside to let her brother sit. Ryuichi left his damp umbrella in the bucket by the front door, then removed his black parka and set it on the sofa's arm.

"So, how's my not-so-little brother been doing?" Shizue asked him. She smiled, resembling the older sister he used to know.

"I'm pretty okay," he replied as she poured him some tea. "How've you been?"

"Hormonal, mostly." She giggled.

Like the men in their family, Shizue also had the watery blue eyes and the silvery-gray hair. The two siblings could have been fraternal twins, the way Ryuichi saw it, and briefly entertained the thought that he was the cuter one between them.

"Uh, so, how's the packing going?" he asked. A quick look around at the messy apartment answered his question.

She gestured towards all the stuff lying around. "You can see for yourself," she said sheepishly. "It's hard enough just moving around, but then I get distracted whenever I find stuff."

She stroked her belly lovingly. "I can't wait to see my little girl. I've already decided that I'm gonna call her Megumi because she's my little blessing."

"Megumi, huh?" He weighed the name on his tongue. "Wait, so you're having a girl?"

"Yeah. Didn't Mom tell you?"

"I didn't even know she—"

His stomach gurgled, as if upset that Shizue's was getting all the attention. Ryuichi had been too anxious to eat a proper meal all day, and now it came back to haunt him.

"S-Sorry," he uttered, embarrassed.

His sister chuckled. "Actually, that's some good timing you've got. I was thinking of ordering a pizza."

They each ordered a pizza and started packing up Shizue's things while they waited. Shizue organized items and wrapped the more delicate ones in newspaper while Ryuichi did all the heavy lifting. He packed away her things, taped boxes, and set the finished boxes down in a corner away from the chaos. As Ryuichi finished taping up another full box, he heard Shizue sniffling and sobbing from the couch.

"What's wrong?"

She flapped a hand at her flushed face, holding up an old kitten calendar. "It's just, it's so cute," she gushed. "Sorry. Hormones."

Chuckling, Ryuichi turned to flash his sister a warm smile. "Want me to get you some chocolate?"

"You still remember?" she asked in amazement. "Oh, gawd. I'm so sorry for yelling at you all those times before."

She began to wail, apologizing frantically. Ryuichi started to panic, afraid that he had done something wrong. "Uh, it's really okay," he said gently. "I knew you were on your period and all, so—"

Her demeanor changed. Her spiteful eyes glowered at him, filled with raw anger and still wet with tears.

"It wasn't just me being on my period! Sometimes you can be a total dick!"

He stepped back with his hands up. "Whoa! Okay, sorry! You're right!"

Shizue dumped some books into a box and tromped off to her room. Ryuichi stood tense and afraid, where he feared that even breathing would incur her rage. As he tiptoed around the room to get more things to pack, the doorbell rang, making him jump.

"Scared by freakin' pizza," he muttered as he answered the door. He quickly took the pizzas and handed over several bills, closing the door without waiting for his change. All he could hope for was that his sister would accept the food as a peace offering.

Shizue came when he called her to eat, but for the first tense minutes of both of them nibbling on some slices, Ryuichi was too scared that anything he said right then would bother her. He kept his head down as he ate, their lack of conversation resulting in him gobbling up his slices quickly.

"Hey, Ryu-chan?" she asked in a quiet voice, catching him off guard. "How mad are Mom and Dad?"

He remembered the brief conversation they had on his birthday. "Well, uh, they're not too happy, but I think they'll cool down once you're there. Nobody can get mad at a pregnant lady."

"I'm serious! Are they pissed or not?"

Ryuichi exhaled slowly through his nose. "You know they can't stay mad at you," he murmured darkly.

It rained all day, both outside and inside the apartment. Every so often, Shizue would pause and shed some tears whenever she came across certain items. Ryuichi was afraid to so much as think that it was hormones making her that way, not wanting to risk upsetting her again. The two continued to pack, surprising Ryuichi at how much stuff Shizue owned in such a small apartment.

The rain turned the already chilly room into the equivalent of an ice box. Ryuichi tried turning on the air condition in the living room, but his sister told him that it was broken.

"I have a heater if you want," Shizue offered as she handed over a blanket.

He saw what looked almost like a short fan on her bedroom floor that glowed with an orange light. From what he could tell, it was the only one she had.

"Nah, I'm good," he said, smiling. "I'm pretty used to the cold. My room in the dorm is on the first floor, so it's always freezing during winter time."

Her unease didn't leave her face. "Are you sure? It's as cold as murder here."

"Positive."

He had no regrets as he settled fully clothed on the couch. His fingers and toes were the first to go numb from the cold while he shivered violently throughout the night. Even with the added layer of his parka spread out on top of his blanket, the only warmth he could find came from his thoughts of how his sister and her baby needed the heater more.

He questioned himself on whether or not he should have said what he said to Shizue about their parents. Even she had to have grown up aware that they favored her more than him, he was sure, but she never did anything to protest against their favoritism. Ryuichi was certain that he had been too harsh before, and he wondered if he should apologize.

The next day, the rain continued to fall. Ryuichi had to go out and buy more boxes for his sister, struggling to protect the boxes under his umbrella. The corners were drenched, but there was nothing he could do about it.

At a crosswalk, he readjusted the flattened boxes, taking care to let them rest atop his shoe so they wouldn't touch the ground. A man with the sniffles came up next to him, and without warning, he turned and coughed right into Ryuichi's face. Ryuichi tilted his umbrella down to shield himself, the rain soaking into his clothes and into the boxes.

When he returned to his sister's apartment, he heard retching inside. He dumped the boxes near the door to hurry to the bathroom, feeling a soft, warm, wet, chunky puddle soak into his sock with a _squelch_. He nearly gagged, knowing what he stepped in.

Swallowing his nausea, Ryuichi continued to the bathroom to hold his sister's hair out of her face and gently massage her back. Her muscles contracted in sudden jerks as she expelled her breakfast of leftover pizza into the toilet bowl.

"Th-Thanks," Shizue uttered, spitting after.

When she started feeling better, he helped her to the couch before cleaning up the vomit on the floor. He washed pizza chunks off his socks, leaving both to hang in the bathroom to dry off. For the rest of the day, he had to keep going back and forth between packing his sister's things and caring for her.

"Hey, Mitsuru," he said wearily over the phone that night. "Sorry, but it doesn't look like I'll be coming home tonight after all."

"That's quite all right," she replied. "How are things over there?"

"Not bad. Packing just went a little slow today, is all."

"Do you think you'll be home tomorrow?"

"Yeah. We finished packing just now, so we just need to wait until the movers get here tomorrow morning. I'll take Shizue to our parents' place and then head home."

He felt a tickle in his nose. The sneeze came out before he could stop it.

"I hope you're not falling ill."

"I wouldn't be surprised," he sniffled. "It's freezing here."

When he hung up, he saw Shizue standing in the doorway, smirking at him.

"You've grown a lot since I've been gone," she said, coming towards him. "I remember you used to be so shy around Mitsuru-san, and now you're talking to her so casually."

He went to drop down onto the couch. "Well, it's inevitable when you sit behind her in every class you've had together," he murmured.

"Not to mention she saved your ass before."

"Yeah. That, too."

He sniffled and started to spread his blanket out on the sofa. Sitting down, he took out a packet of tissues from his pocket to blow his nose.

"Are you guys going out? Is that why you called her?"

His nose sounded off like an alarmed trumpet. "What? No! We're not like that!"

"Do you still like her?"

He avoided her gaze as she sat down beside him. "No, I don't," he answered. "And for the record, we're very good friends."

"You can tell me," she said, nudging him on the arm. "Come on. You still like her, don't you?"

Someone banged on the door, making them both jump. "Shizzzue! Open up!" came a man's slurred voice. "I godda take a pissh!"

"Don't say anything," his sister whispered to him as she shrunk behind him.

"Who is that?"

"My ex. He didn't take the break up too well."

Ryuichi dared to guess. "Is he the father?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Not this guy. I broke up with him way before I knew I was pregnant."

More banging. "Shizzzue! Open up, bitch!"

Rage filled Ryuichi, building in his shoulders like armor. He got up and went to the door.

"Ryu-chan, don't!"

He opened the door and saw a young man slumped against the door frame with a beer bottle in hand.  
"Go away," he told the man gruffly. "You're bothering everyone."

The man's head lolled towards him. "Who the fffuck're you?"

"Go away," he said again, grit in his voice.

The man snorted. "Yeah? Well, fuck you!"

He swung his bottle at Ryuichi's head. He blocked, grabbed his wrist and twisted, throwing the drunk to the ground. He pinned him down with his knee.

"Get offa me!"

"Then go away!"

He let go. The drunk fumbled around before staggering to his feet.

"Fuck you!" he yelled at Ryuichi. "Fuck you and that whore!"

Ryuichi felt his whole body lurch forward, wanting to destroy the guy for what he called his sister. He clenched every muscle, stopping him in place as he watched the guy shamble off down the hall. Back in the apartment, he found a frightened Shizue rubbing her tears out of her eyes.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Her voice was small, far from the fearless girl he once knew. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Ryuichi nervously scratched a spot on his ear. "Well, I got hired to be Mitsuru's bodyguard and butler, so—"

The surprise and intrigue was plain on her face, telling him that she needed to know what her little brother had been up to since she last saw him.

They stayed up late that night, talking and catching up on the past few years. Ryuichi had hoped that his sister's wild years would have ended by the time she got to college, but it sounded to him like she had gotten even worse since leaving home. She ignored her classes, went partying all the time, did more than her fair share of drugs, got piss drunk almost every night, and had so many one-night stands that it made Ryuichi's rumored love triangle look like a kindergarten drama.

The most agonizing of her tales was from the night she suspected she got pregnant. According to her, she had gotten drunk at a party and passed out and later awoke to a couple of guys forcing themselves on her while a third filmed the act. Ryuichi's stomach soured from just listening to the story, feeling only a tiny fraction of the helplessness she must have gone through on that night.

"I don't know how I managed to survive that semester," Shizue wept, shaking. "I skipped so many classes because I was scared that someone had seen the video, or that I'd see those guys again."

He hugged his sister. It was all he could do for her right then, knowing it wasn't enough. In that instant, all the bitterness he felt towards her dissolved and became guilt.

"You're incredible," Ryuichi said softly to her. "After what you went through, you still sobered up and got through your classes. I'm proud of you."

She sniffled. "Y-Yeah, but—"

Shizue pulled away, her head bowed. "I c-couldn't, um, finish this last semester," she murmured, her sobs bubbling up. "I just—It was so hard just getting through the fall, so—"

She didn't graduate. Ryuichi knew that their parents would be infuriated when she told them—if she tells them at all. Though, he was certain that they would figure it out when they weren't invited to attend the graduation ceremony. He couldn't blame her for not finishing, though he was amazed that, after hearing how she skipped classes regularly, she was still able to almost finish getting her degree.

The next day, the movers arrived to load Shizue's things into their small truck. Shizue was in tears again, but this time, Ryuichi was certain that it wasn't her hormones firing off again. When the moving truck started on its way to their parents' house, Ryuichi shouldered both his bag and his sister's weighty backpack while he ushered Shizue into the awaiting cab to head to the train station.

Poor Shizue was fussy the whole time, unable to get comfortable during the first train ride. Ryuichi paid extra for better seats on the next train, which seemed to quiet her down, especially after he bought her food.

Ryuichi knew he was sick with a cold, but he kept smiling and helping his sister try to get as comfortable as possible. His head felt hot, his body frozen, and he couldn't stop sniffling or shaking.

"Can you sniffle any louder?" Shizue hissed at him.

He had to keep reminding himself that Shizue's pregnancy was adding to her irritability and discomfort. For the next few hours, he could only allow himself the luxury of daydreaming that he was able to explain to her that he was sick.

They survived the multiple train transfers. Their mother was waiting for them at the last station with the car, looking absolutely delighted to see her daughter back from college.

"I need to be getting back to the dorm," Ryuichi told both women after a round of hugs and mild chatter.

They both insisted that he should go with them to the house, but he declined, telling them that he needed to get back to work as soon as possible. Neither believed his lie until he mentioned Mitsuru.

"Then you should have planned to take more days off from work," his mother chided him.

He tried hard to not roll his eyes. "Yes, Mom," he reluctantly agreed.

On his way home, he stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few ingredients for ginger tea and some cold medicine. His hands wouldn't stop shaking as he attempted to hand over some cash to the clerk. His whole body seized up as he trudged home with his plastic bag of goodies hanging from the crook in his elbow, his fists deep in his pockets for warmth.

Back at the dorm, he wasted no time preparing his ginger tea. Just a few sips of the spicy tea got him sweating, fending off the chill of his bedroom. There, he turned on the heater, set up his humidifier, and changed into sweats before sliding into bed. Sleep came shortly after.

He awoke to a sharp ringing in his ears. Alarmed, he flung himself from his bed to grab at his jeans on the floor for his cell phone.

"H-Hello?"

"Welcome home," came Mitsuru's warm greeting. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

He slithered back into bed. "No, not at all," he replied, noticing the ring of sweat soaked around his collar. "Are you home right now?"

"At my family home, yes. Did you catch a cold? You sound a bit congested."

He confirmed her suspicions with a sniffle. "Yeah."

"Do you need medicine?"

"Nah, I got some on my way home."

"Do you need anything else? I can pick something up for you."

"I'm good." Yawning, Ryuichi started kicking off his socks. "I'll see you at home."

"Very well. And, don't trouble yourself with making tea for me."

He let out a weak, stuffy laugh. "I am such a good butler."

After they hung up, Ryuichi began peeling off the layers of sweat-drenched pajamas off of his body until all he wore were his boxer shorts. Within seconds, he went from blazing hot to freezing cold. He covered up with his thick blanket, only for the heat to return quickly after. Even sticking his feet out from under the covers made him freeze over.

Every few minutes, he would wake from an exhaustive nap feeling grimy with sweat. He kept glancing at his clock, noticing that he would sleep in fifteen-minute increments. It was as though time stopped whenever he was burning up or half-frozen. There were no moments during his transition from hot or cold, no toasty warmth or cool comfort. Either he burned with a raging fever or shivered with violent chills.

Worse still was how lonely he felt. He turned on his TV to keep him company while he slept, and to get some sensation that time was still moving forward. His feverish dreams were filled with loud game show hosts with swollen balloons for heads, who made lame jokes before explaining the rules of their games. Every dream he had always seemed to take place in a volcano.

He woke up again, this time to something cold being pressed to his forehead. Flinching, his eyes eased open to see Kikuno standing over him with a damp cloth in her hand.

"You are very fortunate that I was the one who came in here," she said to him, smiling. "Ojou-sama would have seen things I don't think you would want her to see."

He let out a groan. "Didn't you at least knock first?"

"I did, but your TV was too loud for you to hear me."

While she looked him over, he fell asleep again. The next day, his cold became the flu. He suspected that he caught it from the guy at the street corner, or lady on the train, or maybe even someone at the grocery store. Whoever it was, he cursed them all through his on-and-off fever, body aches, and chills while doing the same for the miserable weather, knowing that his two-week break would mostly be spent in bed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Come on, Ryuichi! Hurry up and get better so we can go!"

For the past few days, Akihiko had been pestering Ryuichi about recovering faster so they could go out during the Dark Hour. Every time Ryuichi tried locking him out of his room, Mitsuru would tell him to keep his door unlocked so someone could check in on him while he was still sick.

"Take Yukari-chan with you," Ryuichi moaned through his stuffy nose. He lay on his back with his pillow over his face.

"She's in the hospital."

"For what? I didn't get her sick, did I?"

He heard Akihiko move around his room. "When you went to go help your sister out, she told Mitsuru that she wanted to try summoning her Persona. She's been in the hospital ever since."

Ryuichi pulled his pillow to his chest. "How come nobody told me?"

"Because you'd pass out every time we tried," Akihiko grumbled.

He covered his face back up. "My break. I didn't even get to enjoy my break."

"You've still got a week, if you get better now."

Akihiko started to leave. "Oh, yeah. I ran into your girlfriend earlier today and told her you were sick. She's coming over soon."

"What girlfriend?" Ryuichi bolted upright, horrified when he remembered that he still hadn't set Shiori straight. He held the pillow over himself, making sure to stay covered.

"She's _not_ your girlfriend?" Akihiko rubbed a finger to his nose. "I thought you guys were dating."

"We hung out _once,_ and that was it!"

Ryuichi stuffed his face into his pillow. "Why'd you have to tell her I was sick? You should've said I was out or something!"

"How the hell was I to know? And what's the big deal? If you're not going out, just say so."

They heard someone knock at the front door. Ryuichi's whole body froze up, fear tingling all over.

"Tell her I'm asleep and not to come in," he instructed Akihiko as he ducked back under the covers. "Or tell her I'm highly contagious!"

Akihiko shook his head. "I'll try, but no promises," he grunted.

Ryuichi pulled the covers up high enough to cover his face. He jumped when Akihiko slammed his door shut, and his body remained rigid as he strained to listen to what went on outside his room.

"Oh, hey Shiori," he heard Akihiko say nervously. "Uh, Ryuichi's asleep right now, so it's probably best not to wake him."

"That's fine. I'll just go look in on him for a little bit. I brought him some medicine."

"He's already got medicine."

Ryuichi tried to telepathically plead with Shiori to just take the hint and leave. He heard footsteps come around behind the front desk and stop at his door. They were light footsteps, from what he could tell—too light to be Akihiko's.

The door opened. He instinctively curled up into a tighter ball. His back was to the door in the hopes that she wouldn't see his face if she got that far. She came right up to the bed and sighed.

"What a way to spend your break," she lamented for him. She went around to the foot of his bed and pulled the covers down around his feet, cutting off the cool air that balanced the heat of his feverish body. He did his best to lie still, despite already overheating, but he was too worried that she might know that he wasn't asleep.

She moved around his room in slow, deliberate steps, sometimes pausing every now and then. She stopped by one of his shelves, likely looking at the pictures he had there, along with his medals and trophies for kendo. Ryuichi said a silent prayer for her to leave while guilt burbled into his stomach like tar.

Her next stop was by his weights near the door. "Wow. He's pretty strong if he uses these."

he felt a small swelling of pride in his chest when he heard her say that. At the same time, he internally squirmed at the thought of her looking around his room. He felt exposed enough just lying in bed in only his underwear, but at least he had a blanket to cover with. His room, however, was laid bare for her to view at her leisure.

"Oh, wow," she gasped. Ryuichi desperately wanted to see what she had found, wanting to poke his head out of his blanket and turn around. "No wonder he's so good: he practices with real swords!"

He drew in breath when he felt it—the tiniest of tickles in his nose. He tried flaring his nostrils, held his breath, anything to stop it, but—

"Ah-choo!"

Snot oozed out of his nostrils and dripped onto his hand. There was no point in hiding anymore as he rolled over and reached out from under the covers, groping around for the box of tissues on his desk. He pulled a tissue back under the covers with him and blew his nose, not caring how gross it sounded. He thrust his hand back out to drop the tissue into the trash by his bedside, then went to grab another to wipe his hands.

"Um, Ryuichi-kun?"

She was impossible to ignore now. Ryuichi slowly rolled onto his back and pulled the blanket down just below his eyes so he could see Shiori standing by his bed with concern on her face.

"Hey," she said quietly, smiling at him. "I heard you were sick. How are you feeling?"

He blinked, letting out a miserable moan that made her giggle.

"Aw, poor guy! Want me to make you some hot tea? I've got some medicine, if you—Oh, but you already have meds, huh?"

She went to fill his water boiler from the tap in his bathroom. "I found this medicine that's made for the flu. It says it tastes like lemon and honey," she called to him. "If you're hungry, I can make you something."

Ryuichi pulled the covers back over his face. "You really don't have to do all this," he murmured in amazement and guilt.  
"Why not? It can't be easy living in a dorm, so I thought I'd come check on you."

His guilt soured in his gut. "Wow," he muttered, closing his eyes. "Thanks, Shiori-san. You're a really good friend for doing this for me."

The tap shut off. Shiori emerged from the bathroom and set the water boiler on his desk. She had to bend down to plug it into the wall.

"Um, yeah," she said in a wavering voice. "I just—The flu's pretty rough, so I guess it's lucky you got sick after finals instead of during."

He heard a plastic bag rustle. "So, you just came back from helping your sister? How is she?"

He really wasn't in the mood to talk, but somehow, he felt obligated to do so. Once again, he pulled the blanket down so that it covered as far as his mouth.

"She's doing okay."

"That's good. Did she have a lot of stuff to pack?"

"Kind of. The rain didn't make it easy to get boxes, either."

Shiori took out a blue mug still in its box and brought it to the bathroom. "It rained there, too? No wonder you got sick!" she exclaimed over the running tap.

Ryuichi almost groaned, wanting to just be left alone already. "Yeah, well, thanks for bringing meds and stuff," he murmured through his stuffy nose. "You truly are a good friend."

Shiori returned with the washed mug. Uncertainty shone in her eyes, and when she looked like she was going to speak, she held her breath for a few seconds before releasing it and trying again.

"Um, Ryuichi-kun? Can I ask you something kinda stupid?"

"'Stupid'? Like what?"

She ground her toes into the floor as she set the mug down on his desk. "It's just, when we went out before, I thought, like, okay, maybe it was just me, but—"

She let out a frustrated sigh. Ryuichi wasn't sure if her having a pot of soon-to-boil water near her hands was a safe move for either of them.

"We're friends, right?" she asked bluntly.

He nodded slowly, pulling the covers up and over his nose. "Yeah. Did you think we were something else?"

"I did." She turned around and leaned back against his desk. "This is really embarrassing to say, but I thought you and I were—"

She hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. It's just, you were so nice that day. I guess I took it the wrong way. It was totally my bad."

"It's my bad, too," he said, fixing his eyes on his shelf. "Mitsuru kept telling me that I should clear things up as soon as possible, but—"

"Mitsuru-san?"

Shiori slung her bag over her shoulder. "I should go," she said quickly, like she was trying to get away from him. "Feel better, okay?"

Ryuichi didn't get up. "Can we still be friends?" he asked her on her way to the door.

Shiori stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Yeah," she said, sounding as if she was affirming it for herself. "Yeah, I'm cool with that."

After another round of nervous good-byes, Shiori left. Outside his room, Ryuichi heard Mitsuru greet her and offer her some tea.

"No, that's all right," Shiori said. "I gotta go, so maybe next time."

It was no surprise that Mitsuru came to Ryuichi's room after Shiori left. Once again, he pretended to be asleep when she neared the bed.

"Don't feign sleep in front of me, Ryuichi. What happened between you two?"

"I did what I had to," he answered without lowering the blanket from his face. "Actually, she kinda did everything."

"You straightened things out?"

"Uh-huh."

"That was fast. How did she take it?"

He groaned, reliving the scene again in an instant. "We agreed to still be friends, but it was sooo awkward."

When the water began to boil, Mitsuru unplugged the boiler to fill the mug for him. A spoon _tinkled_ as she stirred.

"Drink this," she instructed him. "Hayabusa brought it for you."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

He closed his eyes. "I'm not wearing a shirt. Can you get me one?"

When he opened his eyes, he saw Mitsuru staring hard at him. "Please?" he added with a sheepish smile.

She set the full mug down on his desk as he closed his eyes again. He traced Mitsuru's movements over to his closet. Hangers rattled, and something soft and light landed on his chest.

"I'll give you a moment," she said, her voice now by the door. Ryuichi sat up, holding the blanket to his chest to see Mitsuru facing the opposite wall. He quickly pulled on the navy blue T-shirt and took care to make sure his lower half was fully covered by the blanket.

"Thanks," he sniffled. Mitsuru returned while he grabbed a tissue.

"Did she see your scars?" she asked in a softer voice.

"No. I kept covered the whole time."

She gave him the cup. Just as Shiori said, it tasted like lemon and honey and went down without leaving his throat dry and scratchy. As he drank the beverage, Mitsuru filled him in on Yukari's condition and how she came to decide that she wanted to join SEES officially.

"She told me that she started thinking about it the night you came home injured," Mitsuru explained.

"From Shadows or from Sakai?"

"Shadows, and then again after your encounter with your old nemesis. She couldn't believe that you were willing to go on patrol even after sustaining your injuries and offered to help."

He felt his nasal passages open up each time he sipped his brew. "Good to know that something came out of me getting dinged up."

"I would prefer that you refrained from injuring yourself further." Mitsuru took a seat at his desk chair and sat with her arms crossed. "So, how are you feeling now?"

He held up the cup. "This is helping, I guess," he said, finishing with a big sniffle. "I just feel really heavy."

"Any body aches?"

"Some, yeah."

He took another sip. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to," he said to her. "I don't want you to catch this."

He sat quietly with the hot mug in his hands, resting atop his pillow in his lap. The relief he felt from clearing things up with Shiori vanished, leaving him feeling morose at the thought of another day of listening to the static murmur of his TV for comfort.

"Kikuno will be coming soon," Mitsuru told him. "I'll stay with you until she arrives."

Ryuichi wasn't sure if she read his mind, but he appreciated her company all the same. After finishing off his tea, he fell asleep and had pleasant dreams that didn't involve any kind of excessive heat for a change.

A few days later, he was well enough to start training again. His joints had stiffened during the long week of illness, where he had to take some time to loosen and warm up with extra exercises. His entire body creaked when he attempted a high kick, but at least he could move easier afterward.

One good thing came from him being sick: His family urged him to stay away from his sister until he made a full recovery, out of fear for the baby. Instead of helping her unpack all her things, Ryuichi got to enjoy the last few days of his break playing video games and playing around on his keyboard.

Yukari, unfortunately, awoke from her comatose state just a few days before the start of the new school year. When Ryuichi visited her in the hospital and told her the bad news, she understandably despaired over the loss of her break.

After she had some time to recuperate, Mitsuru decided that it was time to see how she held up in battle.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The four SEES members ventured out onto the streets at midnight. It rained earlier that evening, leaving rancid moon slivers reflecting in the puddles. In the chilly, early spring night air, Ryuichi amused himself by breathing out a cloud of mist, getting light-headed after a number of puffs.

The group traveled on foot, following Mitsuru as she scanned for Shadows. Above her, Penthesilea lit the way, her head bent slightly forward as she drifted wherever Mitsuru directed her.

Ryuichi stuck close to Mitsuru with his Evoker in hand. He rolled his feet, heel to toe, making no sound with every step as he listened for any movements around them. Akihiko wandered a short distance from the group to stick his nose down some alleys, as if sniffing for any enemies lurking in the dark.

Trailing the team was Yukari, who nervously kept swiveling her head all around as she held her bow in front of her, an arrow nocked and ready to fire. Like the others, she now wore the red SEES armband pinned to her pink sweater's sleeve and sported the same white holster on her hip with her own silvery Evoker.

A yelp from behind them made everyone turn. They witnessed Yukari straighten stiffly, her lip thinned as she shakily marched forward. Ryuichi eyed the bit of raised asphalt behind her when Akihiko nudged his arm.

"Are you sure she can handle this?" Akihiko asked Ryuichi in a low voice.

"Just give her a chance," he repeated for the umpteenth time. It was only her first night on patrol, and all Ryuichi heard from Akihiko was whether or not she would perform as well as the rest of them.

Mitsuru stopped. Above her, Penthesilea turned her head slowly in search of Shadows.

"There's one close by," Mitsuru said. "This way."

As they headed down the street towards Naganaki Shrine, Mitsuru gave instructions for the battle.

"The point of tonight's exercise is to give Takeba a chance to test out her Persona, so the three of us will stand down," she said, looking to Akihiko next. "Akihiko, you accompany Takeba. Ryuichi and I will provide backup."

Akihiko scowled at the plan. "Okay," he reluctantly agreed.

Ryuichi turned to Yukari to flash her an encouraging smile. "You're gonna do just fine," he told her.

She nodded, swallowing hard. "Y-Yeah," she said, but her voice was so weak that a small breeze carried it away.

The Shadow was at the street corner just before the shrine. It was a little black Cupid with a red mask bearing a Roman numeral VI on its forehead. It tumbled in the air, floating around, flapping its little wings while it grasped a small bow in its hand.

"There's another one nearby," Mitsuru informed the others. "Takeba, defeat that one first and then we can search for the other one."

Akihiko started towards the Shadow but stopped short to glance back at Yukari. "You coming or not?" he asked in his harsh voice.

She hurried after him as she fumbled for her Evoker, putting her bow over her shoulder. Ryuichi and Mitsuru hung back to watch. While Mitsuru observed Yukari's advance, Ryuichi glanced around in search of the other Shadow lurking nearby, listening for anything—a flutter of wings, a wet gurgle, or even thumping footsteps—but found nothing.

Up head, Akihiko stood back to let Yukari work. The fearful girl had her Evoker pointed into her forehead as her shoulders heaved from panicked breath. Ryuichi clenched his fists as he muttered his encouragements in the hopes that she would push herself to pull the trigger. He nearly let out a groan when he saw Yukari reposition her Evoker to press the muzzle to her chest. She trembled, fumbling with her Evoker as if trying to squeeze the trigger with buttered hands.

She let out a frightened whimper. The Shadow turned, firing an arrow at her. Pink hearts trailed the arrow, and Yukari fled too late. It scratched her leg just as Akihiko lunged forward and smashed his fist into the Shadow.

"Yukari-chan, are you okay?" Ryuichi called to her.

She dropped her Evoker. Keeping her head low, she took up her bow and nocked an arrow. She spun around and fired at Akihiko.

"Whoa!" He leaped away, but his white sleeve shone with a growing dark stain.

"She's charmed!" Mitsuru shouted as she struck the Shadow down with ice.

Yukari's blank eyes fixed on Mitsuru next. She took aim and fired an arrow at her. Without thinking, Ryuichi drew his sword and knocked the arrow away. He stood wide-eyed and frozen with shock that he deflected it at all.

"Takeba, it's us!" Mitsuru called to her. "Lower your weapon!"

"She can't hear you!" Akihiko snarled at her. He grabbed Yukari from behind in a bear hug, pinning her arms down at her sides while she thrashed around, kicking wildly. Akihiko swore and dropped her when her heel banged against his shin.

Something fluttered. Ryuichi turned to see the second Cupid appear.

"We've got another Shadow!" he yelled at the others.

"Careful! They're small, but they're fast!" Akihiko warned.

Mitsuru pulled her trigger. Ice struck the two Shadows, both collapsing to the ground.

"The enemy is down! Let's finish it!" Mitsuru gave the order to attack, and the three descended on the fallen Shadows. Akihiko pummeled one with blinding speed while Ryuichi and Mitsuru both slashed the second one until only smoke remained.

Ryuichi looked up in time to see Yukari take aim at them. He tackled Mitsuru to the ground, the arrow sailing safely overhead.

Mitsuru fired her Evoker again. Yukari let out a cry behind them—Her hands were frozen to her bow.

"Akihiko! Give her a Dis-Charm!" Mitsuru ordered.

Ryuichi got up to see Akihiko shove a candy in Yukari's mouth. As he helped Mitsuru to her feet, he watched panic streak over Yukari's face.

"I'm sorry!" she uttered. "I-I couldn't stop myself! I—"

Mitsuru dusted herself off on her way to the frightened girl. "It's all right," she reassured her. "You were charmed. There was nothing you could do."

"But I almost—I could have—"

"We took care of it, so don't worry about it," Akihiko grunted. His words were meant to be kind, from what Ryuichi could tell, but his tone came out gritty. "Mitsuru, any more Shadows around here?"

Yukari squeaked. "Another one? Now? After what just happened?"

But Mitsuru was already scanning with Penthesilea above her again. "I don't sense anything nearby," she said. Akihiko let out a disappointed sigh. "I think this is enough for tonight."

Before heading back, Mitsuru asked Ryuichi to take care of their friends' injuries first. He started with Yukari, who had a small cut on her thigh that was easy to clean. While he worked, he noticed that Yukari kept tugging her uniform's short skirt down, where her hands would get in his way.

"Can you walk?" Mitsuru asked her when Ryuichi finished bandaging her leg.

She took a few labored steps while Ryuichi cleaned Akihiko's cut. He was more cooperative, staying still while Ryuichi worked, but he kept his irritated stare on their youngest member while she steadied herself against a lamppost.

Mitsuru asked both Akihiko and Ryuichi to support Yukari back to the dorm. Yukari put her arms around both their shoulders, the two lifting her so her feet dangled above the asphalt. Back at the dorm, Mitsuru took over and helped Yukari upstairs to her room while the boys headed to the fourth floor to give their reports to Ikutsuki. Mitsuru joined them shortly after.

"I told you she wasn't fit for battle," Akihiko said to the others after they told Ikutsuki all about Yukari's first battle.

"It was only her first time," Mitsuru answered back, sounding as if she had already repeated herself many times before.

"Mitsuru, I know that we need as many people with the potential as possible, but perhaps Akihiko's right," Ikutsuki said. He sat on the couch, cleaning his glasses on a small cloth. They were all standing in the darkness, where moonlight left crossing shadows over their faces from the window.

"I sucked when I first joined, so I think we should give her a chance," Ryuichi chimed in.

"But unlike you, she obviously doesn't want to be here," Akihiko kept insisting. "And if that's the case, then why are we forcing her to stay?"

"You don't know if she doesn't want to be here," Mitsuru argued, crossing her arms in front of her chest in defiance. "She volunteered to summon her Persona, and she willingly came with us tonight. She just needs more time to get used to battle."

"What good is it if she won't summon her Persona?"

"She can stay in the rear and provide assistance from there," reasoned Ryuichi.

"We don't even know what her Persona does!"

Mitsuru thinned her lip. "We have to be patient with her, Akihiko," she said calmly. "I know it's frustrating right now, but I think she has the potential to be an asset in battle."

"Yeah," Ryuichi piped up. "And with her, we'll have a full team so we can explore Tartarus."

Akihiko clenched his jaw and grunted. "Fine. I'll go along with it since we're getting that other guy next month," he said, and left the command room, slamming the door behind him.

Ikutsuki got up and stretched. "Well, since you're all back safely, I think it's best that we all get to bed," he told them all with a kind smile. "Good work out there."

He headed out. When the door closed, Ryuichi turned to Mitsuru, finding her with her brow low over her eye, its twin hidden beneath her bangs.

"What do you think, Ryuichi?" she asked, her voice low and rigid. "Do you think Takeba wants to be here, that she wants to help us? Is there potential for her to overcome her fears?"

Ryuichi did not want to admit that even he doubted if Yukari truly wanted to stay and help, but he said nothing of it. "We won't know if we don't give her another chance," he told her. "It was only her first fight. Give her some time to learn from it."

Mitsuru nodded. "You might be right," she agreed, though uncertainty became plain on her face. "It's different from when I recruited you and Akihiko. Both of you leaped at the chance to fight."

"Akihiko likes a good fight, though."

"And what about you? Why did you agree to join?"

He sheepishly scratched his cheek with a finger. "I guess, I wanted to become stronger," he answered, only giving a part of the truth. "I got tired of being so helpless all the time, so I figured that this would be a good chance."

She lifted her eye to him. "Is that really the only reason?" she asked. "You don't strike me as the type who would concern himself only with brute strength."

"Then, maybe you don't know me very well."

"Or perhaps I know you better than you would care to let on."

Yukari's injury kept her out of battle for the rest of the week, though there was some speculation going around that she was using her injury as an excuse not to fight again.

She borrowed Ryuichi crutches, and it fell to Ryuichi to assist her and cook her meals while she recovered. When she asked him how to clean and dress her wound, he offered to show her, but her face flushed pink and she quickly said to just tell her how to do it and that she would figure out the rest herself.

"Senpai, are all your battles like that?" she asked one afternoon after lunch. She was sitting on the sofa in the lounge with her injured leg propped up on a pillow, watching the news report on a new disease called Apathy Syndrome.

"Well, they can be pretty unpredictable at times," he said. He sat on the other sofa across from Yukari, the tea and snacks he placed before her completely untouched.

"So, do you ever get used to it?"

His stare blanked out, making the TV disappear from his vision. "It becomes a little easier, but like I said, sometimes you get caught off-guard."

She looked to be contemplating his answers. "What would have happened if I decided not to join?"

"Well, you would have just been moved back into the girls' dorm on campus and we would never speak of SEES again."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. That way, you can just use the Dark Hour for more sleep without having to worry about Shadows anymore."

Yukari turned her own blank gaze to the TV. "I guess you guys were pretty disappointed, huh?"

Ryuichi poured her some tea and handed her the cup. "Not at all. It was your first battle, so we were prepared to handle just about anything that could happen."

She was visibly frustrated with herself. Yukari's face became tense and solemn with silent disappointment. Her eyes remained stuck on the TV with the occasional twitch from trying to focus. Ryuichi couldn't tell if it was only frustration that he was witnessing, or determination.

"How long did it take for you to get used to summoning your Persona?"

He gave it some thought. After shooting his own head for a few years now, it took some time for him to remember. "Well, it was kinda hard for me at first, too, but after a while I just got used to it and it became second nature."

"How long was 'a while'?"

"Dunno. A couple of weeks at most, I think. We didn't go out every night, so it took awhile. Most of the time, my own head was just ramping up how freaky it was, but whenever I just got down to pulling the trigger, it wasn't so scary."

After tending to Yukari, Ryuichi helped Akihiko and Mitsuru clean up the room at the end of the second floor hall for their newest resident. They cleared cobwebs, dusted furniture, swept the floor, cleaned the sink, aired out the little refrigerator by the door, and somehow made the mattress look less like it came from an old, abandoned motel. The new resident's boxes arrived the next day, and the two boys had to carry everything upstairs.

"The new guy better not disappoint." Akihiko set one of the heavy boxes down onto the floor with a groan. "I'm not helping him move out if he can't summon his Persona."

Ryuichi set his box down on top of Akihiko's. "Think of it like weight training," Ryuichi joked. "How often do you get to carry weights up and down the stairs?"

Akihiko gave it some thought. "You're right," he realized slowly. "Maybe him moving out won't be so bad after all."

Ryuichi didn't expect that to work so well. "Anyway, Mitsuru said that she wants us to monitor him longer than what we did for Yukari-chan."

"What for?"

"She felt like she rushed her, so she doesn't want to do the same to this one."

Wiping sweat from his brow, Ryuichi led the way back downstairs to get more boxes. He hoisted a box onto his shoulder to give his arms a rest while Akihiko followed, holding his box against his stomach.

"I guess it makes sense, since Yukari was only here for what, two days before we introduced her to the Dark Hour?"

"Yup. We monitored her for two nights, and on the third, we recruited her."

"Three days, huh?" Akihiko adjusted his box with his knee. "Mitsuru pretty much had me start right off the bat. You were stuck in the hospital for over a week after Mitsuru found you, right?"

"Yeah. She didn't tell me anything about Shadows or Personas until I was already living in the dorm." Ryuichi lowered the box to the floor with another groan. He straightened up, arching his back to pop his spine. "I guess she figured that summoning my Persona after barely recovering from the attack might finish me off."

Once all the boxes were in the new guy's room, Ryuichi headed downstairs to prepare a nice little cake for Mitsuru's return. It would be his first time baking her a cake officially as her new butler, and he wanted to make sure that it was damn good. He took his bicycle to the grocery store, and when he came back, he had plastic bags full of ingredients hanging from his handlebars and a basket overflowing with goods.

Once the strawberry shortcake was finished, he put it in the refrigerator and returned to his room, figuring he might give himself a chance to rest. When he sat down on his bed, he rubbed his palms on his knees, his fingers tingling. He looked to his keyboard and stared at it for a long while before bringing it to his bedside to play.

Earlier that week when he had mostly recovered from the flu, he would drag his keyboard over to the bed and try to play a few songs. He started to pick up the habit little by little, remembering the familiarity of being so free with expressing himself through his fingertips. His right hand still struggled with keeping the right rhythms, if it played a note at all, but at least it sounded like he practiced. A little.

Yukari had a few friends over for the afternoon. He could hear them chattering in the lounge, asking about her leg. The story she came up with was that someone riding a bicycle clipped her while she was out shopping. Her friends didn't question it, instead expressing their annoyance at whoever the bicyclist was. Yukari sounded flustered at the reaction of her friends and invited them to go upstairs to her room, where one of the girls eagerly mentioned that she brought a movie they could all watch. Ryuichi silently asked the gods to bless that girl, as he could now hear himself play in peace without the girls' laughter bothering him.

Just minutes after the girls went upstairs, Mitsuru returned home. Ryuichi came out of his room, where he vaulted over the front desk to greet her with a bow.

"Welcome home, Ojou-sama," he greeted, smiling.

"You are not officially my butler until Monday," Mitsuru said as she closed the door behind her. "And even then, I forbid you from calling me that."

"Yes, Ojou-sama."

She grimaced at the honorific. "You take much too much pleasure in this," she sighed as she went to sit in her armchair.

He brought over tea and the cake he made. "Might as well have fun with it, right?"

As he cut her a slice of cake, Mitsuru said to him: "Our new resident will be arriving on Monday the sixth. Do you think you can cook something for dinner for him when he arrives?"

He snorted. "Do _I_ think I can cook something for dinner?" he repeated the question back to her with dramatic offense. "Well, what should I cook?"

"Some of your father's signature burgers should be fine," Mitsuru suggested.

"And would you care for one, as well?"

She chuckled. "Thank you, but no. The others might want some, though."

The more he thought about the newcomer, the more he worried like Akihiko if the guy would be useful in battle. He hoped that both their newest additions would step up and have no fear for summoning their Personas, or else the task of eradicating Shadows would fall to the three veterans once again, except now with added dead weight to protect.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Monday marked the start of the new school year, and none of the students were enthusiastic about it. The two weeks were only long enough to tease them with the illusion of rest, leaving them tingling with the notion that they should be studying for exams or training for clubs or sports. By the time school started up again, most of their nerves finally settled down, only for their schedules to become busy once again.

Had Mitsuru not been there to lead the way, Ryuichi might have headed straight for his old classroom on the second floor. He followed her up to the third floor to their new classroom, and once again, Ryuichi was assigned the seat behind Mitsuru in the center row near the front.

"You sure you didn't pay off the teacher?" he jokingly asked Mitsuru that morning as they took their seats.

"And if I did, what of it?" she asked with a simper.

Ryuichi blinked. "Wait, did you—?"

She shot a single, frosty glance at him that made him gasp. "Of course not," she said curtly.

"O-Oh, okay. Cool," he uttered, still stunned by her reaction. "Geez, it's hard to tell when you're joking sometimes."

Their classmates started filling in the other seats. Kenta grinned at Ryuichi on his way to the rear of the class, his desk against the right wall. Ryuichi waved back, and as he did so, another person entered the room that made his stomach wring itself out.

Shiori crossed the front of the classroom, chatting animatedly with one of her friends. Ryuichi quickly busied himself with his school bag, pretending to search for something important. His fingers brushed his canvas pencil bag, brand new notebooks, and his taser, but he kept fumbling around some more until Shiori passed. To his dismay, she was assigned to a desk a few seats behind him.

All throughout their morning classes, Ryuichi was certain that he felt Shiori staring at him, even with two classmates between them to block her view. During a break between classes, he caught a glimpse of her talking with another student. He couldn't stop wondering if she was mad at him after the last time they spoke when he was sick.

At lunchtime, Ryuichi had to meet with the boys' kendo team to start the recruiting process. It was only the first day of the new school year, but all the third- and second-years were talking about how to get new students to join their clubs and sports teams.

"So, you're still gonna be our captain, right?" Kenta asked him on the way to the gym.

"I'm gonna try to make it work," he said, unsure if he would be able to handle everything.

The boys' kendo team decided to hold demonstrations during lunchtime in an attempt to recruit more students. As captain, Ryuichi led his team to the grass area in front of the school to start with some warm-up exercises. Other sports teams and clubs already occupied some of the grass, while a few groups dressed up in costumes, held up signs, handed out flyers, and shouted about their clubs and teams. Some girls from the baking club gave out little baggies with cookies, where students were scurrying to them for free treats.

Ryuichi noted that the boxing team took the spot next to theirs. Akihiko and his team all wore bright red boxing gloves, padded helmets, baggy shorts hiked up over their stomachs, and boots, showing off their chiseled physiques while warming up with their own exercises. Unsurprisingly, they attracted a crowd of girls.

"Whoa! Is that—?"

"It is! Akihiko Sanada, captain of the boxing team! He's undefeated!"

"Oh my gosh! He's so dreamy!"

Ryuichi's shoulders sagged. "How come I'm never the dreamy one?" he whined softly to himself.

Other underclassmen and a few seniors pressed their noses up to the school windows or wandered between the different clubs and sports teams to see the demonstrations. The shouts of team and club leaders competed with the comments and admiration of students, and soon the jazz club members squished into a corner to add to the noise with their explosive music.

"Where's the fencing team? I really want to see Mitsuru-senpai!"

"—Join now and you can get a free—"

"Wasn't there a girls' kendo team?"

"How do I join tea ceremony—?"

"—Is that—"

Kenta approached Ryuichi while he led his team through drills. He had to put his face right in front of Ryuichi's ear just to get his message across. What he said to him made him pause in the middle of drills.

"You all want to spar me?" he asked in utter disbelief. Everyone on the kendo team grinned and nodded.

"You can't disappoint the new recruits, Captain," Kenta said to him. "They all wanna be taught by someone who's seen war."

"I've never seen an actual war before!" He ignored the nagging image of Shadows in his head.

"We know that, but they don't." Sato flashed him a thumbs' up.

He resisted the urge to palm his face in shame. "Who the hell would believe something like that?" he questioned them all.

"Freshmen," they all said in unison.

"Japan's finest," was all Ryuichi could mutter, somehow sensing that there had to be at least one who actually would believe the rumors.

He gave the order for them to line up to prepare for a flash sparring session. His team groaned and complained, but a shout from him sent them scrambling to form two lines.

"If you do a good job, I'll spar you all," he told them.

"Yes, Captain!" Their delighted shouts made the trees shudder.

The first members in each line met in the middle to begin sparring. The moment one scored a hit, the loser ran to the opposite line while a new team member fought the winner. As the team sparred, Ryuichi looked around to the other sports and clubs nearby. He saw someone from the judo team throw another student onto a thick mat. An exchange student with blond hair walked around with a folding fan, appearing to admire the kendo team's uniforms more than the action. Akihiko dodged a blow and pummeled his team member's gut before delivering the final shot to his jaw.

"Squee! Akihiko-senpai!"

"Damn! Did you see that?"

"He fights like his life depends on it!"

Someone tapped Ryuichi's shoulder. He turned to see his own team grinning big at him.

"Remember what you promised?" Sato asked eagerly.

Ryuichi took a second to recall what he said. "Wait, you're done sparring already?"

Their rapid nods made his face fall. "Oh, I get it—You guys all lost on purpose to finish quick, huh?" he asked them accusingly.

"What? No way."

"What are you talking about, Cap'n?"

"We'd never do something like—"

"—We're just _that_ good!"

The corner of Ryuichi's mouth tugged into a nasty smile of his own. "Oh, so you guys are ' _that_ good', are you?"

He took down the first member in seven moves. The second went down in three. He could see the surprise on his teammates' faces when he struck a blow, some of them too stunned to clear out until after the next member had already lost.

"And now, the captain will take on two people at once!" Sato announced to everyone.

Ryuichi snapped his attention to Sato. "What are you doing?" he hissed at him through his helmet.

His teammate smiled and flapped a hand at him. "Don't worry, Captain! They won't hurt you too much!"

The first two teammates charged at him with their shinai raised. Ryuichi knocked away the nearest sword first. It collided against the other guy's helmet.

"Holy cow!"

"Did I see that right?"

"I caught it on my phone!"

One guy remained. Ryuichi struck first, twisting, swinging, until they were in a deadlock. Ryuichi thrust his opponent back and slashed downward. His sword tapped his opponent's shoulder.

"Yeah!"

"Our captain's unbeatable!"

"He did it!"

"That Hayase guy's got no chance!"

The next two surrounded him. Through his helmet, Ryuichi studied their movements, seeing one aim high and the other low. They hesitated.

There! He turned— _strike!_ — shoved the guy behind him off balance. He turned back, attacking the other, circling around him. Now they were both in front of him.

"Damn." Ryuichi realized he should've finished off the first one.

One surged forward but stopped. The two kept bobbing on their feet as if to lunge at him. Knowing them, they were hesitating again.

"Come on! Do something!"

"You guys got him cornered!"

"He's struggling!"

Ryuichi couldn't believe how quickly his team's support changed sides. Annoyed, he struck first. _Clack! Stomp! Clack-clack!_ They surrounded him again. He swung in a wide arc, spun— _strike!—_ spun back— _smack!_ His team's disappointed groans and the cheers of their audience let him know he won.

The others weren't as coordinated as the two before. His body did all the work, reacting before he could register what had just ensued. Before long, Ryuichi removed his helmet and was astonished to see so many students gathered around them and many more with their faces pressed up against the windows.

"H-How did he—?"

"—Even after nearly losing his arm—"

"—He really must've been to war!"

Ryuichi took their gripes as a compliment. "Good work, guys," he told them all, putting on a gentle smile to hide his relief from his ordeal finally being over.

Kenta brought him a towel. "Looks like we've got some new recruits," he reported. "We'll take care of the newbies from here. You go take lunch."

The demonstration ended. Ryuichi dismissed the kendo team as some students approached to inquire about signing up for kendo. He headed to the locker room where he checked first for anyone else before deciding to wipe himself down with a damp towel in one of the toilet stalls. When he was back in his school uniform, he stopped by the little store in the foyer to pick up a sandwich, noticing some of the first-year students gawking at him. He smiled and waved, but they all flinched and hurried off.

Once he got his lunch, it took him a few steps onto the second floor hallway to realize that he was headed to his old classroom. Shaking his head in embarrassment, he climbed the stairs up to the third floor, making sure he went into Classroom D. Only a few students were there eating lunch, as the rest were likely out trying to recruit more members for their sports teams and clubs.

"Probably still in the courtyard," he muttered to himself when he saw Mitsuru's empty chair. He imagined that the girls' fencing team might have given her a challenge as well, though probably without having to go two against one.

As he munched idly on his sandwich, the high he got from the demonstration quickly left him and was replaced by a concern he had on his mind: Today was the first day he would have to watch over his sister.

He kept simulating in his mind all the steps he had to take to get to his family's place, remembering that he had to be there in time for his mother to leave for the restaurant. He would have to hurry back to the dorm and pick up his motorcycle, which was easy enough. It was the part that came after that troubled him, when he would be alone with his sister. He didn't know what she might want or need, but he predicted that, in addition to bringing her anything she asked for, he would be doing a lot of listening while dodging any hormonal bullets that might get fired his way if he wasn't careful.

The bell rang. Lunch was over, and everyone started heading back to their classrooms. Ryuichi finished off the last of his sandwich just as Shiori crossed the front of the room on her way to her desk. He met her eye, a mistake that made her pause at his desk and smile.

"Hey," she said, sounding distant. "You were incredible earlier. It's no wonder you're number one in the region if you can take on two opponents at the same time."

"It was nothing." He smiled bashfully, tensing up at the memory of their previous encounter in his room. "So, how did your demonstration go?"

She shrugged. "It went okay," she replied. "Not as exciting as yours, but I think we got a few new students looking to join."

"Oh, good."

"Yeah."

Their heads bobbled in awkward nods, showing off their falling smiles. Ryuichi crinkled his sandwich's plastic wrap, planning his escape.

"Anyway, good work today—"

"I gotta toss this, so—"

Both paused. They stared at each other, Ryuichi seeing a mutual discomfort in Shiori's eyes. Together, they just smiled and laughed weakly, Shiori heading to her desk while Ryuichi went to throw away his trash.

Throughout the rest of the day, Ryuichi was pretty sure he felt Shiori watching him closely, even with two students between them to block her view of him. The lectures did little to avert his attention, and when he was called on to read to the class, he knew he would have to stand and give Shiori a clear shot of him to ogle at.

There was no respite after the final bell rang. He may have escaped Shiori for the time being, but now he had to head over to his parents' place.

"You're not coming to the student council meeting?" Mitsuru asked him when he walked in front of her desk.

"I can't," he said, actually wishing he could attend the meeting instead of leave. "Sorry, but I don't think I'll be doing any student council stuff this year."

"That's quite all right," she replied. "I'll see you at home, then."

"See ya."

Anticipating an irritated call from his family as to why he was not at the house yet, he jogged from the front of the school to the train station, then ran from Iwatodai Station to the dorm to get his motorcycle. He didn't bother to change out of his uniform and left his school bag behind. It was after four o'clock by the time he reached the house.

"When did you get _that_?" Shizue marveled when she saw his motorcycle.

"Ryuichi, that thing is dangerous!" their mother berated him. "Next time, just walk or take your bike! You know that we don't want you riding motorcycles!"

"Yes, Mom," he moaned, and decided that he would go as slowly as he liked on his bicycle come Wednesday.

It had been years since the Okazaki siblings were in their family home together. The energy in the house was different, now that Shizue was there. Ryuichi could feel a sizzle in the air, like a faint buzz that threatened to combust at the slightest spark. And yet, he knew that it wasn't just his sister that caused the sensation, but the fact that his sister and mother were under the same roof.

He shook off the feeling, hoping he was only imagining it.

Ryuichi looked his sister up and down. "Yup. Still pregnant," he noted jokingly. Shizue playfully smacked his arm on his way to the couch.

"I'm going!" Ayumi called to her kids. She came by and planted kisses on both of them. "Ryuichi, take care of your sister, okay?"

"I will, Mom."

"And don't ride that motorcycle anymore!"

Despite needing to head over to the restaurant, she stayed long enough to lecture him on motorcycle safety, including stories of her friend's cousin's aunt's chiropractor's nephew who crashed his motorcycle and ended up paralyzed from the waist down and losing half his arm. Only after she received a call from Toshio did she finally leave.

"So, you're all better from your flu, right?" Shizue asked him once their mother had gone.

"Yeah, so if you catch it, it's not from me," he answered, grabbing the TV remote. "So, how've you been?"

She groaned as she eased herself onto the couch next to him. "Can I just start by saying that you're so lucky you get to go home somewhere else after today?"

He knew what that meant. "Mom and Dad already giving you problems?"

She went on a tirade of how she had to break the news to their parents that she had to stop going to school just one semester shy of graduation. Their rage went from her being a failure and a quitter to the cost of tuition to her wasting her life partying, and of course Toshio cursing her for getting pregnant. Halfway through her tale of survival since moving back in, his sister was in tears while Ryuichi sat quietly, unsure of what to say. He knew he would be facing her complaints, but he sympathized with her, knowing just how scathing their parents' words could be.

"I gotta find my own place," Shizue wept. Her sharp sniffles cracked in his ears. "I've been trying to find an apartment somewhere nearby, but everything around here's pretty expensive. I don't think I can stand it here anymore, Ryu-chan."

She sniffled again. "Shit, and I still gotta buy a bunch of stuff for the baby. We already talked about converting your old bedroom into a room for Megumi, but we haven't had a chance to go out and buy anything yet."

Ryuichi was a bit saddened by the conversion of his bedroom, but decided that if his sister was unhappy with staying with their parents, then it might be best that he doesn't have any excuse to return home for his own sake.

"I took up a part-time job making envelopes, but the pay's shit," she grumbled. "I barely had enough to pay for the Lamaze classes I need. By the way, my first class is this Wednesday, so I'm going to need you to go with me."

He made a noise. "M-Me?"

By the time Ryuichi left his parents' place late that night, he felt like his soul had been siphoned from his body. It was the after effect of hanging around his family for even a short while, where all they did was complain about each other, express their grievances, irritations, and rage, and thanks to Shizue, he regained an extra dose of the spirit-shattering rants since her return.

It was only the first day of the new school year and his first day having to watch over his sister, yet all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and look forward to the next day when he wouldn't have to fulfill his brotherly duties.

Back at the dorm, he was just about to unlock his bedroom door when his phone beeped. Groaning, he anticipated a message from his sister, only to find one from Mitsuru.

 _"We're going on patrol tonight,"_ she wrote.

He snapped his phone shut. "Maybe I'll get to vent tonight," he said to himself. He felt his spirits raise just a bit, enough where a tiny bit of his energy returned.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Yukari joined the new seniors during their patrol during the Dark Hour, but she never tried to summon her Persona. She stayed behind the group whenever they encountered a Shadow, firing arrows at the enemy while the others ended the battle swiftly with their Personas. She took pride in her aim improving thanks to practicing with moving targets, but whenever Akihiko asked her to summon her Persona, she would tremble and avoid answering him.

"This isn't good," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi after another night of Yukari failing to conjure up her Persona, Io. They were the only two downstairs in the lounge, frustrated with what to do about Yukari.

"It's not all bad," Ryuichi said gently. "At least she fights."

"Yes, but what if she cannot draw her bow quickly enough?" Mitsuru asked, accusing him with her piercing eyes. "Or what if she runs out of arrows? We need her to be able to summon Io without hesitation. The Shadows won't hesitate to dispatch us, so we cannot show them any lenience."

"I know, but it's not easy to ask someone to point a gun at their head and pull the trigger like it's nothing."

"Then she needs to find a way to not think about it as taking her life, but saving it."

Ryuichi was also losing patience with Yukari, but he knew that Mitsuru was undoubtedly even more frustrated, and rightfully so. Even still, her voice remained steady, though tense, and her eyes were set in a hardened stare off into her own thoughts.

"We still have the new guy coming," he reminded her in the hopes of alleviating her disappointment. "He might be more willing to summon his Persona."

" _If_ he has no problems fighting," she added, getting up from her armchair. "And _if_ he isn't afraid of pulling the trigger."

Mitsuru touched her Evoker. "We spent years working to develop a simpler way of summoning our Personas, but this was the most effective and most convenient way we could come up with," she explained, though she had told him before in the past. "And yet, you, Akihiko, and Aragaki adapted well to this method."

He took out his own Evoker, feeling the weight of hundreds, maybe thousands of his own potential deaths in the cold metal.

"I guess, because I know that if I don't pull the trigger, we could die," he replied quietly. "For someone new to this like Yukari, putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger means death."

He exhaled, feeling slightly winded. "I think I had to rewrite in my mind what pulling the trigger means," he added, holstering his Evoker. "I didn't really see it as me dying after awhile. For me, it just became about summoning Ajax to save our lives."

"And that is the mentality I need Takeba to have."

There were times when Mitsuru seemed as frigid as her demeanor made her appear, but Ryuichi accepted her frustration, agreed with it, and also wished that Yukari would just pull the damn trigger already.

Yukari grew distant with the group again. She would still talk to them, but only if they addressed her first. She reacted to simple greetings or questions by giving short, cordial answers followed by a quick escape. At times, Ryuichi and Mitsuru tried to encourage her, only for her to walk away with hunched shoulders and her head hanging low. Ryuichi even caught Akihiko asking her in a firm but gentle voice to at least try. When all he got was a nod, he was the one to walk away.

Ryuichi wasn't sure what to do with her anymore, or how to talk to her—Not that it made much difference, as he would be too busy to see her all that often in the first place. The best he could hope for was for her to get used to summoning her Persona soon, at least for her own sake.

After kendo practice on Thursday, Ryuichi returned home with Mitsuru to start catching up on all the assignments he had not had a chance to get to during the week. Most of the material was review, but the new lessons from their online college courses made him go up to Mitsuru's door and ask her for help on a few items. She was kind enough to explain the concepts and gave him a few examples, but he could tell that he was going to need a lot more help as the semester progressed.

Ryuichi and Akihiko went on patrol that night. Mitsuru and Yukari decided to stay at the dorm, giving the two a chance to have more freedom in battle, where they didn't fear any of Yukari's stray arrows or being ordered to stand down to give Yukari a chance to fight.

"It's not that I hate her or anything, but can't she at least try?" Akihiko griped as they both wandered the streets. "She did it before, so what's the problem now?"

"The problem now is that her life is potentially in danger."

"That just means she's got every reason to summon Io!"

His mood worsened by the lack of Shadows. It seemed to Ryuichi that everyone was in a foul mood these days, and it was starting to get to him. They eventually did find one dinky little Shadow that Mitsuru directed them to, but it did little to quell Akihiko's irritation.

"Well, she's not like you or me or Mitsuru," Ryuichi reasoned as his soles scuffed the pavement. His responses were so automatic now that he started to question why he was still defending Yukari.

"You keep telling us to give her a chance, but she's already been here for over a month," Akihiko snapped. "When's she going to do something about it?"

"I don't know," he admitted bitterly. "But something about her seems to want to stay."

Friday afternoon, Ryuichi was back at his parents' house, fetching items for his sister, listening to her moan about her latest argument with their parents, and pretending to not notice the many bouts of gas she kept having. Everywhere he went, people seemed to direct their frustrations at him while using other people's names as flimsy excuses to make it look like they were irritated with someone else. He had to keep reminding himself that they were all furious with other people and not him, but his own protective words were quickly penetrated by everyone else's.

"Gawd! This is the fourth time today!"

Shizue leaned heavily to one side, pinching and tugging around her backside to liberate yet another wedgie. Ryuichi held up a hand by his head to give his sister some privacy while she adjusted herself. He flipped through his book to silently practice the pronunciation of English words to himself, trying to remember how Mitsuru read the words fluently.

Shizue got up with a groan. "I'm sick of this. Ryu-chan, let's go on a walk; this place is driving me crazy if I stay here any longer."

Ryuichi had no choice but to go along with her. He didn't want to aggravate her in any way, in case he risked making her go into premature labor.

"But, are you okay to be walking around a lot?" he asked tentatively.

"All I've been doing is sit on my ass all day," she said with gritty irritation. "And for weeks! We don't have to walk too far."

Ryuichi put his blazer on before helping his sister with her sweater and scarf. They walked a short way to a small store run by an elderly woman and her dog, where they sold snacks, cigarettes, newspapers, and magazines. Ryuichi bought them each a can of soda and some candy, which his sister gobbled up so quickly he had to buy her some more to keep her happy later.

"So, what's it like at the dorm?" Shizue asked him when they decided to hang around the store a bit. "Mitsuru-san lives there too, right?"

He leaned against a lamp post while he sipped his soda. The chilly beverage clawed at his throat on the way down. "It's a heck of a lot better than living at home," he answered.

"Oh, right? I missed my apartment the moment I saw Mom at the station."

And then, the griping returned. She told him all about the time she chose to eat a can of mackerel instead of the burger their dad prepared for her.

"I tried telling him that I was trying to cut down on fat and grease, but you know how Dad gets," Shizue moaned. "If we don't eat his food, he assumes that we hate what he cooked and that we're not appreciating his efforts."

She even gave voice to some of Ryuichi's complaints about their parents. Each time he tried to contribute a new point, Shizue would cut him off and rage for him. He quickly grew tired of the one-sided conversation, instead focusing on his new craving for canned fish. His sister kept venting while he began to plan out dinner silently to himself.

Back at their house, Ryuichi found enough ingredients to make Tonjiru.

"Nah, I'm not really in the mood for that," Shizue sighed. "I want something heartier, something more homely."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, sure. What do you have in mind?"

She peeked into the refrigerator, leaning back slightly so her stomach protruded even more. "Oh! How about curry rice? Can you make some, please?"

Ryuichi was actually grateful that she chose something simple to make. He cut up some chicken into smaller chunks and set it aside to marinate in some hoisin sauce. He started with sautéing some onions in oil, and when they started to look transparent, he added some diced garlic. The strong smell of garlic and onion filled the kitchen, prompting Shizue to retch and slap a hand over her mouth.

"Uh, oh."

She waddled to the toilet. Ryuichi took one step after her, glancing back at the ingredients sizzling in the pot.

"Oh, fuck! Ryu-chan!"

He grimaced, knowing she didn't make it to the toilet in time. "I'll be right there," he called to her, trying to mask his disgust. "What's causing it?"

"The smell! Ryu-chan, sorry, but—"

She retched again. He shut off the stove and went to throw open the doors and windows to air out the house while his sister continued to hurl.

"Hurry, Ryuichi!"

He stuck a fan by the back door and turned it on high. "I'm trying!" he shouted.

"Don't yell at me!" she barked back.

"I can't hear you! The fan's too loud!"

It took some time for the smell to finally dissipate. While Shizue rested on the couch with a damp cloth over her pale face, Ryuichi mopped up her vomit that was just shy of the toilet. He wasn't so eager to eat curry rice anymore.

Shizue refused to eat anything after that. Ryuichi couldn't stomach anything, either. They nibbled on rice crackers for dinner, and the ingredients for curry rice were packed away into containers and put back into the refrigerator.

Later that night on his way home, Ryuichi stopped by a convenience store to pick up some rice balls for dinner. By the time he made it back to the dorm, everyone had already gone up to bed, leaving him to grab a bowl and a can of sardines to eat with his onigiri. He sat at the dining table with his pitiful meal and took his first bite. Astonishingly, it tasted pretty good, even after an evening full of vomit.

"The power of hunger and cravings," he sighed to himself.

Saturday rolled by, and Ryuichi was all too happy to have a short school day. Kendo went by quickly afterward, and with Mitsuru getting picked up outside the school gate for other business, he was able to return home and rest for once.

Except, he didn't. Back in his dorm room, he dumped his books onto his desk in preparation to do his homework.

"This is getting ridiculous," he grumbled as he roughly dragged his chair out to sit.

He had originally thought that he would be able to study and do homework over at his parents' house whenever he had to watch his sister, but any attempts he made were in vain. It wasn't often that he had to clean up vomit, but fetching Shizue things, taking her on light walks around the neighborhood, and occasionally having to go grocery shopping to cook that night's dinner robbed him of any spare time he could use for his studies.

When he did get a chance to study, Shizue would distract him with more complaints and more vocalized dreams she had of finding her own place, or even joking about bunking with him in his room at the dorm for a little while. He couldn't concentrate when she was talking, nor did he have the gall to ask her to shut up and let him work.

Sometime later that Saturday afternoon, he snapped up from a nap when someone knocked on his door.

"Senpai? It's me," said Yukari through the door. "Can I come in for a sec?"

He rubbed crust from his eyes. "Yeah," he yawned. "Come on in."

The timid girl opened the door but stopped short when she saw all his books open out in front of him. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were studying. I can come back later."

He closed his notebook. "I actually fell asleep, so you're not interrupting anything," he said, flashing her a tired smile. "What's up?"

She opened the door wider, taking a tentative step into his room. She looked like a small child about to tell her father about something wrong that she had done.

"Well, I was just thinking that Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are probably not happy with me," she said, keeping her head down. "I feel pretty bad about not being able to summon my Persona."

Ryuichi knew that she was completely correct about their disappointment, but didn't have the heart to say so. "So, what will you do?" he asked her. "You still have the choice if you want to stay or go."

She picked her head up. "I want to stay," she said firmly. The determination in her eyes and voice diminished as she added, "I just need more time to practice."

"Just don't think about it when you do it," he advised, lazily swiveling his chair back and forth. "If you think about it too much, you end up psyching yourself out. Instead, think about the others who need you."

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Ryuichi hoped that she would live up to her words this time. He watched as she thanked him and headed out the door. Right before the door closed, it opened again, and Yukari poked her head back inside.

"Hey, Senpai? Why do you fight?"

He rubbed a finger over his upper lip, searching for the right answer. "Lots of reasons, I guess."

"Yeah, but what is it that made you stick with it?"

He stopped to think. "I wanna say, because I know that I'm among the few who can, it's kind of my responsibility to do something about the Shadows," he finally answered. "It's not something I can just walk away from."

The dejected look on Yukari's face made him panic. "B-But, that's just my own personal opinion for me," he added hastily. "I'm sure you have your own reasons for staying, but just remember that sometimes you just have to do what's best for you."

She stood half-bent into his room, looking like she was contemplating what he had just said. He watched as she slowly closed the door without saying another word. After that, Ryuichi just didn't want to study at all, but thoughts of disappointing Mitsuru shocked him into opening his notes again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"He's not coming."

"You don't know that."

"Perhaps he got lost on the way here."

The quiet Monday evening was filled with the lounge TV's gentle murmur and dishes tinkling in the sink as Ryuichi arranged them to dry off. As the young butler began to wipe down a teacup with a towel, he glanced over to the other SEES members gathered in the lounge, amused at how wound up they all were while waiting for their new dorm mate to arrive.

Yukari kept flipping open her cell phone. She took a moment to scowl at the screen, snapped it shut, and repeated the motion seconds later. On the couch across from her, Akihiko kept restringing his boxing gloves, as if striving for perfection and failing each time. Both teens would shift their eyes to the game show on TV, as if expecting the newcomer to appear on screen.

The most serene of the four was Mitsuru. Seated in her usual chair, she quietly read a book without peeking up at the TV, appearing unperturbed by the peals of laughter from the show nor the tardiness of the new resident. When Ryuichi came by to refill her teacup, he noticed that she was tapping her finger impatiently on her book's hard cover.

Ryuichi had never met the newcomer, but he already hated the guy. Thanks to him, he had to endure a lengthy lecture from his parents when he asked them to have Sunday off to prepare for the new guy's arrival, and it was only when he mentioned that he had business with Mitsuru that they begrudgingly let him off of watching his sister for the day. He spent his entire day off shopping for ingredients, preparing food, and cleaning up the dorm for their potential dorm mate's arrival, and he shows his appreciation by being late.

"Are you guys hungry?" Ryuichi asked the others. "I can cook up those burgers if you want."

Before long, marinated meat patties sizzled merrily in their own juices. Akihiko and Yukari helped to get the additional ingredients out onto the dining table, but the head of lettuce, onion bulb, and tomatoes remained uncut. When Ryuichi asked them to cut them for him, the tomato slices were thicker than the burger patties, the onions were chopped into irregular chunks, and the lettuce shredded. He forced a smile as he thanked them for their efforts.

"How about you, Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked her. "You up for one?"

"It smells divine," Ryuichi barely heard her say over the fries bubbling in hot oil. "Yes, I will gladly take one."

He thinned his lips, trying hard not to smile like a dope while he pretended to concentrate on cutting more potatoes for fries. Sure, she had eaten a Toshio burger before, but this time, he was able to cook it up fresh and hot. He better not screw up.

As the sizzling burgers came off the pans and onto toasted buns, Akihiko and Yukari eyed the different items to stack on top.

"Plain or garlic fries?"

"Garlic!"

"Plain!"

Ryuichi's timer on his phone went off. "Bacon's done!" he announced, and pulled the tray of bacon from the oven. Yukari eyed the grease that submerged the crispy strips, but Ryuichi laid them out on paper towels to mop up the fat before the regret could set in.

"There's plenty here already," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi as she prepared her burger. "You can cook the rest later."

"I'm just gonna cook all of it now," Ryuichi replied, "so anyone who wants seconds can just go for it."

 _Chomp!_ Everyone paused to watch Akihiko take his first monstrous bite out of his double-stacked burger. Yukari grimaced as he smacked his greasy lips. Ryuichi shook with silent laughter when he saw Mitsuru's jaw drop at the sight of Akihiko rubbing barbecue sauce off of his face with the back of his hand. Before he fully finished his mouthful, he opened wide for another giant bite when he stopped and looked to Mitsuru.

"Kikuno-san's not bringing your dinner tonight?" Akihiko asked her.

Mitsuru shook off her bewildered expression. "No. I've informed her about Ryuichi cooking for us tonight," she answered, not a trace of the horror from earlier on her face nor her voice.

Ryuichi held his breath while he watched Mitsuru carefully construct her burger. When she took her first bite, he couldn't stop staring, feeling his chest clench with worry of whether or not she would like the taste.

She glance his way. "Is something wrong?" she asked him. "Do I have something on my face?"

"N-No." He dropped his face back down to the stove. "Um, not at all."

Yukari giggled. "Ooh, does someone have a little crush?"

He brandished his greasy spatula at her. "I've got bacon grease and I'm not afraid to use it," he warned in a playful tone.

"They say that when you get defensive, there's some truth there," she teased, reaching for a fry.

"We are good friends and comrades in arms," Mitsuru said, and Ryuichi gave a vigorous nod. Yukari still didn't look convinced.

After dinner, Akihiko asked Ryuichi if he wanted to go on patrol that night.

"It doesn't look like he's coming, so we might as well," Ryuichi figured.

At first, he was fine with the idea of going on patrol until he found himself cleaning up alone after dinner. He scrubbed all the gunk, grime, and charred bits from every pot, pan, and tray, his arms and shoulders burning from working so hard. It was halfway through scrubbing that he started wishing the others offered to help out, since hedid _cook_ after all. When everything was done, he was so worn out from cooking and cleaning up that he felt ready to go to bed. Instead, he headed upstairs to see if the others wanted to join.

"Not after that burger," Yukari groaned. "I'm too full to even move."

Ryuichi went to ask Mitsuru next. She stood just inside her bedroom doorway, looking conflicted.

"I'm sorry, but I think I should stay behind, should Arisato arrive," she said in a regrettable voice. "You two be careful and keep your radios on."

A half hour before midnight, Ryuichi and Akihiko headed out to the train station. Their breaths appeared in faint mists before them as they kept out of the streetlights' orange circles. Ryuichi tapped his headset, catching it when it slipped off. He stopped in a building's shadow to adjust it.

"Can you hear me?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru through his headset.

"Loud and clear," she answered. "Akihiko, do you read me?"

"Yeah," he replied. "We're heading to Port Island."

"Don't go into Tartarus."

"I know. You don't have to tell us."

There was no one out on the streets of Iwatodai that late, but on Tatsumi Port Island, the night was alive with high school students sharing cigarettes and drop-outs with cheap beers. A girl cackled as she kicked a drunken salary man into the gutter when he tried to pay her for her services.

"Hey there, cutie." One of the college girls called out to Akihiko. "What's a good boy like you doing out here?"

"Whoa! Check it out!" One of the guys reached for Ryuichi's swords. Ryuichi wheeled around, grabbed, spun, and then kicked the guy's backside to send him sprawling into the gutter.

The guy's friend threw his beer can onto the ground. "You shit!"

He threw a punch. Ryuichi caught it and threw him into the gutter with his buddy.

"Gekkou bastard!"

"You're gonna pay!"

Akihiko made a face. "For cryin' out loud."

The boxer jabbed another goon's stomach. He jumped back when the goon spewed a dinner of ramen and beer down at his own shoes.

Ryuichi chopped someone on the neck. He turned, hearing his assailant collapse as he prepared another strike. When no one else attacked, he turned to Akihiko, who took another guy down with a single punch to his jaw. He pulled his fist back to strike another guy when the world went dark for a full second. The rancid moon appeared overhead, and their assailants had all been transformed into coffins.

"Couldn't hold back a bit, could you?" Ryuichi asked him as they continued towards Tartarus.

"Not my fault he had too much to drink." Akihiko led the way. "Besides, you attacked first."

"They tried to touch my swords. What if they cut themselves?"

"Oh, sure. You tell me to ease up but rush to protect your swords."

"Well, yeah. I _like_ my swords."

Something skittered. Ryuichi looked down an alley, Evoker in hand. "Was that a Shadow just now?"

The two sprinted down the alley. Their ragged breaths and pounding footsteps drowned out any evidence of someone fleeing from them. They looped around, stopped. Listened.

"Shinji? That you?" Akihiko called down another alley.

Nothing. They passed behind a bar that reeked of cigarette smoke and burnt curry, and soon they were back near the train station.

"Definitely not a Shadow or else it would've attacked by now," Ryuichi remarked.

Akihiko clenched his jaw. "Yeah."

Ryuichi followed Akihiko to the business district, trotting after his brisk pace. He said nothing for the moment, not wanting to aggravate Akihiko further. Watching him, Ryuichi could tell that Akihiko had not given up on his search. He kept turning his head from side to side the way Penthesilea did when she scanned the area. If he stopped, so did Ryuichi.

"You guys get into another fight?" Ryuichi asked as they side-stepped some coffins.

"That's none of your business."

They said nothing more. Ryuichi craned his head upwards to see the enormous, gyoza-shaped moon pierced by Tartarus' needle-point tip. He idly noted that the moon would be full in a few days, with its sickly yellow glow to make the city appear even more decayed.

"So, when the new guy comes, do you think he'll be fine summoning his Persona?" Ryuichi asked.

No response. Akihiko strode briskly ahead, and Ryuichi trotted after him.

"Okay, uh, what if he turns out like Yukari and can't do it?" Ryuichi tried asking instead. "Will we just have to boot them both out of SEES?"

His companion stopped to let out an exasperated groan. "You're not gonna let up, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

Akihiko grunted. "What's your deal?"

Ryuichi narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm just trying to figure out the different scenarios we might have with the new guy," he explained calmly. "I know it's frustrating enough having one person struggle, but if we end up with two who are unable to summon their Personas, then we either let them go or we keep encouraging them to try."

"We've been encouraging Yukari for over a month!" Akihiko blasted at him. "If you're telling me the new guy's going to be the same way, then we're better off without them."

"I didn't say he was." Ryuichi exhaled, letting his tense shoulders relax.

Ryuichi couldn't deny that Akihiko had a point. Yukari had been with them for many weeks now, but she was nowhere closer to summoning Io during battle than when she first started. To have one person unable to fight Shadows effectively was detrimental to all of them, but if they had two people unable to fight—

Akihiko started down the street again. "I get that you're trying to be nice and all, but sometimes you gotta draw the line and do what you gotta do," Akihiko told him. "We're seniors now. We're gonna be going off to college next year. You really think Mitsuru can leave something like this to someone like Yukari?"

"What if she doesn't leave it to someone else?" Ryuichi asked. "You know she hates leaving things unfinished."

"Yeah, but nothing's changed at all since we first started."

It was a reality that Ryuichi had thought about before: Since he joined SEES back in his third year of middle school, nothing's really changed. They went out at night, defeated some Shadows, and gazed longingly at Tartarus with the hopes that they might be able to explore it someday. They were only eliminating the symptoms of the Dark Hour, but not the cause.

Akihiko had been right about them running out of time, where they would need to rely on a future generation of Persona users while they went off to college. They couldn't put their lives on hold just for the Dark Hour, nor could they spend the rest of their lives fighting Shadows without attacking the source. With Yukari as the first face they had for that next generation, Ryuichi knew that there would be a chance that they would still have to fight Shadows, and most likely even after they had graduated from high school.

They continued to wander the streets, no longer exchanging words. Ryuichi kicked a pebble that skittered into the gutter, far too loud for the silent world. They didn't bother to ask Mitsuru if there were any Shadows nearby, as her ability to scan could not reach them there. Before long, Ryuichi turned around to see that he had lost sight of Akihiko.

"Well, if he found Shinjiro, then at least he can vent at him instead of me," he said to himself.

The walk was more enjoyable without Akihiko's grating energy next to him. Going out alone had its risks, but he found them worth it if he could have a chance to think and breathe. Secretly, when he wasn't too tired, he would go out during the Dark Hour on nights they didn't go on patrol just to unwind. Mitsuru knew, he was certain, but she never mentioned anything about—

"I sense something."

Mitsuru's voice in Ryuichi's ear made him jump. "Where?"

"It's in Iwatodai."

Akihiko's voice crackled over the headset. "Is it a Shadow?"

"I can't tell. It's too far."

"Huh. Finally gonna get some action tonight."

Ryuichi jogged towards Moonlight Bridge when—

"It's headed this way! Whatever it is, it's coming towards the dorm!"

Panic thrust its spearhead up Ryuichi's spine, spurring him into a sprint. "We're on our way! Do not engage it!" he told her.

He shot past coffins and cars frozen in intersections, his feet moving as if to catch up with his racing thoughts. His thoughts were on Mitsuru, who would have to fight the Shadow herself while protecting Yukari. The thought of her being in danger left him in a cold sweat.

"Hey! Wait up!" Akihiko's voice called from somewhere behind him.

He ignored him. He slid across a car hood and dodged coffins until he could sprint unhindered across Moonlight Bridge.

"I don't think it's a Shadow," Mitsuru reported, but Ryuichi did not slow down. "But, could it be—?"

He barely felt the stitch in his side. His face stung from the cold, and each breath he took was like ice crystals spiking in his nose. There was no stopping, no resting. If Mitsuru was hurt—

He didn't want to think about it. Any pain he felt numbed from fear. His footsteps matched the rhythm of his thumping heartbeat, urging him to get there faster.

"Mitsuru, are you there?" he asked through his earpiece. Nothing. "Mitsuru?"

Her extended silence made him fear the worst. He cleared the bridge and jerked his body to the left towards the dorm. Right as he reached the first block, the world went completely black, and all the streetlamps, traffic lights, and stars lit up the city again.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay!"

Ryuichi cleared the last few blocks and spotted the dorm. The doors were closed, the lights on in the windows, but there was no visible damage as far as he could see. He readied his Evoker and went inside.

He spotted Mitsuru about to head back up the stairs. Breathing hard, Ryuichi lowered his Evoker, trying to suck in as much air into his lungs as he felt his head begin to swim. His feet felt strangely heavy as he crossed the lounge.

"Every, thing, okay here?" he panted. His tongue wouldn't work properly in his dry mouth.

"The anomaly I sensed earlier turned out to be our new resident," she answered as she came back down the stairs. Seconds later, Akihiko came bursting through the doors. He doubled over, panting hard.

"Did you both run all this way from Port Island?"

Both boys could only nod. "I have to say, I'm impressed you ran such a distance in so short a time, but—"

"I thought, you were, in tr-trouble," wheezed Ryuichi.

Mitsuru had an apologetic look on her face. "As I said before, it was our new dorm mate whom I sensed, not a Shadow," she told them. "I'm sorry for worrying you two. I left my radio upstairs when I came to check who it was."

Ryuichi started seeing spots. He tried to blink them away, but they kept shimmering like silver sparklers.

"Ryuichi, are you all right?"

He nodded as he made his way back to his room. He kept a hand on the wall to guide himself, barely seeing the dorm anymore.

"You should've seen him, Mitsuru," he heard Akihiko say from the door. "I've never seen him run so fast."

"Where exactly did you both run from?"

Ryuichi started taking deeper breaths. The more air he took in, the more he felt the stitch in his side, the ache in his legs, the sweat that glued his uniform to his body, and the weight of his swords start to drag him down to the floor. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the lounge materialize before him.

"You should sit down," Mitsuru said from behind him. "Just try to breathe."

She plopped both Akihiko and Ryuichi down on the couch and brought them both some water. Ryuichi chugged his down, feeling the cool relief moisten his throat.

"Honestly, what were you both thinking running from that far away?" Mitsuru asked them disapprovingly as she stood by with her arms crossed in front of her. "What good is it for you two to pass out once you arrived?"

Ryuichi took out his Evoker and fired a shot into his temple. He felt a healing spell sooth his aches, his chest loosened up, and the spots all disappeared, leaving him rejuvenated.

"Thanks for the water," he coolly said to Mitsuru. In truth, he had no idea if that spell would work.

Akihiko took out his Evoker and healed himself, as well. "See? We know what we're doing," he piped up.

She glowered at them both. "And neither of you thought to heal yourselves prior to entering the dorm?"

Ryuichi blinked. "We had to give the enemy a handicap."

Grimacing, Mitsuru went around the back of the couch to the stairs. "Next time, heal yourselves before you put yourselves in danger."

"But, your safety's my priority," Ryuichi protested.

Mitsuru stopped. "Yes, that's true, but that doesn't mean that you should forget your own safety first." She returned to the sofa, meeting Ryuichi's gaze. "Even though we were fortunate this time that it wasn't a Shadow, we should exercise caution even more than ever."

"Does that mean you and Ryuichi are gonna have to stick together more?" asked Akihiko.

As far as Ryuichi knew, Mitsuru was not a fan of having a bodyguard. When he was first asked to be her bodyguard, Mitsuru had been against it, telling him that she did not want him to get the idea that her life was more precious than his. At least her reason wasn't because she hated him, as far as he knew.

"After I send my report, there is a good chance that we might have to stay together during the Dark Hour," Mitsuru confirmed. She did not appear to be annoyed with the reality, but she wasn't pleased, either.

Ryuichi lowered his head. "Sorry."

"It can't be helped. We will simply have to be more cautious from now on."

Akihiko was the first to head upstairs, looking somehow determined about something while muttering to himself. It sounded to Ryuichi like he was planning out a new course to run for some endurance training.

As Mitsuru bid them both a good night, Ryuichi called out to her.

"Um, I'm really sorry about tonight," he said timidly as he got up and bowed low to her. "I promise I'll stay close by and be right there whenever you need me."

He saw her feet turn towards him. "I cannot hold you responsible for this, as we have never had a problem before," she told him.

Mitsuru folded her arms across her chest, appearing deep in thought. "To think, he was conscious during the Dark Hour but didn't notice anything at all. We were lucky this time, but I will take this as a sign that we have grown too lax."

He bent even lower at the waist. "Again, I apologize."

"No. This was my fault," she said. She had a pained look on her face as she gripped her elbow. "I've become too complacent with our current system."

Ryuichi straightened up, still unable to meet her gaze. "So, I just have to stay in the area, right?"

She lowered her hands to her sides. "Yes, and that applies to all of us who might go out on our own. As for what happened tonight, I have no doubts that you will be advised to stay close to me from now on."

"That's my job, so I have no problems with that." He rubbed a spot on his head.

Mitsuru started for the stairs again. "Oh, before I forget: thank you for your efforts to come as quickly as possible."

He grinned and clicked his heels together with a salute. "I was trained by the best."

"Indeed, you were." She took the first step up the stairs. "Good night."

"G'night."

Though Mitsuru had reassured him that his services were still very much needed, Ryuichi still had the nagging sensation that he might get fired, even with the shortage of Persona users practically guaranteeing his employment.

The fact was, he had failed Mitsuru that night. If it had been a Shadow, leaving Mitsuru to combat it herself for even a second was a second too long. When he first started his job as her bodyguard, he started out sticking close to Mitsuru. Over time, they grew comfortable with the idea that Mitsuru only needed guarding if she ever joined them in combat. He had relied too heavily on the idea that Mitsuru being in a solid building would be enough to protect her from harm, but, had their new resident been a Shadow who infiltrated the dorm, then Mitsuru could have been badly injured. Or worse.

Back in his room, Ryuichi leaned back against the door and sighed. "Okay. I'll do better next time for sure," he told himself, and went to go take a bath.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

During homeroom the next day, the seniors were all asked to fill in a sheet with possible careers they wanted to pursue. Ryuichi stared down at his sheet with his forehead resting against his hand, tapping his eraser on his desk as he stared at the word "bodyguard" that he had written in the first slot. The other two remained empty, with the second slot littered with eraser bits and a few traces of "butler" indicating his other choice.

In front of him, Mitsuru turned around in her seat to peer at his paper. "You're set on being a bodyguard?"

He nodded, grinding his knuckles into his head. "Yeah," he sighed. "I seriously can't see myself doing anything else."

"What about your family's restaurant?"

"I think Shizue's gonna take it over, and I think I'd get tired of cooking the same things every day for the rest of my life."

"Hmm."

Mitsuru stared at his paper about as hard as he did. "What do you intend to pursue in college?"

"I have no idea."

"What about music? I've always enjoyed listening to you play. Do you still play the saxophone? What about the guitar?"

He sighed again. "I haven't touched either of those things in ages. I've been practicing piano a little bit, but with music, I like it more for my own enjoyment," he said as he drummed his eraser on his desk again. "I don't really think I'd want to turn it into a career."

He started to write "butler" again, no longer knowing what else to put.

She frowned at his second choice. "Isn't there anything else you would rather do? You're very smart, so your options are limitless. I don't want you to feel boxed in because of your current job."

"I don't feel boxed in at all." Ryuichi sat back in his chair, feeling his spine pop in a few places. "If anything, I used to think I was only good for sticking potatoes in a fryer and making fast food. Being a bodyguard changed that."

"Two more minutes and then we'll collect your papers," their homeroom teacher announced.

"What about composing music?" asked Mitsuru. "You used to make up songs on the spot. Maybe someday you can write scores for movies."

"I don't think I'm good enough for something like that."

"You might surprise yourself."

His two minutes were running out. "Screw this," he said, and wrote "restaurant owner" in the last spot. He handed his paper to Mitsuru, who glossed over his options while the others passed up their papers.

That evening after kendo practice, Ryuichi returned to the dorm salivating at the thought of the leftover burgers from last night. He remembered too late that Akihiko and Yukari took the last of the burger patties for lunch that day, and his disappointment left him reaching for a cup of instant noodles in the pantry.

With his pitiful dinner in hand, he returned to his room, dreading what he knew was waiting for him since early that morning. He turned on his laptop to check his email, finding a message from the Kirijo Group's security division. Sighing, he prepared for the worst and clicked on it.

 _Okazaki,_

 _According to Mitsuru Ojou-sama's report, you abandoned your duties to_ _your charge.  
While she takes full responsibility for the events of the previous night, we __advise you  
to adhere to your duties and stay close to Mitsuru Ojou-sama from now on._

 _Ten percent will be docked from your next paycheck as a penalty for your negligence._

"Yeah, that's fair," he groaned, realizing that he had not been fired. Had Mitsuru not taken full responsibility, he knew he would have been fired for sure. "I owe her a really nice present, but dammit—at this rate, she's the one who should be getting paid for saving my ass all the time."

His thoughts shifted to his job options, figuring it might be a good idea to think of alternatives should his career as a bodyguard get cut short. He rolled his desk chair over to his keyboard to try out a few tunes, thinking about how he owed Mitsuru for saving his job and how he needed to get more serious about his job when his mind wandered to a completely different thought:

Mitsuru's birthday was next month.

His fingers halted over the keyboard. How was he supposed to top the motorcycle and driver's test that Mitsuru and her father got for him? She already had a motorcycle, and any gift he could buy, she could easily get herself a thousand times over. Last year, he got her a tea set he had shipped from France that Kikuno still used to serve her tea. The year before, he bought her a watch with her name engraved in it that she still wore on occasion. This year, he originally wanted to get her a new rapier or a saber, but she had recently gotten a new one to combat Shadows. Now, he was stumped.

 _What about music? I've always enjoyed listening to you play._

He recalled Mitsuru's words from that morning. If his hand was functioning properly, he could have recorded himself playing a bunch of songs and given her a CD. The way it was now, his playing sounded better than before, but still not worthy of the presents she had given him.

Sighing, he tried out a song. "Yesterday Once Again", a song about wistful reminiscence filled his ears through his enormous headphones. He uncovered one ear and began to hum. Shortly after, he belted out the chorus.

"Well, if I sing, I might be able to cover my crappy playing," he muttered to himself. "With my crappy singing."

He couldn't think of anything else that Mitsuru might like. He started trying out different songs, from pop songs from decades past to soundtracks from his favorite movies and video games. Each song he came up with, he tried to imagine Mitsuru listening to it play softly in the background while she read a book or took her tea.

He took up his guitar, trying out some songs. Grateful that he could still strum, he was able to sing a few more songs without the thought of his right hand hindering how he sounded. For a brief second, he considered trying his saxophone next. It remained hidden in its case under his bed, where he figured it should stay for now.

About an hour later, his stomach began to whine. He blinked out of his musical daze, remembering his instant noodles a little too late. They were already cold, the noodles swollen and mushy from the soup, forgotten from his fun with his instruments.

Ryuichi clicked his tongue at the wasted food, shaking his head in disappointment. He left his room to throw out the old noodles when he spotted Mitsuru in the lounge, working on her speech for the student council election coming up. Kikuno was in the kitchen, cleaning up after Mitsuru's dinner.

"Ryuichi, could you listen to this and tell me what you think?" Mitsuru asked him as he headed to the kitchen.

"Sure." He still had the cup of cold noodles in his hand as he joined her on the couch. As he listened to her speech, he munched on his noodles, realizing how hungry he was when it tasted strangely good.

The front doors opened, and in walked a boy Ryuichi had never seen before. He had thick, luxurious, dark blue hair with bangs that hung low over his right eye. He kept his head down, making him seem shorter than he really was. The boy lowered his headphones to let them hang around his neck. His little mp3 player dangled in front of his stomach from a cord.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru called to him from the couch. "How did you like your first day here?"

The somber youth shrugged. "Okay, I guess," he replied.

"You must be tired. It might be best if you head upstairs and get to bed early. It must be tiring, getting used to your new surroundings."

The new guy looked to Ryuichi, who set his instant noodles down as he stood up. "We haven't met before," he said kindly to him. "Ryuichi Okazaki. Third year."

The new boy eyed him wearily. "Minato Arisato," he said. "Second year."

"Arisato is only staying here momentarily and will be moved to the dorms on campus later on," Mitsuru told Ryuichi as the two shook hands. It was code for whether or not Minato had the potential to summon a Persona, meaning they would have to monitor him during the Dark Hour over the next few nights.

"You should go up and rest," Mitsuru said again. "It would be bad if you caught a cold during your first week here."

Minato bid them both a good night on his way upstairs. Once they heard his door close, the two sat back down without touching their stuff.

"I asked Takeba to take the first shift with me," Mitsuru told him. "You're more than welcome to join, but if you want to go on patrol just in the neighborhood—"

"I think I'll stick around," he replied. "Thanks to you I still have a job, so I gotta do whatever it takes to keep it."

Mitsuru took up her speech again. "I suppose that means that you intend to remain my bodyguard even after high school?"

"If you let me."

She straightened up her papers. "I heard you playing your instruments earlier. Does that mean you've considered going into a musical profession?"

He smiled. "I just thought I'd see how well I'd do."

She nodded thoughtfully. "You sounded quite good, even though you haven't played in so many months. Was that you singing earlier, too?"

His eye twitched. "You heard that?"

"I did. Your voice is very soothing."

Warmth spread across his face in a nervous smile. "Um, thanks," he murmured bashfully. "It's really not that good."

"So you say," she said, smiling. "I've always admired your ability with music, the way you can express yourself so freely. And from what I heard earlier, your hand is making a nice recovery."

He moved his right hand around, waving his fingers about. "Now that you mention it, it's a little smoother than before."

"Très bien. Keep it up and it should be back to normal soon."

They went back to Mitsuru's speech. She gave him a copy to follow along. At first, Ryuichi would only tell her that it was perfect and needed no changes, but Mitsuru insisted that he give it time to sink in and read it the speech quietly to himself to see if there were any trouble spots. She pointed out one part that she wasn't quite sure about, which he quickly agreed with and helped to find a better way to say it. From then on, he felt a little more comfortable finding more flaws.

"Your dinner must be cold by now," Mitsuru said. For the first few seconds, Ryuichi searched for those exact words in her speech before realizing what she had said. "I should have let you finish that first, but, is that all you're going to eat?"

"That was just an after school snack," he lied. "I was gonna eat something heartier for dinner."

"It's already late. Go ahead and get something to eat. I'll work on this upstairs."

He trashed his cold noodles and grabbed a can of natto from the pantry. As he mixed up the gooey beans, Mitsuru stopped by the kitchen on her way upstairs and stared at his meager meal with knitted eyebrows.

"Is that all you're going to eat?"

He took out a large container of protein powder and started dumping a few scoops into a cup. "Yeah, I'll get full off of this fast."

"Full, yes, but nutritionally it lacks balance."

"It's just for one night. I didn't feel like going out to get food, so I figured I'd just eat something simple."

She wasn't about to let his eating habits go. Later that night, as they gathered to observe Minato during the Dark Hour, she brought the issue up again.

"If you want, I can ask Kikuno to bring dinner for you, as well," she offered. "She's masterful at crafting meals with the right nutrition to suit your body's needs."

He frowned. "That's very kind of you, but I don't want to take advantage of the Kirijo Group's kindness. I've already overstepped that boundary too many times."

"It's a simple solution for a simple problem. I've noticed that on nights that you return from your parents' home, you only eat instant noodles or anything else you find in the pantry, so I know that it's not just a one-time meal."

"That's a snack. I eat over at my parents' place."

She started to argue again when Yukari entered the room with Ikutsuki. "We will continue this discussion later," she said, and turned her attention to the bank of consoles.

When everyone had gathered in the command room, Akihiko announced that he was going out on patrol. Mitsuru reminded him not to wander beyond Iwatodai, which he did not take very well, but after a warning glare from Mitsuru, he appeared ready to comply.

"You coming?" he asked Ryuichi.

"I'm gonna stay," he said. "My priority is Mitsuru's safety."

"Is that because of last night?" Yukari asked. "I thought it was fine, since she was here in the dorm."

"It was determined that, had Arisato been a Shadow, we could have been in a very compromising situation," Mitsuru replied with a grieving frown. "And so now Ryuichi and I have decided to keep in close proximity of each other."

Ikutsuki came up behind Yukari's chair to look at the screens. He pushed his glasses up higher on his face. "Does that mean that Ryuichi will be _shadowing_ you?"

Everyone cringed, and Ryuichi sucked on his teeth.

"I'm heading out," Akihiko grumbled, and excused himself without waiting for anyone's dismissal.

"Get it?" whooped Ikutsuki. "Her _Shadow_!"

His laughter clung to life, where even their rolling eyes and agonized groans couldn't kill it. The joke was so bad that Ryuichi could feel it digging its claws into his back, as if begging for his acknowledgement. He kept his eyes glued to the screens, watching the sleeping Minato as he lay oblivious to their observations.

"Wait, did you guys do this when I first arrived, too?" Yukari asked.

There was no way to answer without alarming her. "I was the one in charge of observing you most of the time," Mitsuru told her. "We do this as a screening process for new recruits."

"Did you watch _him_ , too?" Yukari shot her nervous gaze to Ryuichi next.

"We did," Mitsuru confirmed. "I actually found him by chance outside during the Dark Hour, so there was no doubt that he had the potential. We just needed to take extra precautions when he first moved into the dorm."

"Really? Hey, Ryuichi-senpai, what were you doing out so late?"

The bitter memory made him squirm. "Um, I got beaten up after school and was left unconscious in an alley. I didn't wake up until sometime before midnight."

The look of pure pity and horror on Yukari's face made him feel even more uncomfortable, having exposed that part of him and relive the event again.

"Well, it turned out all right, and I'm still alive, so I can't complain," he said, trying to offer her some comfort with a smile. It didn't work.

When the Dark Hour hit, the screens remained on, casting a dull, blue glow over the room. Mitsuru's face appeared paler in the light as she studied the data on the screens.

"Vitals are stable," she said. "And just as before, he did not transmogrify."

"I can't believe he walked through the city during the Dark Hour and didn't notice a thing," Yukari sighed. "How do you miss something like that?"

"I didn't really notice it either," Ryuichi told her. "Then again, I wasn't really in the right state of mind at the time."

"Your parents didn't realize you weren't home that night?" asked Ikutsuki.

"They always get home late, and by then I'd always be asleep, so they didn't know until they got the call that I was in the hospital."

They quieted down to watch Minato again. He lay perfectly still, comfortable in his slumber with no changes in his blood pressure, his steady breathing, nor anything else.

That is, until Yukari gasped. Ryuichi looked to the center screen—the largest of the screens—to see a bump form in Minato's comforter.

"Th-That's a p-perfectly normal function of the male anatomy!" a flustered Ryuichi said, trying to keep his cool while feeling embarrassed for the guy. "It's completely natural and can happen at any time!"

Mitsuru shut off the large screen, looking alarmed herself. "I-I think we will just have to observe his vitals for now," she said uneasily. She tried to keep her voice firm, but her slight stumble made it obvious that even she had been rattled by the image. "Ryuichi, I will ask you to turn on the screen again in a little while."

He snorted. "You guys are just overreacting," he grumbled.

Watching people sleep while checking their vitals proved to be boring in seconds. Every so often, Ryuichi would turn on the large screen to check while the girls looked away. Watching Minato now confirmed for him that Mitsuru and the others definitely saw his own nightly phenomenon when they watched him sleep all those years ago.

Other than that, nothing else interesting occurred, and both Mitsuru and Yukari seemed to have settled down from the initial shock. Only when Ryuichi reassured them that Minato's nightly visitor was over for the moment were they willingly to look at the screen again.

He turned around to ask Mitsuru something when he noticed that she was standing by the windows, not moving even in the slightest. She then raised her Evoker to her temple and pulled the trigger, making Penthesilea materialize above her. Her Persona slowly turned her head from side to side, as if surveying the area.

"Um, is everything okay, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked her.

"I can't be too sure, but I think I sense something."

"Is it a Shadow?" Ikutsuki turned on the sofa to get a better look at her.

"I think so. But, it's different from the others."

"In what way?"

Mitsuru said nothing. She was too lost in her concentration.

Yukari turned to Ryuichi. "If it's different from usual, is Akihiko-senpai going to be okay?"

He tapped his earpiece. "Hey, Akihiko? Do you see any Shadows out there? Anything out of the ordinary?"

Static crackled in his ear. "Not even one," came Akihiko's exasperated grumble. "Why? Does Mitsuru sense one?"

"Kind of. She's having trouble pinpointing it."

Mitsuru dismissed her Persona. "It's no use," she said with a sigh. "I can sense that something is out there, but I can't locate it, nor can I tell just how strong it is. For now, do not engage it if you come across it, Akihiko."

She returned to the bank of consoles with the others, but even as she stared up at the screens, her intense stare wasn't on Minato, but focused on whether or not there was a Shadow lurking in the city somewhere.

The next morning, Ryuichi watched a flustered Yukari greet Minato with an unnaturally high voice at breakfast.

"You're weird," he heard Minato say. Ryuichi almost snorted into his milk, seeing how upset Yukari was.

"Who are you calling weird?" she snapped. "Ugh. Whatever."

Just like he did for Yukari, Ryuichi cooked up a hearty breakfast for the newcomer. Akihiko had his own plate piled high with eggs, sausage, and bacon, along with his second plate topped with two buttery, blueberry pancakes. Mitsuru joined the rest of them shortly after he placed plates in front of Yukari and Minato.

"G'morning," Ryuichi greeted cheerfully. "Care for some breakfast?"

"When did you have time to get all this?" she marveled as she came to see for herself.

"I didn't. Kikuno-san dropped it all off just this morning." He greased one of the pans. "How do you like your eggs?"

She let him prepare a plate for her as she sat down at the table with the others. "So, Arisato, did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah. It's pretty nice here," he replied. "The food's really good, too."

"Better not get used to it," Akihiko said. "Ryuichi only cooks like this whenever he feels like it."

After school, Ryuichi headed over to his parents' home, bringing along with him an old video game system so that his sister would have something to do other than complain all the time. After he set it up for her in the living room, his sister took to it like she used to when they were kids, except she couldn't plop down on the floor like before. She settled on the couch, and Ryuichi sat next to her to watch and feed her potato chips and apple slices, something he also did for her when he was a child.

"Hey, Ryu-chan? Why do you even like Mitsuru-san, anyway?"

He lowered his apple slice to the plate, frowning. "I don't feel that way about her anymore."

"Bull! You—Oh, no you didn't you little—!"

On the TV screen, Shizue's blue character jumped onto a platform when a little robot shot yellow pellets at her. She fired back at it, but retreated too late and was shot. When she finally defeated the little robot, she moved on and turned her attention back to her brother.

"It must be nice for you, being able to work for your crush," she said idly.

Ryuichi let out a sigh. "I already said that I don't feel that way about her anymore."

"Yeah? Then, what was it about her that you liked before?"

Ryuichi stopped to think for a moment, but it didn't take long for him to know exactly what it was that attracted him to her back then. He was about to tell Shizue when she paused the game to hurry to the bathroom. Once the door shut behind her, he let out a small sigh.

"Because, she was the first one who didn't look down on me," he said to himself. His own words made him shudder.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Thursday evening, just minutes before the Dark Hour, Akihiko left to go on patrol under orders to not go too far from the dorm. Ryuichi, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikutsuki were all upstairs in the command room while Minato slept.

"So, when are we going to have him summon his Persona?" Ryuichi asked the others.

"Mitsuru and I talked it over, and we think it's best to hold off for now," Ikutsuki answered.

"We feel that we rushed Takeba, and we don't want to make the same mistake," Mitsuru added as she checked over each monitor. "For that, I apologize."

Yukari sat in the chair next to Mitsuru, but kept her eyes focused on the screens. "It's all right," she said hesitantly, and said nothing more after.

The tension returned, as it always does whenever Mitsuru and Yukari were in the same room. Ryuichi had been wondering if Yukari had a secret grudge against Mitsuru and why she was so bent on moving into the dorm with her if she couldn't stand her at all.

The lights went out, and on came the decaying light of the Dark Hour's full moon. The screens bathed the girls in its dull glow while Ikutsuki helped himself to some tea. Ryuichi snapped his fingers in a rhythm and hummed a song to himself as he watched the image of the sleeping Minato on the screen.

"Vitals are stable, as usual," Mitsuru reported as she rose from her chair. "I'm going to scan the area for Shadows. Ryuichi, keep an eye on Arisato."

Ryuichi complied. He took over Mitsuru's seat, feeling the previous occupant's warmth as he checked the many charts and images on the screens. Minato rolled over in his sleep as the sound of glass shattering burst behind his observers, followed by a bright, blue light. Penthesilea materialized above Mitsuru, who was seated on an ottoman operating the transceiver.

"Senpai," Yukari whispered to Ryuichi, "do you think he can summon a Persona?"

"We won't know unless he tries," Ryuichi said with a shrug. "I don't know why we don't just put one of our Evokers to his head and check ourselves while he sleeps."

Seeing the horror and disgust on Yukari's face, he flapped a hand at her. "I was just kidding! It might not work anyway, since I think the person has to be aware of the danger for it to work."

Behind them, Ikutsuki asked Mitsuru: "Do you sense anything?"

"There's something, but—" She twisted more knobs on the transceiver. "I can't tell where it is exactly, but it appears to be immensely powerful."

Their radios crackled to life. "You're not gonna believe this," they heard Akihiko yell. "This thing is huge!"

They all heard a metallic _thunk_ from his end.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted into her radio. "Are you all right?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk. It's chasing me!"

Static. Then silence. Ryuichi leaped out of his chair and ran to the door first, followed by the others. They reached the bottom of the stairs when the front doors opened and banged shut. Akihiko pressed his back to the doors and slid to the floor, panting, sweating, and painfully clutching his side.

"Akihiko-senpai!" Yukari approached him first.

"I'm all right," he gasped, and she backed off. "Get ready to be surprised. It'll be here any second."

"Oh, how I love surprises," Ryuichi murmured as Mitsuru came running up to them.

"This is no time to joke around," she berated them both.

Ikutsuki was the last to join them. "It's one of them, Akihiko?" he asked.

Akihiko nodded. "Yes, but not an ordinary one—"

 _Boom._ The building shuddered as something colossal slammed against it. Dust and plaster fell from new cracks in the walls that webbed in the ceiling.

Mitsuru raised her Evoker. "Mr. Chairman, please head back to the command room," she ordered. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake Arisato up. Then, escape out the back."

"But, what about you three?" Yukari blurted out.

"We'll stop it here," she answered, the intensity only on her face and not in her voice. She turned her hardened gaze to Akihiko. "You led it to us, so I'm afraid you will have to fight."

"Like I had a choice!" Akihiko snarled, then winced as he doubled over in pain. He turned to Yukari, who remained rooted to the carpet. "What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go!"

Both Yukari and Ikutsuki fled up the stairs while the three seniors prepared for a fight. The thing outside pounded against the building again, sending more dust and plaster to fall around them like gritty snow. Ryuichi jogged and hopped in place to warm his body up for battle, bending and testing how quickly he can draw his Evoker from its holster.

 _Bam! Bam-Bam!_ The doors pulsed inward with every hit from the Shadow.

"Everyone, get your Evokers ready," Mitsuru ordered. "Ryuichi, open the door on my count. Whatever it is, we are going to bombard it with elemental spells. If you have buffers, use them."

Ryuichi cast Rakukaja on Mitsuru, Akihiko, and then himself to strengthen their defense. Akihiko cast Tarukaja on himself and clutched his side briefly before hunching into a low stance.

"Everyone ready?"

Ryuichi put his hand on the door's lock. "On my count!" Mitsuru said, pointing her Evoker at her temple. "One. Two. Three!"

The second he threw open the doors, lightning, ice, and wind exploded outside. They charged out the doors to find a samurai clad in black armor getting to its feet. It stood about two heads taller than them and wielded a katana as long as Ryuichi's body.

"This isn't the one I saw!" Akihiko shouted. He ducked when the samurai swung his katana.

Mitsuru backed away. "Takeba! Can you hear me?" she said into her radio. "Be careful! There's more than one enemy!"

Ryuichi drew his sword and dodged an attack from the samurai. "Come on!" he taunted it.

His shorter katana let him dash in close, his rapid attacks leaving gashes and cuts in the Shadow's armor. The Shadow kept backing away, his sword too long to reach the tight space Ryuichi attacked from. Their blades flashed with putrid moonlight, and when the Shadow shoved Ryuichi back, Mitsuru and Akihiko countered with blasts of ice and lightning.

Now! Ryuichi thrust his sword forward and gasped—The Shadow evaded, reappearing behind him to strike. Ryuichi turned too late as ice exploded on the Shadow's head. A lightning bolt stabbed it through the helmet after. Ajax leaped high overhead to crash down shield-first onto the Shadow. It dodged, slashing Polydeuces across the back. Akihiko cried out, arching his woundless back as he collapsed.

"It's too fast!" Mitsuru shouted, firing off multiple rounds. Penthesilea shot ice at the Shadow's feet, missing each time. Ajax blocked its attacks with his shield before thrusting it into the Shadow, shoving it away from the teens. The samurai leaped back and dashed at Ajax, slashing low. Pain exploded in Ryuichi's legs, and he groped for his ankles to make sure his feet were still attached. He cast Dia on himself as Polydeuces rammed into the samurai.

"Battle Formation Alpha!" Mitsuru ordered, and the three seniors surrounded the Shadow and aimed their Evokers at their heads. "Fire!"

The deafening sound of glasses shattering rattled the night. Ice, lightning, and wind came together in an elemental tornado—freezing, paralyzing, renting the Shadow apart.

"All right!" cheered Akihiko, but his face fell when the samurai escaped. Penthesilea dueled against it with her blades, steel scraping steel as they fought. Ajax shoved the Shadow from behind as Penthesilea and Polydeuces stabbed through its armor. It dropped its katana, and when the blade hit the pavement, the Shadow became nothing more than smoke.

Mitsuru gasped. "Takeba!" she cried, and led the team back inside the dorm. She reached the back door first. "It's locked!"

"Maybe she didn't go that way," Akihiko said. "Can you sense her?"

She shook her head. "I sense something stronger, but it's camouflaging Takeba and Arisato."

"We'll check the security cameras!" Ryuichi reminded them, and they all raced to the command room upstairs.

Ryuichi rocketed up the stairs, the others trailing behind him. With his Evoker in hand, he prepared for the worst, fearing that they had sent Yukari and Minato to their deaths. On the fourth floor, Ikutsuki poked his head out of the command room.

"Is it over?"

"Not yet!" Ryuichi yelled as he pushed his way into the room. The four gathered around the bank of consoles to scan for the two juniors, starting from the first floor.

"There!" Akihiko said, finding them on the roof. A large, gooey black puddle of a Shadow with numerous arms wielding blades leered at the juniors.

"Wait."

Ikutsuki stopped them as they headed for the door. They all looked back to see the new boy take Yukari's Evoker and fire a round at his own temple. The familiar sound of glass shattering burst through the speakers, accompanied by a familiar blue light. Over Minato's head appeared a figure wearing a red scarf and wielding a lyre.

"As we suspected," Mitsuru said tersely.

Something happened: A hand shot out from his Persona's mouth, and without warning, his body burst apart, revealing a dark Persona in a long coat with a cloak of coffin lids floating about his shoulders. His broad head resembled the skull of a T-rex, roaring as he brandished his blade at the Shadow. The dark Persona slashed apart the Shadow in mere swings, but Minato looked to be the one getting battered, his body getting whipped to and fro with every strike. When the Shadow was no more, the Persona let out a final roar before reverting into its previous form with the lyre.

"What on earth is that?" Akihiko gasped.

No one else knew what to say. Everyone stared agape at the screens, watching as Minato stood tall, panting, with Yukari still on her knees in awe at the spectacle.

"Is it over?" they heard Yukari ask.

Ryuichi gasped when he saw other Shadows appear. "Look!"

They watched as Minato took on the Shadows by himself. The dark Persona didn't make an appearance this time, but he fought them off with the one wielding the lyre, hurling flames at them.

The seniors shot up the stairs as the building trembled with peals of explosions overhead. Akihiko reached the roof first, all three of them finding Minato flat on his face, having collapsed after the battle. Yukari knelt next to him, shaking his shoulders.

"Say something!" she pleaded with him. He didn't stir.

"Are you all right?" Akihiko asked her, but she was too busy with Minato.

"Can you hear me?" she shouted down to him. "Please! Answer me!"

"What was that?" Mitsuru asked breathily next to Ryuichi.

"I don't know," Ryuichi panted. "It just came out of that other Persona."

He went over and knelt by Minato, helping Yukari turn him over onto his back. He pressed his fingers to his wrist for a pulse.

"He's alive," he told the others.

"Thank goodness." Yukari hung her head. "The Shadow—It climbed up the side of the building, and—"

"Ryuichi, take him downstairs," Mitsuru instructed.

He scooped up the unconscious Minato in his arms. Akihiko got the door for him, and Yukari took care to make sure that no part of Minato hit the doorframe. Down in the lounge, Ryuichi laid him out on the sofa, where they all gathered around him to examine for any injuries.

"When the Dark Hour ends, I will have a car come pick him up and take him to the hospital," Mitsuru told the others. "Akihiko, you should go as well."

Akihiko lowered his hand from his side. "Yeah," he grunted, not even bothering to argue with her anymore.

She turned to Ryuichi next. "How about you? Any injuries?"

"None," he said proudly, until he noticed a small cut on the sleeve of his blazer. "What the—? When did this get here?"

He had small cuts on his arms, shoulders, and one on his back. None of the wounds were serious enough to need stitches, but they would at least need to be cleaned and bandaged.

"Huh." He poked a finger through the holes in his sleeves. "Well, at least we know that Rakukaja works."

When the Dark Hour ended, Mitsuru called for a car as she said she would. Both Minato and Akihiko were loaded on, and Kikuno stayed behind to help clean Ryuichi's cuts. When the car returned to drop Akihiko off, Kikuno left.

The next day during lunch, Mitsuru asked Ryuichi to go with her to the Student Council Room to talk about the previous night's events. He stopped by the store downstairs to get some food before meeting her there, surprised to see that she had a two-tiered bento box decorated with hand-painted leaves and flowers in front of her. No doubt her lunch was cooked by a professional chef, but whoever brought it to her without anyone noticing had to be some kind of culinary ninja. Or Kikuno.

He took the seat next to Mitsuru and tore into the plastic wrapper around his curry bread. "So, what's on your mind?" he asked her.

She began by telling him what Yukari told her had happened after she went to get Minato. They attempted to follow Mitsuru's instructions and flee out the back, but noises outside led Yukari to believe that a Shadow was there. She led Minato upstairs to the roof, but as they saw last night, the Shadow chased them there and attacked.

"She said that the Shadow knocked her down and her Evoker flew from her hand," Mitsuru told him. Her fork remained poised over her salad. "Arisato took her Evoker, and without asking what to do, he pointed it at his own temple, whispered 'Persona', and shot himself."

Ryuichi finished up his bread and cracked open his soda. "Wait, he _knew_ what a Persona was? You think he overheard one of us talking about it?"

"It's possible, but that is not the most concerning part."

Mitsuru set her fork down to take a sip of ice water. "We witnessed Arisato's Persona first manifest as the one with the lyre before transforming into that darker one," she added. "I have never heard of anyone changing their Persona before, and I do not know how or why he was able to."

"Well, if he can change Personas, isn't that an advantage?"

"I believe it is a great advantage," she agreed. "Not only does he have such a unique ability, he also stood his ground and faced the Shadow himself, despite never having encountered one before. "

She started to sip more water but stopped herself. "That leads me to my next point that I wanted to speak with you about: With Arisato's courage to combat the Shadows, we have one among our ranks who is the exact opposite."

Plastic crinkled as Ryuichi unwrapped his sandwich. "Ah, right," he sighed. "So, what are you gonna do about her?"

"I have been considering ejecting her from SEES based on her performance in battle, but with Akihiko's bruised ribs keeping him out of combat for the next six weeks and Arisato in the hospital, we lack a full team," she reasoned. "As of right now, you and I are the only two available for combat, making us vulnerable to attack."

Ryuichi's shoulders deflated. "So, we're keeping her?"

"For the time being, yes. Should she overcome her fear of summoning her Persona, then I will allow her to stay. If she does not change by the time everyone has recovered, then we will have to let her go."

The discomfort on her face told Ryuichi that she did not want to inform Yukari of her dismissal, not just so that they would have as many Persona users as possible, but also because even Mitsuru, as stoic as she could be, felt the sting of bearing bad news.

"I guess that means that we won't be doing any patrolling for awhile."

"No. However, if I do sense any Shadows in the vicinity, then you, Takeba, and I will have to go eradicate it before it can cause any harm to anyone."

Mitsuru started to cut a piece from her salmon steak. "What are your thoughts on our predicament?" she asked.

Exhaling loudly through his nose, Ryuichi stared down at his simple sandwich. "I think I can finally agree with you and Akihiko that Yukari might not be able to adjust to combat," he admitted to her. "I know I kept pushing to keep her around, but after what happened last night, it's clear that, had Minato not stepped up, they both might have been killed, all because she hesitated to pull the trigger. I know that I've been saying that she just needs time to adjust, that it's just something to get used to, but I don't see that happening. Akihiko wouldn't have gotten hurt if someone had just gone with him."

"I also wanted to believe that she would change, as well, but I feel as though we may be at fault for pushing her too hard."

"Yeah. Now that you mention it, I guess we did put too much pressure on her."

His sandwich didn't taste as good anymore. He wrapped it back up in its plastic and sipped more of his soda. "Don't blame yourself. Considering that both Akihiko and I took to combat so fast, it's no wonder we expected the same from her."

"That's true, but now that we have someone who, much like you two, took to battle from the very start. I'm thinking that we can introduce Arisato to the Dark Hour when he regains consciousness."

His eyes widened. "That soon?"

"Indeed. There's no hiding it from him anymore."

Mitsuru took some time to eat a few bites of her food. Ryuichi finished off his soda, not touching his sandwich anymore. He tried to put himself in Mitsuru's position, imagining what it would be like to have to ask Yukari to leave the dorm. He wondered if Yukari would ever be able to return to a normal life after knowing about the Dark Hour and what occurs after midnight.

"By the way, thanks for helping me out last night," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru. "I was pretty sure that Shadow was gonna get me until you hit it in the face."

"Perhaps next time, don't engage a Shadow twice your size with just your sword," Mitsuru advised. "What made you think you could take it head-on like that?"

He hung his head low. "I don't know," he murmured, finding no good reason within himself. Once again, he showed his incompetence in battle.

"Next time, use your Persona. Our weapons should only be a last resort."

"Sorry. I'll try to do better from now on."

"Good." Mitsuru looked to him with a determined eye. "As much as possible, I do not want Takeba involved in battle."

They conferred together on how they would handle Shadows until their allies recovered. Ryuichi could tell that Mitsuru was reluctant to have Yukari join the two of them out of concern for the girl's safety. Even with their combined experience, the previous night's events proved that the seniors' skills were not enough to protect Yukari or Minato. No matter how Ryuichi saw Yukari's performances in battle, the bad outweighed the good in every aspect.

Ryuichi nodded dutifully. "The two of us, then," he told her. "And if we ever need backup, we can call her."

"Agreed," she said, her face falling after. "Though, I do hope that she would reconsider."

Guilt weighed heavily in Ryuichi's stomach and his mind when he left the Student Council Room. Even though he knew it was for the best, the thought of ejecting Yukari from SEES after all she had endured felt wrong. He wasn't sure why that was so, considering her failure to conjure up her Persona, but whatever it was, he just hoped that she would change their minds soon.

Class 3-D had gym after lunch. Ryuichi hurried to the locker room to change ahead of everyone else, as he always did. He passed Yukari in the hallway on the way to the gym, seeing her laughing with some friends. Her eyes met his only for a second, but he could tell that she knew what he and Mitsuru had decided.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Okay, so, what would you like for dinner tonight?"

Shizue sat on the living room couch, listening to Ryuichi play their upright piano. For as long as the two could remember, the piano was never tuned, with every note hitting some variation of the next note up. He hated playing on their piano after having gotten used to hearing the tuned notes of his keyboard or Gekkoukan High's grand piano, but Shizue had been asking him to play music for her baby.

She flipped through her manga without looking up. Despite how much weight she had gained, she had no second chin when she kept her head down.

"I think I just want some pizza," she replied. "I mean, sure, Dad's gonna kill me since I stopped eating his burgers and Mom's been really careful about my diet, but I could really use something cheesy, greasy, and super bad for me that I could just shove into my face."

Ryuichi was all too glad to order pizza. They ordered one but customized the two halves to their liking. While they waited for the pizza, Shizue asked him to read to her baby.

"Music? Reading? You trying to give birth to some kind of genius baby or something?"

"You can never start too early," she said with a grin.

They went looking for some of the old fairytale books they had as kids. Ryuichi discovered that his family had already cleared out most of his things in his old room. His bed was gone, any figurines and stuffed animals he used to have were packed away in boxes and put into storage while his old dresser and shelves were still along the walls. All his old posters and wall scrolls had been taken down, and according to Shizue, they were planning on painting the room a relaxing green.

"It seems a lot bigger now without the bed," Ryuichi remarked, standing in the spot where his bed used to be. With the baby coming in, he felt as though he was getting kicked out of the house.

"Is your room at the dorm about this size?" Shizue asked.

"It's actually, maybe, about double?"

"That big?"

"That's because it was supposed to be the manager's room," he explained on their way back downstairs. "Before I moved in, an earthquake broke a pipe on the boys' floor of the dorm, so I was put in the manager room temporarily for repairs until I liked it too much to move."

"What was so appealing about it that made you stay?"

He grinned. "I had my own bathroom and toilet."

After a little more searching, they eventually found some old fairytale books. Back on the living room couch, Ryuichi opened the story of "Sleeping Beauty" and began to read. He got through one page when Shizue stopped him.

"Do some voices," she suggested. "Like, since this one's the king, be all like—" she dropped her voice as low as she could "—'It is my daughter's birthday today! Prepare the golden plates for our honored guests!' or something like that."

At first, Ryuichi was too embarrassed to even try it, but after much prodding from his sister, he started making voices for all the characters who spoke. He chose a high, squeaky voice for the fairies, a gentle one for the narrator, and a regal voice for the thirteenth fairy who cursed the princess. Shizue chortled when he did the fairy voices, and to drive it in further, he began to sing "Not Enough Heaven" in the famous nasal falsetto it was originally performed in.

"S-Stop! Haha!" Shizue had tears in her eyes as she clutched her stomach. "This baby's gonna come shooting out!"

When the pizza arrived, they were still laughing so hard that the delivery man looked as though he wanted to run without taking the money. They were still laughing even when they began taking slices, managing only a few quiet seconds for their first bites before cracking up again. Ryuichi started to settle down when he saw tears spilling from Shizue's eyes. Her laughter became sobs, and her smile became anguished.

"What's wrong?" Ryuichi asked gently. He had his suspicions that it was hormones again.

"It's just, I'm so happy," she sobbed as she set down her plate. "But, what happened to us? We used to get along so well, and then we just suddenly hated each other."

Ryuichi had a few choice words that screamed in his head, remembering clearly how his sister began acting out towards the end of her third year of middle school.

"We just drifted apart," he lied, not wanting to upset her further.

"Are you sure? That can't be it."

Ryuichi went to grab some tissues for his sister. She wiped her face with them, quickly reducing them to shreds of damp fluff. He had to go back for more, and when she used those to blow her nose, he nearly jumped when she sounded like a drowning trumpet.

"I know now! You were so upset that I had a boyfriend!"

He did a slow turn to glower at her in disgust. It went unnoticed.

Shizue rubbed her nose with her tissues and sniffled. "Yeah! Remember, Ryu-chan? I brought him home a lot, but you would always hide!"

She was only partially right about him hating her ex-boyfriend, but that wasn't the reason that he remembered why they started hating each other. "He put on a nice face for you and for Mom and Dad, but he was always a dick to me," he grumbled.

"He was just teasing!"

"He was a dick to you, too!"

She sniffled again and shot him a nasty scowl. "No, he wasn't," she argued.

"Yes, he was!" Ryuichi raised his voice now. "There was one day when I was on my way home from school and I saw you two at Octopia. He kept telling you to buy him some takoyaki even when you said you didn't have any money on you, and then he kept threatening to show off some pictures of you that he—"

"Shut up."

Shizue was shaking now. Her bangs fell over her eyes, but he could feel a cold rage emanating from her. "Just shut up, Ryuichi! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I saw you two when it happened!" he yelled. "How can I not see what was going on? The guy kept—"

"I said, shut up!"

He did. He had his fists balled at his sides, shaking with fury at his sister. He took a few deep breaths to try to steady himself, fighting to not yell anymore.

"Why are you defending him?" he asked her quietly. "Don't you know how bad he was?"

"Of course I do!" she wept. "Sometimes I still have nightmares about him! Just forget about him, Ryu-chan. He's dead to me. He's gone, and I don't give a shit about him anymore."

The evening was made worse when their parents returned home and saw the pizza.

"—we've been so careful to prepare her meals—"

"—just not good enough for you that you prefer pizza—"

"—not good for the baby—"

"—are you so lazy that you can't even cook for—"

"—and what's wrong with your sister? What did you—"

When they saw Shizue in tears, they turned to Ryuichi and unleashed their wrath.

"—supposed to be taking care of your sister, and—"

"—you were always against helping her! How could you—"

"—don't you even care? What's wrong with you, son?"

Ryuichi just stood there quietly with his hands in his pockets and head down, taking in everything his parents yelled at him. Even if he tried to explain what happened to them, they would only turn his reasoning on its head and hurl it back at him. Even Shizue didn't say a thing, which Ryuichi hoped was due to her knowing that trying to help him while getting lectured would only put him in deeper trouble.

Two days later, he had to go with his mother and sister to pick out stuff for the baby. Ayumi drove them, and Ryuichi was stuck in the back seat, feeling his mom's stare in the rearview mirror. His body was still rigid from anticipation of another lecture during the car ride to the department store, already imagining all the possible things their mother might say. The words he imagined gutted him repeatedly, and she hadn't even spoken a word to him.

The lecture never came. Instead, the two women discussed the list of items they needed for the baby, from changing tables to cribs to blankets, clothes, toys, little things they needed to baby-proof the house, and whatever else they could find. Ryuichi, of course, had a feeling that he would be paying for everything, since he was the one with the money.

At the department store, he watched the two wander around, giggling at how cute a pair of tiny baby shoes were while Ryuichi's eyes went straight to the price tags.

"We're not buying everything," their mother said to him. "Some of your cousins said they would drop off some of their old baby clothes for us. I think one of them said they have a car seat they're willing to give us, and another has a stroller."

He was relieved to hear that he didn't have to buy everything, but the best part was the next thing their mother said:

"We will reimburse half of everything we buy. Is that all right, Ryuichi?"

He hugged the woman. After all the lectures and all the tension from the past two days, he couldn't let his fear and anger hold back a hug. Ayumi chuckled and patted his back.

"Taking care of this baby is a family effort," she reminded him. "Understood?"

It still didn't stop Shizue nor Ayumi from picking out some of the more expensive items. No matter how many times Ryuichi pointed out one of the cheaper and very similar products, Shizue argued that she didn't want to entrust her baby to shoddy items, voicing her concerns that a crappy crib could malfunction and injure her baby. Ryuichi couldn't argue with that reasoning, since he remembered a little mishap one of their parents' friend's baby had when the crib's drop-down side fell on her arm and broke it.

Once they had paid for all the items and arranged to have everything shipped to the house, Ayumi took the two to the local hardware store to pick out a color to paint Ryuichi's old room. Shizue first told her that she wanted the serenity of green paint until she found a peach color that she absolutely adored. Of course, their mother had her own color opinions, as well.

"White? That's so boring!"

"It's neutral so you won't get tired of it. It could use a fresh coat."

"But it's sooo boring! Here, compare this with this: Which is more interesting?"

"It's not about which is more interesting, but what is right for the baby."

"And the baby needs peach!"

Ayumi eventually gave in to Shizue's request for peach. That afternoon, they asked Ryuichi to stick around to help move his remaining old furniture away from the walls so they could paint. He wanted to go back to the dorm and have his day to rest, but he could already feel the guilt bubbling within him at the thought that he was abandoning them if he asked if he could leave.

As the tallest of the three, he was the one who had to line tape along the edges of the ceiling and was in charge of painting where his sister and mother couldn't reach. When the room glowed with the warm peachy-pink, Ryuichi got ready to leave.

"Wait! We still need your help to move the furniture back," Ayumi called to him from the top of the stairs.

"Hey, Mom? What do we do about dinner?" Shizue asked her.

When Ayumi suggested curry rice, Ryuichi blurted out, "But it makes her nauseated!"

Shizue didn't seem to care. Ryuichi found himself being sent to buy ingredients for curry rice, shaking his head the whole time. He took his motorcycle for the quick trip, and when he returned, he had to help prepare dinner while his mother chided him for "riding such a dangerous vehicle". Miraculously, his sister didn't get sick when he cooked.

He returned to the dorm after eight that night. He stood with sagging shoulders before the rear door, sighing with a dour expression on his face.

"I guess I should be happy that Mom let me off early," he grumbled sarcastically as he shoved his key into the lock.

He found the other three SEES members sitting in the lounge, fixated on a news report. Akihiko was on one of the couches hunched over a beef bowl while Yukari did some maintenance on her bow. Mitsuru occupied her favorite chair sipping hot tea from a delicate teacup with a floral pattern, not even blinking once with her one visible eye trained on the TV.

 _"—who were suffering from Apathy Syndrome have made a full recovery. Doctors reported seeing no changes to their patients that would indicate any possible return to their mental state, and there is still no known explanation as to why they would suddenly recover from their illness. The families of the afflicted are—"_

Ryuichi stopped by the kitchen to put the leftover curry away in the refrigerator before heading to his room. He kept his head down, muttering his greetings to the others as he crossed the lounge.

"Ryuichi, we are planning to go on patrol tonight," Mitsuru said to him.

He really didn't want to go, not after a day with his family. "Okay, sure," he said anyway, keeping his voice light enough to hide his fatigue.

"I'm coming with you," Akihiko told them. "I'll stay out of combat, but Polydeuces can still fight."

When he reached his room, he remembered that he still had his laundry hanging up to dry. Groaning, he popped back out and jogged up the stairs all the way to the rooftop with his laundry basket, finding that all his clothes were still on the rods and perfectly dry. Instead of resting like he thought he would get to do, he ended up folding and hanging his laundry and had only a moment to sit when Mitsuru came knocking at his door.

When he let her in, she closed the door behind her. "I wanted to let you know what Takeba told me earlier today," she said. "It seems that she was inspired by Arisato to be a more active combatant during the Dark Hour."

Ryuichi let his head drop back with a sigh. "Finally," he sighed.

"Just because she said she wants to fight does not mean that she has the resolve to do so," she reminded him. "Tonight we are going to let her fight, but our priority is to have her summon her Persona as much as possible."

He gave her a weary look. "Do you think she'll do it?"

She crossed her arms before her, looking as though she was giving it some thought. "I'm willing to give her another chance, but we will have to be more cautious, as we are down by one member."

"A bruised rib isn't going to keep that one down for long."

"I'm aware of that. It's up to us to keep him out of battle as much as possible."

"It would've been easier if he could just _not_ come with us," Ryuichi grumbled, dropping back down onto his bed.

"Indeed," she agreed. "Though, it's safer if someone's with him. Are you aware that he still goes out during the Dark Hour alone?"

He let out an unimpressed sigh. "He would, wouldn't he?"

Mitsuru shook her head in disgust. "Nothing I say or do will keep him from going, but I may have gotten through to him when I said that he could be preventing himself from fighting in another boxing match again if he doesn't allow himself to heal. He keeps telling me that he would only let his Persona do the fighting until he recovers."

"Why can't we ever have reliable teammates?" Ryuichi moaned, and he could see that Mitsuru wondered the same thing. "Well, thanks for the update. I guess I'll see you later."

Mitsuru started reaching for the doorknob when she eye his uncovered keyboard. "You've been practicing, it seems," she noted, looking pleased. "Though, I never hear you play."

"I use headphones when I practice." He gestured to the oversized headphones on his shelf. "Since we have more people in the dorm now, I didn't want to bother anyone."

Mitsuru turned to the door again. "I see. I hope that you would allow us to sample your music again sometime," she said, and left him with a bit of encouragement that he needed that day.

What Mitsuru did not know was that he was doing more than just practicing. When he was certain that she would not return, he took out his laptop to listen to the songs he had recorded of himself playing. So far, he only had five songs finished, two of them featuring him on alto sax that he was pretty proud of. There were moments where he could hear the little mistakes he made from his fingers being delayed by half a beat, but they were so minimal compared to how he used to sound before he started practicing again that he couldn't deny his own improvements.

He sat back against the wall, staring at the different-colored waves of sound on the screen as the track played on. The mistakes kept rearing their heads up, a single one blocking out an entire symphony the other correct notes performed. Each mistake hammered doubt into the back of his mind, telling him that it was trash that he was planning to give his friend.

He put away his laptop. "Maybe I can find something better for her," he figured, and made plans to check Paulownia Mall for something nicer than a CD filled with poorly-performed songs.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Yukari surprised them all that night when she pulled the trigger not once, but three times to summon Io, though she hesitated each time. Her Persona appeared in the form of a young woman sitting in a throne shaped like a bull's head, and delivered miniature tornadoes like Ryuichi's Ajax that shredded and blew enemies off their feet. The others only supplied minimal assistance, acting mostly as decoys to give Yukari more chances to cast more Garu skills.

After the first battle, Yukari surprised them again with a healing spell that rejuvenated them all in a single cast. Ryuichi could feel his exhaustion leave his body, giving him a little more energy to keep going.

Akihiko nudged Yukari's arm with his elbow and flashed her a grin. "Hey, good work tonight," he said.

"I'm proud of you," Ryuichi told her, beaming. "I knew you could do it."

"I am glad that you were able to overcome your fears, Takeba," Mitsuru said with an approving smile. "Your healing abilities and affinity for magic will be great assets to our cause."

Yukari had a weak but bashful smile on her face as she was peppered with praises. "I'm just glad I could help," she squeaked, her voice as shaky as her smile.

Mitsuru began to make rearrangements to their battle formations to include Yukari's abilities. With another wind user, Ryuichi was able to cut down on how many times he had to cast his Garu spells and focus more on his physical abilities and keeping everyone's defenses raised.

"I believe you have seen us combine our spells before," Mitsuru said to Yukari on their way back to the dorm. "We also try to use our spells as more than just offense. For example, if Ryuichi is backed into a corner and casting Garu does not damage the Shadows enough to defeat them, he would use Garu in a way that thrusts his opponents backwards or upwards to give himself an escape."

"Wow. We can do that?" Yukari's eyes were wide with fascination.

"It seems that, as long as you can be creative with your abilities, you can take what little you have and use it in ways not yet thought up before."

She began to tell Yukari of the time that Ryuichi used his wind to cushion Akihiko's fall. He fended off a proud, broad smile, secretly ecstatic to hear Mitsuru speak so fondly of his ability to use his spells in ways other than brute force. Yukari eagerly nodded along, studying ways to use her own wind spells that would be beneficial to the team.

"It looks like we gained two new members after all," Akihiko remarked after Yukari and Mitsuru had both gone up to their rooms.

"I _knew_ she'd be an asset to us," Ryuichi said, still grinning. He felt the yawn before he could stop it. "I'm glad she finally stepped up. To think, we have a healer on the team now."

The next day, Ryuichi slept through half of his first class until the teacher called on him to answer a question. His head lolled upwards, sitting back on his shoulders as he searched his fuzzed brain for an answer.

"Uh, the Meiji Era?" he mumbled.

The class snickered at him as their teacher let out a disapproving sigh. "This is _Calculus_ , Okazaki," he reminded him.

He blushed with the fury of the sun as he bent low over his desk to hide his face. He was certain that Mitsuru must have been humiliated by the stupidity of her bodyguard and butler, despite no one knowing about his jobs.

When class ended, Mitsuru turned around in her seat. Ryuichi kept his head down on his desk, pretending to still be asleep. He was still too ashamed of his idiotic answer to face her.

"Are you not getting enough rest, Ryuichi?" she asked.

"I just feel tired today," he mumbled, and Mitsuru left it at that.

The next day after kendo practice Ryuichi went to Paulownia Mall in search of a present worthy of Mitsuru for her birthday. He thought about giving her CDs that contained some of the songs he recorded himself playing, but wasn't sure if she would even have the time to listen to them. He considered giving her a coat or scarf, but as it was already spring and Mitsuru was apparently immune to the cold, giving her something to keep warm seemed pointless. She never bothered with jewelry unless it had a function that was not superficial, and any gadgets he could get her, she likely already owned due to her family's company owning a number of the country's leading technological brands.

"Now I'm just desperate," he muttered under his breath as he browsed a bunch of study guides for college entrance exams. He couldn't believe that he considered getting her study guides when he was certain that she already owned plenty—Not that she needed them, of course.

He returned to the dorm present-less. He still had about half a month left until Mitsuru's birthday, but the way things were going, there was no way he would find anything else to give. He thought about all the presents she would receive from business associates and their sons and daughters, all the finest that money could buy. And then he imagined himself holding a plain CD with songs poorly performed by his heavy claw of a hand, sounding more like a new student of music than someone who had been playing for years.

Inside the lounge, he spotted Yukari sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine. "Oh, hey," she said cheerfully. "Um, Mitsuru-senpai said that she was going to be out late, so we won't be going on patrol tonight."

He hid his glee. "Okay, cool." He took a few steps towards the couch. "So, you've been summoning your Persona for about two days now. How do you feel?"

"It's, well, I'm actually trying to figure out why I was so afraid before," she said, putting her magazine aside. "I guess it was all in my mind."

"Yeah, it was kinda hard for me to get over that, too." He started for his room. "Keep up the good work. You're a lot stronger than you know."

With Mitsuru out for the rest of the evening, Ryuichi thought he might work on more recordings. He listened to the first song, wondering if he should splice together several versions of the same song and take only the best parts of them to cut out all his mistakes. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was cheating, like he was lying to Mitsuru about his talents.

As he listened to the next song for places he could improve, he received a phone call from the head of the Kirijo security, Hiroto Ikeda, who took notice of a tiny detail in Mitsuru's latest report.

"What is this about you being tired while on the job?" came his gruff growl. "And why is Mitsuru Ojou-sama defending you over this?"

Seated at his desk in his bedroom, Ryuichi found himself bowing. "My deepest apologies," was all he could say.

"Okazaki, if it were up to me, you would be fired and replaced in an instant! You're worthless! What are they paying you for if you're not going to do your job?"

"My sincerest apologies."

"You are in charge of protecting Takeharu Kirijo's only daughter, the heiress to the Kirijo Group! Do you know what an honor it is to be her bodyguard? We have many others more qualified than you! You are nothing!"

For a half hour, Ryuichi listened to Ikeda tell him how worthless he was, that he was expendable, that he brought great shame to his family. Every word was a nail being driven into his body, striking his soul, piercing through to him and chipping away tiny bits of him. He knew he was worthless, he knew he was lazy, he knew he was pathetic, a charity case, and highly undeserving of all that he had. He had heard it all before, many times over from so many others.

After the acrimonious call, Ryuichi sluggishly slithered out of his room to take a walk. The Thursday evening glistened from a fresh rain, the streets glittering beneath the nauseating orange lights from streetlamps. Ryuichi kept his head down and trusted his feet to take him to the train station, reluctantly agreeing with everything Ikeda had said. He took the train over to Port Island Station, and without leaving the car, rode it back to Iwatodai Station.

He had his hood up and head down, only looking up occasionally when there was no one sitting across from him so he could see where the dimming sky met with black ocean. He always hated the sight of the sky above the city, where he would see the dim, orange glow from all the lights form a fiery frame over the city, setting the night ablaze with flames that burned away the stars.

He rode the train back and forth for about half an hour when he decided it was time to return home. The long roast from his superior exhausted him almost as much as a single day of his crazy schedule, where he felt physically dead and was emotionally dying. He had failed Mitsuru once again, a pattern that he was becoming too familiar with. It hurt badly enough knowing it himself that he was performing poorly, but to have others point it out to him crushed him.

When he arrived back at the dorm, he slapped a smile back onto his face and greeted the others warmly, acting like he had just enjoyed an evening out to himself. He joked with them, expressed his hopes for Minato to wake up soon, and complained with Akihiko about school stuff before retreating to his room. The second he closed the door, his smile dropped off his face.

No one seemed to notice that he was falling apart inside, nor could they sense his anger with himself. After many years of practice, he felt that he had perfected the art of smiling through pain.

It seemed to him that he even had Mitsuru fooled for once. It used to be that she would be able to know when something was wrong just by looking at him, like she had a power that allowed her to sense when something had happened. She chatted with the rest of them, giving no indication that she knew he was hurting somewhere, and when they all went to bed that night, Ryuichi was astonished to see that she had not come down to talk to him about whatever it was that was bothering him.

The next morning while walking with Mitsuru to the train station, he knew he slipped up when she inquired about how quiet he was.

"If watching over your sister is becoming so taxing on your health, then wouldn't it be more practical to hire someone to help?" she asked. He felt his chest relax when he realized that she just thought he was tired.

"It would, but wouldn't that be kinda awkward to get a nanny for a twenty-one-year-old woman?" he grunted sarcastically.

"If your sister is going to have her baby soon, it might be wise to hire a babysitter," she suggested in all seriousness. "I'm concerned that, with your busy schedule, you won't be able to keep up with everything."

Of course she would notice that part. "I don't think my family would be comfy hiring a stranger to watch over a baby," he murmured.

"I think your family will have to compromise if they want their son to succeed."

 _If_ they wanted him to succeed, he thought bitterly to himself. "You're right," agreed, keeping his voice small as they reached an intersection. "As always, you're right. Now if you could persuade them into getting a babysitter, that would be a load off of my shoulders."

"I am in no place to tell your family what to do," she said sympathetically. She pressed her thumb to the large crosswalk button.

"And now you know why I planned to quit kendo at the start of the year."

Mitsuru's expression soured. "I'd rather that you didn't, and I'm sure you don't want to, either, but it's not too late to back out now."

He frowned as guilt surged into his stomach. "I'd be disappointing everyone on the team if I did, and if I don't show up to help my sister, my family'd be pretty pissed at me. I'm already disappointing you, so I'm gonna have to—"

The tension in her stare waned. "What makes you think you're disappointing me? I have never been disappointed in you, ever."

A car roared past to catch the yellow light. Ryuichi wanted to feel comfort in Mitsuru's reassurance, but something in the back of his mind kept telling him that she was just being nice. Other students and salary men and women clustered at the street corner around them, the silent indicator for Ryuichi to close his mouth.

"Don't you have something more important to think about today?" he mumbled. "Like a student council election?"

"I have not forgotten about that, but an election does not take precedence over my friend's plight," Mitsuru said.

She remained unflappable all through the morning commute. Ryuichi tried to put himself in her place, imagining the auditorium filled with students and teachers staring, already judging before he could utter a single word. He visibly shuddered at the thought, feeling nervous for Mitsuru, who calmly strode across the street when the light changed.

The election was held first thing that morning. Ryuichi sat in the second row of the auditorium with the other third-years while the candidates up for election occupied the front row. Mitsuru was a few seats to his left, and he kept flickering his eyes in her direction to admire how serene she appeared.

The principal—a stout man with white hair and a bushy mustache—waddled up to the podium. He had a voice like a hoarse walrus, speaking in a grandiose style to introduce the different titles to be won and a small description of them. Ryuichi was more interested in the way the principle spoke than what he had to say.

One by one, the candidates were called up to give their speeches. Ryuichi barely heard any of it but took notice of a timid first-year girl with thick glasses who meekly gave a speech as to why she would make a good treasurer. No one else competed for the position.

The candidate opposite Mitsuru for the presidency was a third-year student with a pompous face. His name was Hidetoshi Odagiri, and his speech made him sound like a dictator bent on wiping out all rule-breakers in the school. Ryuichi noticed that Odagiri cast his gaze at him, specifically at his silk, red necktie tucked neatly into his black vest, as if it was a smoldering cigarette.

When Mitsuru's turn came, she presented herself with poise, strength, and elegance. Having heard her speech many times when she practiced with him, Ryuichi could almost recite it along with her, seeing no flaws in her words. The girl next to him stared up at Mitsuru with such admiration that he thought he saw her drooling.

"Thank you, Mitsuru," the principal said as she stepped off the stage. "And that concludes the candidates' speeches. The student council will come to your classes at lunchtime to distribute the ballots, so please vote for your candidates."

"You did great," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru on the way back to their class. "Without a doubt it'll be a landslide victory."

"We will have to wait and see," Mitsuru replied, stoic in her humility.

"Says the person who was student council president since elementary school."

"You're overreacting."

"Not when it's true, I'm not."

That afternoon when he went to watch his sister, he caught Shizue and Ayumi in a heated argument over Shizue not trying to find the father of her child. He had forgotten that there was definitely a father floating around somewhere, but at the same time, Ryuichi knew that if the guy ever made himself present, he might be inclined to injure him in a way that would prevent him from fathering any more children.

He had hoped to take a nap or get some homework done that day, but it was one of those days where Shizue needed to vent. He took her for a walk around the block to help cool her head, but she wouldn't let him relax his mind as she kept blathering on about how unfair their parents were being.

"And they wondered why I wanted to go to a college far away from them!" she exclaimed furiously. "If I had the money, I'd be looking for an apartment by now!"

Ryuichi feared that the next thing out of her mouth was to ask him for money. They rounded the block and returned home, where Ryuichi made them some finger sandwiches and tea.

"Um, are you sure you're a bodyguard?" Shizue asked, munching merrily on a sandwich. "This is real fancy stuff."

"It's more like a second job for me," he said, pouring her some tea. "I'm kind of like a bodyguard-butler."

"How can you be a bodyguard and butler to Mitsuru if you're always here?"

"We worked something out. Usually, I bake cakes the night before, and after breakfast I make sandwiches for Mitsuru to have with her tea after school. I also walk her to and from school for safety, and stick close during school hours."

That last part was a lie, since his role as bodyguard was really only for during the Dark Hour.

"Okay, but does that mean you make her sandwiches every single day?"

"Pretty much."

"But, doesn't she get tired of sandwiches?"

He started to answer but stopped. Now that she mentioned it, the other day he thought he saw Mitsuru hesitate to take one of the sandwiches he made.

Shizue reached for another sandwich. "You don't call her 'Ojou-sama' or anything like that?"

Still stuck on the sandwich problem, he took a little long to answer his sister. "Well, we're friends and classmates, and she doesn't want to draw attention to herself by having me call her that."

He recalled what he and Mitsuru had talked about that morning. "Hey, uh, after you have the baby, are Mom and Dad gonna ask you to start working for them?"

"Ugh." His sister nibbled on her cucumber sandwich. "They probably are. You know how obsessed they are with that restaurant."

"What are you gonna do about the baby, though?"

She grinned big. "That's what the best little brother ever is for, right?"

He winced. "Yeah, but the thing is, I—"

"I mean, I don't even like being around Mom and Dad at all, so how could I leave Megumi with them where they could crush her spirit before she's even a month old?" she asked, her voice firm. "Megumi needs someone compassionate, someone she's familiar with. Why else do you think I keep asking you to sing and read to her? So she knows who her Uncle Ryu is!"

He couldn't go through with it. How could he tell his sister that he needed to prioritize his life over her baby's? He felt like trash for even thinking that he needed to put himself first, already hearing their parents' voices berating him for refusing to help his sister. He heard them tell him he was selfish, that he had plenty of time to get his studies done, and that he was just too lazy to want to help. Each reason he played in his head solidified the thought that they were right, that he needed to make his schedule work.

When he returned home, he snacked on some instant noodles and went to do some more recordings until just minutes before the Dark Hour. He later found an email that Mitsuru sent hours before, letting him know that Minato had awakened. Just before midnight, he heard the front door open and slam shut, indicating Akihiko going out on patrol.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The following Saturday evening, the SEES team informed Minato of the Dark Hour, explaining to him everything they had told Yukari only a few months before. Minato sat quietly, his eyes tracing to each member and Ikutsuki whenever they spoke up, showing almost no concern for his life being put in danger. His eyes lit up with intrigue when they gave him his own Evoker and the red armband with "S.E.E.S." printed on it. Without hesitation, he agreed to join their nightly battles.

After their meeting, Mitsuru stayed behind in the command room while the others left. Ryuichi busied himself gathering up the teacups and snacks he prepared, frowning when he saw that most of it went untouched.

"Did Akihiko tell you?" Mitsuru asked him as he cleaned up. "Last night, he encountered someone during the Dark Hour."

Ryuichi blinked, as if doing so would help him absorb the news. "Someone was actually awake during the Dark Hour?"

She nodded. "I'm as surprised as you are. He said he found him cowering in a convenience store when a Shadow attacked. Apparently, he's a student at Gekkoukan—A second-year name Junpei Iori."

Still unable to believe that he was only learning about the new guy right then, Ryuichi checked his phone for any messages he might have missed regarding Junpei. No one had bothered to tell him anything all day long.

"Akihiko already had him summon his Persona, so naturally he fell into a coma like the others," Mitsuru continued as Ryuichi put his phone away. "I received a call earlier saying that Iori had already awakened."

"That was quick." He stooped to pick up the tea tray.

"Indeed. At this very moment, I believe he's preparing to move into the dorm as early as tomorrow."

Ryuichi almost groaned. He had hoped to get some rest that Sunday, but since the newbie was due to move in, he would have to work fast to clean up a room for him before his arrival.

The next day, Ryuichi awoke early to start preparing a room, grumbling the entire time that he wished he was notified sooner about Junpei. Akihiko was forbidden from doing any heavy lifting during the cleaning process, instead creating more of a mess for Ryuichi when he pummeled dust out of the old mattress. Mitsuru had to drag Akihiko away, leaving Ryuichi with itchy eyes and a runny nose to continue the job. She sent Akihiko to bring the new guy to the dorm instead.

That evening, Junpei Iori came through the front doors with a gigantic roller bag, a duffel bag, and a backpack in tow. Tall and lanky, he hid his buzz cut beneath a blue baseball cap and wore a blue button-down shirt with a wrinkled collar under his school uniform. He had a weak little goatee that barely proved that physically, he had reached puberty. Ryuichi remembered Yukari telling him about someone in her class named Junpei who had the combined humor of a mischievous little boy and a perverted old man. He wondered if this was the same guy.

"Whazzup?" he greeted Yukari, who made a face upon seeing him.

"He's staying _here_?" she whined at Akihiko. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Akihiko didn't seem fazed by her complaint. "I bumped into him the other night," he explained to everyone. "He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently. I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

Yukari refused to believe it. " _You_ have the potential? For real?"

Junpei told the others about how Akihiko found him in a convenience store, just as Mitsuru had told Ryuichi the previous night. He played it off like it was no big deal, but seemed quite happy about the whole ordeal.

"Well, enough with the introductions," Akihiko announced to them all. "I think we're about ready."

Junpei bounced on his toes, grinning brighter than before. "Ooh, we're gonna go do somethin'? Sweetness!"

Akihiko looked to the other two newbies. "With this many people, we can start exploring _that_ place."

"You mean, Tartarus?" Yukari nervously asked Akihiko.

Junpei eyed Yukari, tilting his head at her. "'Tartarus'? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste."

"We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there," Ryuichi told the second-years.

"I hope so," Yukari murmured.

Monday evening after school, everyone met upstairs in the command room, finding Ikutsuki already seated in the armchair. The growing group gathered around the coffee table, where Ryuichi served tea and toasted rice crackers. Ikutsuki informed the newbies about the seniors being the only Persona-users for the past few years until just recently, and what having the new members meant for the team.

"Starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus," Ikutsuki announced to them all.

Junpei was about to gobble up a rice cracker when he stopped. "Sorry, I asked this yesterday, but what's this Tartarus thing again?"

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Yukari sneered. Ryuichi wasn't sure if she meant to come across as snooty right then.

Junpei just stared at her, confused. Ikutsuki came to his rescue.

"It's no surprise, since it only appears during the Dark Hour," the chairman told Junpei.

Their newest member still had his wide-eyed look of being lost. "'The Dark Hour'?"

"Just like the Shadows," Akihiko remarked with a wicked grin. "Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

Later that night, the SEES team prepared to head over to Tartarus. Ryuichi noticed that Minato now had a one-handed sword while Junpei wielded a katana. Junpei waved his weapon around a few times in the lounge, laughing as he boasted his pre-determined triumph over Shadows.

"I know that you have orders to stay near me at all times, but I need you to lead a team into Tartarus," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi on their way to the train station. "Akihiko will stay with me."

Ryuichi's memory of Ikeda's harsh lecture coursed through him like a lightning bolt.

"Is that wise?" he grumbled to her. "Ikeda-san wasn't too happy with my last performance. I doubt he'll appreciate this one."

"Again? I made it clear in my report that fatigue is normal for us during the Dark Hour," she told him, looking furious at the head of the Kirijo security. "In any case, I can't send Akihiko in due to his injury, nor do I intend to send in three inexperienced team members alone."

They caught the train before midnight. Junpei and Yukari both glanced around nervously at the few other passengers who kept staring at their Evokers and weapons. Minato looked as relaxed as the seniors, as if he had been wearing a sword on his belt all his life. All six of them wore their school uniforms for practicality, and everyone had the red "S.E.E.S." armband pinned to their sleeves.

When they reached the school, they all stood outside the heavy gate.

"This is it?" Junpei complained as he stared at Gekkoukan High School. " _This_ is the place?"

Akihiko flipped open his phone, his face illuminated by the screen. No one answered Junpei.

"Why here?" Junpei asked, looking to Akihiko now.

Without looking up from his screen, Akihiko calmly said, "Just wait a few minutes. It's almost midnight."

The Dark Hour struck. The moon went from pale silver to rancid yellow, casting the sky in a rotten, green glow. Gekkoukan High grew upwards, stretching towards the moon as sections of random architecture sprouted out of the ground. Metal groaned and creaked as the tower twisted upwards, leaving the two new underclassmen to gaze up in awe at the transformation. Yukari and the three seniors watched without making a sound.

Mitsuru looked to the others. "This is Tartarus—the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour," she explained.

"L-Labyrinth?" Junpei gulped. "What are you talking about? What happened to our school?"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal," she replied, her expression remaining as stoic as ever.

With eyes still bugging out, Junpei asked: "This is the 'nest' you were talking about? But, why? Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?"

Mitsuru looked away. Ryuichi caught sight of her grasping her elbow tightly.

"You don't know, either?" Junpei asked, his voicing becoming lighter.

"No," she said curtly without glancing back.

It was Yukari who spoke up next. "I'm sure it's complicated," she said to Junpei. It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

Akihiko smiled at them. "Well, maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru, Ryuichi, and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour."

He looked pumped to enter the tower once again, but Mitsuru shot him down. "Akihiko," she said firmly, "I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."

Akihiko let out a disappointed sigh. "I know," he grumbled. "You don't have to remind me."

The front doors held an electric blue clock motif with golden beams shooting out from them. Inside was a round room with dark walls and windows that revealed a view of other sections of random architecture just outside, barely visible in the marshy-green darkness. Pure marble columns supported a bleach-white stone ceiling. The floor had tiles checkered blue and white in an outer circle, while the inner was white and gold. A blue carpet spanned from the front doors to a set of stairs at the center of the lobby that went up to a doorway that looked like a gold and silver clock.

"Whoa. It's just as cool on the inside," marveled Junpei. He kept turning his head this way and that, trying to soak in the sight.

Yukari shuddered. "But it sure is creepy."

"This is only the entrance," Mitsuru told them. "The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

The three underclassmen craned their necks to look up at the door opposite them.

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place," Mitsuru said.

Yukari gasped. "What? By ourselves?"

"We're not asking you to go very far." Mitsuru took a few steps towards the staircase. "And I'll be feeding you information from here."

"So, you guys didn't plan on coming in the first place?" asked Junpei.

"Ryuichi will be going with you," Mitsuru answered. The mention of his name made Ryuichi stand taller. "His leadership is only temporary."

"We're going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions after this trial run," Akihiko added.

Junpei raised his eyebrows at Akihiko. "For real? One of us?"

"My duty is to be by Mitsuru's side," Ryuichi answered. "This is only temporary for me."

At that, Junpei thrust a hand up in the air as his dopey grin was plastered back on his face. "Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!"

The disgust on Akihiko's face seemed to say it all for the rest of the group. He looked to Minato and said, "You're in charge next time."

That decision did not sit well with Junpei. "W-Wait! Why him? He doesn't look like a leader!"

"But, he _has_ fought them before," Yukari pointed out.

The agitated teen quieted down. "Seriously?"

"That's true, but there's another reason," Akihiko said, and pressed the muzzle of his Evoker to his temple as he looked to Yukari and Junpei. "You two: can you summon your Persona without any difficulties like he can?"

"Y-Yeah, of course I can!" Junpei said in a wavering voice and an uncertain smile.

Yukari pressed a hand to her chest. "I think so," she agreed.

Akihiko did not appear to believe them, and Ryuichi couldn't feel that they were sincere.

"These are Shadows we're talking about here," Akihiko reminded them. "Without your Persona, you're screwed."

Yukari nodded. "I'm aware of that."

Junpei began to give his katana a few test swings, grunting and yelling each time. Just watching him, Ryuichi could tell that he had no prior experience in using a sword, feeling bad for the blade for having such an unreliable owner.

"Let's get going, then," Ryuichi said to the underclassmen, feeling his whole body clench with uncertainty at his own leadership skills.

The three started to follow him up the stairs when Minato deviated off towards the left wall. There, he stood with his hands deep in his pockets, keeping so still that he was like a corpse frozen in time.

"What's going on with him?" Junpei asked as he and Yukari went over to him.

"You sure you chose the right one to lead?" Ryuichi murmured to Akihiko, who shrugged.

Mitsuru came up to the both of them. "I'm not sure anymore who among them would make a good leader, but if none of them prove fruitful, I will have to ask you to continue as the leader until we find someone suitable for the task," she said.

"I'm kinda curious how Junpei will work out as a leader," Ryuichi mused, but changed his mind when he saw the disdain on the other two seniors' faces. "Ah, not that I'm curious enough to take the risk."

"Hey, are you all right?" they heard Yukari ask Minato, who came out of his daze.

"Yeah, what's up?" asked Junpei. "You look like a zombie."

"It's nothing," Minato said, not meeting their eyes.

"Don't tell me you just dozed off!" Junpei blasted at him. "You're like that coach who fell asleep during the championship game!"

Akihiko clapped a hand on Ryuichi's shoulder. "Good luck, Ryuichi," he told him.

"Yes. Good luck," Mitsuru said, and Ryuichi felt his soul sink further into his bowls. It wasn't the Shadows they were worried about, but the juniors.

"Cut him some slack," Yukari said to Junpei, smiling. "If nothing's wrong, then let's get going."

The three met up with Ryuichi at the top of the stairs. He opened up a small pouch he wore on his belt and handed them all a few items.

"This give you a little boost of energy," he said, holding up some snacks to show them. "This will wake you up in a jiffy if you're knocked out."

He handed them all snacks, drinks, and little Revival Beads that had a powerful, bitter taste. "If you do as I say, then you have a better chance of survival," he told them. "If you decide to run off on your own, then you not only risk your own life, but the others, as well. Stick together and take this opportunity to learn not only about the enemy, but also about yourselves in battle. Find your strengths and your weaknesses, and when you have to pull the trigger, _do it_. No hesitation. Got it?"

He could see the fear in their eyes. "I will not let any harm come to you," he said in a kinder voice. "Trust me, trust each other, and trust yourselves."

"Ryuichi is a highly-skilled bodyguard whom I trust with my life," Mitsuru added. "You are in safe hands."

Her comment filled Ryuichi with pride, driving him with the desire to exceed her expectations and prove Ikeda wrong. With a clenched jaw, Ryuichi led his team into Tartarus.

Inside the doorway were the familiar hallways of Gekkoukan High. Tile floors checkered in black and white and lined with diamond shapes spanned for long stretches, with puddles of bright, red liquid spilled on some areas.

"So, this is it, huh?" Junpei touched the wall, which was the same, clean, stone-like material they always saw at school.

"I hope I don't get lost," Yukari said to herself.

Ryuichi heard a beep in his ear. "Can you all hear me?" Mitsuru asked.

Everyone touched their earpieces.

"Whoa. Is that you, Senpai?" Junpei asked.

"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out," Mitsuru informed them.

"Wait. You mean, you can see inside here?"

"It's my Persona's ability," she confirmed. "I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative."

Yukari shook her head. "Well, _that_ makes me feel a whole lot better," she sighed sarcastically.

Static crackled in Ryuichi's ear. "Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute," Mitsuru explained. "They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect."

"Will do," Ryuichi said.

"Right!"

"Got it!"

Ryuichi heard Yukari sigh again and mumble to herself. "Why is she always like that?"

"Because she wants to ensure your safety," Ryuichi replied, making her shut up.

"Let's begin," Mitsuru said. "Keep in mind, these are real battles you'll be engaging in. Now, see if you can eliminate all the Shadows wandering around on this floor."

"Evokers out," Ryuichi ordered, and the three juniors obeyed.

They followed him through the maze of hallways, stepping precariously over splatters of the red liquid when—

"Watch out! I detect a Shadow in front of you!"

Ryuichi halted abruptly and was shoved from behind. He managed to stick his foot out in front of him in time to stop his fall.

"Don't just quit moving like that!" Junpei complained.

The leader shushed them so he could listen for the Shadow. He spotted it about twenty yards away, bumbling about in the darkened hallway, as if it hadn't heard them.

"Move in and hit it before it attacks you," Mitsuru commanded.

"We're on it." Over his shoulder, Ryuichi said, "Yukari, if you hit it with an arrow, it'll stun it. Shoot first and we'll swoop down on it."

She nodded. She took her stance and readied an arrow, the bow creaking when she drew the arrow back. The others stood behind her to give her a clear shot, with their weapons in one hand and Evokers in the other. A second passed, then another, until finally the arrow flew. They all watched as it struck the tile next to the Shadow, who glanced up and charged at them.

"Dammit!" Junpei lashed out with his katana, trying to balance it with his Evoker to defend against the Shadow's attack. It was the inky puddle type with an aqua mask, and arms that slapped at them.

"Don't panic!" Ryuichi roared at them. "Use Persona skills: elemental or physical!"

Minato was the first to pull the trigger. "Orpheus!" he grunted, and the lyre player appeared, hurling flames at the Shadow.

"Hermes!" Above Junpei came a Persona that stood upright like a man but had brass wings on his legs. He, too, threw fire at the Shadow.

The Shadow lay stunned on the ground. "Finish it, Yukari," Ryuichi ordered. She nodded and aimed her Evoker at her chest, firing the last shot. Io appeared, blasting the Shadow with wind. The Shadow burst into wispy smoke.

"What a stunning victory!" Mitsuru cheered them on.

"Good work," Ryuichi said to them. He looked to see them all panting.

"Tired already?" Mitsuru asked them. "That's normal. Every time you summon your Persona, you start feeling more and more tired. That's why you have to stagger your spells and abilities and use your weapons every so often. For now, focus on summoning your Persona so you get used to it."

They started further down the hall when Mitsuru contacted them again.

"There should be a staircase nearby. Do you see it? A staircase is the only way to proceed to the next floor. I can't allow you to go any higher today, but please remember about it next time."

Ryuichi turned to an opening on the left to see the stairs. "Found them," he said. "We'll continue exploring for now."

"Man, this is going so slow," whined Junpei.

"Rushing will only get us killed," Ryuichi said to him. No one argued against him.

As they wandered through the halls, Mitsuru explained to the newbies about the different types of attacks, spells, strengths, and weaknesses. She informed them of her ability to scan Shadows to help give their team the advantage in battle.

They encountered four Shadows next, all the inky puddles like before. Fire and wind spells exploded upon the Shadows, stunning them, but one that avoided the barrage struck out at Minato.

"If it gets too close, use your sword!" Ryuichi shouted.

Minato stabbed it. It let out a squelchy cry as he kicked it away, then set it ablaze. Ryuichi ran towards Yukari, who was caught between holstering her Evoker and drawing back an arrow as a Shadow clawed at her feet. Junpei swung his sword rapidly, hitting only air as the Shadow backed off.

"Everyone, calm down!" Ryuichi bellowed. He trampled Yukari's Shadow and sent Ajax to squash the one attacking Junpei while Minato blasted his with fire. The fourth one Ryuichi leaped to and stabbed with his katana, splitting its mask. "Yukari—Garu! Junpei—Agi!"

He watched one Shadow get slashed by wind and the other torched. Minato's Shadow had also succumbed to fire. Ryuichi's was nothing but smoke.

"Everyone, strike the enemy while they're down!" Mitsuru ordered.

"Let's go!" Ryuichi led the charge.

"Yeah!" Junpei ran into the fray with him, both hacking away at the Shadows. The other two joined them, all striking with blades, stomps, and kicks, until all the Shadows were defeated. At the end of the battle, the three juniors were already worn out, sweating and breathing hard.

"We're gonna have to work on conserving energy," Ryuichi noted, frowning at his failure.

"That's odd," Mitsuru said. "Usually there are more Shadows on the prowl. Since there aren't any enemies to worry about, why don't you split up and search individually?"

"What? We got them all already?" Ryuichi asked.

"I don't detect any more Shadows on that floor. Once you're finished, find the access point on that floor."

"What's that look like?"

"Like a bright, green light. It should take you back to the entrance."

He thanked her and turned back to the others, who were all bent over, breathing hard and nursing bruises and cuts.

"All right, we're going to split up and search the floor," Ryuichi said to the team.

The exhausted Junpei looked at him in disbelief. "Can't you give us a break?" he griped as he leaned heavily against his sword.

"In battle, you won't get a break," Ryuichi reminded him. "The sooner you search the floor, the sooner we leave."

The three groaned as they split up. Ryuichi went his own way, finding the green light that Mitsuru had said was the way out.

"Whoot! Check out my fat loot!" he heard Junpei exclaim from somewhere further away.

Ryuichi found a Traesto Gem that emitted the same bright, green glow as the access point. He pocketed it and touched his earpiece.

"Everyone, regroup," he said. "Good work tonight."

They warped back down to the entrance in a green light that brightened to a radiant white. A second later they were back in the lobby where Mitsuru and Akihiko both stood waiting.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted them. "So, how was it?"

"No problem," Minato answered while the other two stood as if they had heavy stones tied around their necks.

"I see. Well, if you gained confidence, that's the best thing you could have achieved."

Junpei grinned. "Wow. I never knew I had that kind of power!" he exclaimed, and thrust a fist in the air. "We kicked some ass!"

He quickly doubled over with his hands on his knees. "But damn, I'm beat."

"That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid," Yukari grumbled.

"You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan," Junpei pointed out.

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually," she admitted, her shoulders sagging as she spoke.

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour," Mitsuru told them. "You'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though. You'll adapt."

She looked upon the three with an impressed smile. "But, I'm surprised—You all did much better than I expected."

Mitsuru looked to Akihiko and beamed at him. "At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

He chuckled. "Heh, we'll see about that."

The group headed to the train station to wait for the Dark Hour to pass. The three underclassmen yawned and struggled to carry their equipment, all three looking like they were fighting to not get sucked down into the ground. The Dark Hour ended, but the train was still a few minutes away from coming to pick them up.

At the dorm, everyone but Ryuichi and Mitsuru headed upstairs. She sat down at the computer behind the front desk to write out her report while he went to take a quick shower and change into his pajamas. When he finished, he poked his head outside his door to see Mitsuru still working on the report.

"You did very well today," she told him as she continued to work. "I'm impressed that the boy who used to be so shy has come out of his shell and made a leader out of himself."

He couldn't stop from blushing. "Nah. There's still more that I could have done."

She finished typing and started to scroll up and down the screen, her eyes rapidly reading over what she had written. "It looked like you had some trouble in that last battle, but you handled it very well. Aside from a few minor injuries, all four of you came out safely."

"It was nothing. Besides, your part was more difficult. It can't be easy giving directions without having a clear view of what's going on."

"That's why I relied on you to direct them," she said. "It's because we combined our skills that we were successful tonight, and all the other nights.

"I also appreciate that you were straightforward with them about the dangers of the Shadows. I was afraid that Iori wouldn't take it seriously."

"He didn't, at first."

"No, but he seemed to learn along the way."

Mitsuru clicked somewhere on the screen and began to type something. "So, what are your thoughts on them? Will they be able to manage all right?"

Ryuichi leaned back against the wall, thinking. "Junpei I'm not so sure, Yukari stepped up but she still confuses herself, and out of the three, Minato was on top of things. I think he's ready to lead them next time."

"Isn't that too soon? I would rather that you led them a few more times before passing the reins to Arisato."

He wanted to just let Minato take the lead. For the duration of their trip into Tartarus, Ryuichi's gut kept squeezing and writhing with fear for Mitsuru's safety. As skilled and experienced as both Mitsuru and Akihiko were, he learned in the past few years that experience does not guarantee their survival.

"Ryuichi?"

He looked back to her. "Don't forget that Ikeda is not your boss," she reassured him as she sent off the report. "My father and I will ultimately have the final say for whether or not you keep your job, and neither of us have any reason to fire you."

Hearing this, Ryuichi bowed low to her. "Thank you, Mitsuru Ojou-sama."

"No need to be so formal. You performed well tonight."

She looked upon him with confusion. "What did Ikeda say to you that has you so worried about your job?" she asked.

He straightened up, turning away. "Nothing, really."

"I highly doubt that. You've been tense lately."

He stretched and yawned, hoping it was enough to cover his worry. "Nothing I can't handle," he said. "If anything, I feel like I'm getting my crazy schedule under control."

She didn't look ready to let him off so easily, but didn't pursue the subject any further. "I don't think we'll be going to Tartarus tomorrow night, as our new teammates could be feeling the effects of tonight," was all she said before bidding him a good night.

Ryuichi went to bed, but sleep wouldn't come. He kept rolling back and forth between his left and right sides, unable to get comfortable. Despite the battles he fought that night, his exhaustion was fended off by his worries. Ikeda kept popping into his mind, where he could hear the man's barking voice as he reamed him for leaving Mitsuru unattended yet again. Mitsuru's sincere reassurance from just minutes before brought some peace to his mind, but only enough to where he still had to guard himself against his own thoughts running wild with his fear.

"She said they had no reason to fire me," he reminded himself, his hot breath collecting in his blanket when he spoke.

He clung to her words, feeling his clenched body slowly begin to unfurl. Sleep eventually scooped him up gently, only for it to repeatedly drop him awake all through the night until his alarm clock came to his rescue.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The following Tuesday morning, the three juniors all dragged themselves down the stairs to the lounge, all of them yawning, shoulders sagging, and pale-faced. Junpei didn't bother to sling his backpack onto his shoulder, letting it drag on the carpet and tumble down each and every stair when he followed the others to the kitchen. He slithered onto a seat at the bar next to Yukari, then face-planted on the countertop.

Ryuichi yawned halfway through his greeting to the trio. He mixed a raw egg into a bowl of hot rice with some soy sauce, his head hanging from exhaustion.

"I don't even wanna eat," Junpei moaned without lifting his face. "I just wanna go back to bed."

Neither Minato nor Yukari moved, but the looks in their eyes seemed to agree with Junpei. Ryuichi suppressed his own desire to ditch school, but imagining Mitsuru's wrath and that frightening glare of hers made him cast the temptation aside.

That morning at school, all the students and teachers gathered in the auditorium for an assembly where the winners for the Student Council elections were to be announced. Mitsuru's victory as Student Council President surprised no one, but was treated more like a natural part of life. Her competitor, Odagiri, became the head of the Disciplinary Committee, an adjunct branch of the Student Council whose main focus was to enforce school rules. Somehow, he seemed more satisfied with his new role.

A female student stood at the podium before the auditorium, speaking of upcoming events, touching on sports and club activities, and so on. Ryuichi barely paid any attention to what she said, as his attention was elsewhere. His eyes were on Mitsuru, who stood impressively off to the side of the stage with her arms folded in front of her. She showed no discomfort from having nothing to do for the moment, only sweeping her gaze over the students and teachers before her. When her eye met Ryuichi's, he playfully stuck his tongue out at her. She didn't look anywhere near him after that.

"...That concludes the main portion of today's assembly," the student said into the microphone. "Next, we'll hear a word from the Student Council. Please welcome the new President, Mitsuru Kirijo from Class 3-D."

Mitsuru faced the girl. "Thank you," she said as she took the podium.

"As I begin my term as Student Council President, I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year." Mitsuru's voice was steady, confident, and felt as though she was having a one-on-one conversation with each and every individual student and teacher in the auditorium. "It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school.

"However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal."

Her gaze rested on the girl behind Ryuichi. He heard the girl shudder, followed by someone next to her asking if she was okay. Her shaky, cheery tone sounded like she enjoyed the experience.

"I'd like each of you to dig deeply into your well of motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions to imagine a bold, new future without losing sight of the realities around you," Mitsuru continued. "That is the key.

"I'm certain that many of you have your own visions of the future. For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas, and enthusiasm are essential."

"Yes," the girl behind Ryuichi uttered in awe of Mitsuru.

As if in response to the girl, Mitsuru concluded her speech with a humble "Thank you". Applause escorted her off the stage, and the principal dismissed the students.

Teachers began to usher their students back to their classrooms. A voice called out over all of the teachers, the shuffling footsteps, and the chatter, ordering everyone to stay with their classes when a few deviated to say hi to their friends in other classes.

"Hey, you! Get back in line!"

"Those pins are against school dress code!"

"No cell phones!"

In the confusion, Ryuichi managed to hang back a bit to wait for Mitsuru, who was speaking with the principal. Yawning, he caught sight of Odagiri who waded through the river of students, his glare fixed on Ryuichi's silk, red necktie in place of his uniform's loose black bow tie, his charcoal gray dress shirt, and his black vest.

"Okazaki!" Some students turned to glance back at Odagiri. His eyes locked onto Ryuichi's red necktie. "Your alterations to your uniform are in violation of the school's dress code!"

Ryuichi fingered the knot of his necktie. "You're seriously ragging on me for this?" he asked, frowning. "You know, there are worse offenses being made other than me not wearing the right tie."

"Rules are rules, Okazaki!" he said in his nasal sneer. "And since you're part of the Student Council, your blatant disrespect for the school uniform is a blight to their prestige!"

Ryuichi's face reddened with agitation. His anger exploded hotly within him, spilling out of him. " _I'm_ the blight? Okay, yeah, sure. You know what's a blight on our school? Your face!"

Mitsuru had to do some fast talking to keep Ryuichi from getting detention for his outburst. He may have gotten away from disciplinary action, but it didn't stop her from scolding him for making fun of Odagiri. He wasn't sorry at first, but as the day progressed, he felt terrible for his actions and apologized to Mitsuru.

"Just make sure to give yourself time to rest," was all she said.

"'Rest'?" He scowled at the thought of it. As far as he could tell, he had too many things to do other than waste time with rest.

Over the next two days, he decided that he would "rest" by catching up on his homework. All he was doing was sitting at his desk. He didn't have to run or dodge or exert himself by conjuring up his Persona, and since he was both "resting" and studying, he was sure that Mitsuru couldn't find anything to complain about.

By Thursday evening, Ryuichi closed his calculus book and sat back from his desk.

"I did it," he sighed. "I'm all caught up on my homework."

It was quite a load he had taken off of himself. For the moment, he felt weightless, suspended in air with relief over finishing his school work until he came crashing down with the realization that he still had plenty to do. Mitsuru's birthday was in two weeks, and he had not given himself any time to work on his recordings in favor of school, sports, and family.

He went out to the lounge to find the three underclassmen slumped over on the couches. Akihiko sat in the armchair nearest the TV, restringing his boxing gloves. There was another news report on Apathy Syndrome being on the rise again, but no one seemed to take notice.

"Man, I'm starving," moaned Junpei. "That can of sardines didn't do anything for me."

Ryuichi crossed over to the kitchen to check the pantry. Sure enough, one of his cans of sardines was missing, leaving him with just one more.

"The strip mall isn't too far from here," Minato said to them.

"Yeah, but I'm kinda tired of fast food," Yukari moaned.

"Then, cook something," Akihiko suggested.

Junpei perked right up. "Hey, yeah! Yuka-tan, let's see those pro cooking skills!"

Yukari shrank away. "I'm not very good at cooking, but I can give it a try. I'm not cooking for you, though!"

"Aw, where's the fun in that? Food's only good when you share it, right?"

Ryuichi was just as curious about Yukari's cooking skills as the others, but for the moment, he just wanted to get out of his room and go someplace quiet. He ducked back into his room for an old towel before heading upstairs to the rooftop.

The midday clouds had long since passed overhead, giving him a clear view of the dark sky with the few speckles of stars above. The edges of the sky had the ember-like glow from the city lights, a sight he normally frowned at but ignored so he could be at peace. He spread out the towel on the ground to lie down on top of it, cradling his head with one hand while the other rested on his stomach.

It was the first quiet moment to himself that he had in weeks, where he wasn't playing an instrument, studying, working out, or having his ears drilled out by complaining relatives. Each breath he took cleansed him with the spring evening's chill. Every exhale expelled the noise in his head, where his body felt like it was sinking into the ground as it released the tension in his muscles. He closed his eyes, feeling himself start to drift away when the rooftop door squeaked open.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here like that."

Mitsuru's heels clicked closer to him as he let out a sigh. "I wasn't sleeping," he replied, opening his eyes. "I was admiring the view."

"With your eyes closed?" she chuckled. Ryuichi sat up to offer her a place to sit, but she declined, staying on her feet.

"I need to discuss something with you," she told him. "Bring tea to my room, and we will talk there."

He got up and bowed to her. "Yes, Ojou-sama," he said with a simper.

He could hear the frown in her voice. "Don't start that again."

"As you wish, Ojou-sama."

He headed downstairs to prepare the tea and warmed the scones he had baked earlier.

"Cool! Bring more cups over here, Senpai!" Junpei called from the lounge.

"These are for Mitsuru," Ryuichi called back. "I have some extra scones if you want, but you'll have to make your own tea."

"Huh?" Junpei leaped into the armchair on his knees. "Are you a butler or something? I thought she said you were her bodyguard."

"I'm both," he replied, taking the tray to the stairs. "Help yourselves, you guys. Just save some for Yukari."

He headed up the stairs to Mitsuru's room. Balancing the tray on one arm, he knocked on her door without rattling the tea set.

Mitsuru let him inside. He drank in the view of her yellow-peach walls, deep red carpet, matching drapes, and cream and gold-colored furniture. The left wall had two doors that led to the toilet and bathroom.

The first half of her room nearest the door was her bedroom, with a king-sized bed that had an intricately carved Victorian style headboard. To the left of her bed was a large desk, which had to be carved by European master carpenters from centuries ago. Next to that was her dresser and wardrobe made of rich, dark woods.

The other side of the room was decorated like a lounge. Two couches of cream and gold faced inwards towards a white, marble coffee table. Opposite the TV at the end of the table was an armchair that matched the couches. A tall plant stood in the corner, one that Mitsuru watered herself. Against the rear wall was Mitsuru's large, flat screen TV that stood atop a dark, wooden stand. Next to the TV was a cabinet that held various tea sets. Among them was the tea set that Ryuichi had given her for her birthday before.

"Just set it down on the table," Mitsuru instructed him. She closed the door and joined him in the lounge section.

Ryuichi had been to her room on several occasions before (some of those visits being days when he had to vacuum the place), and he never grew bored of the splendor of her room. It matched Mitsuru's appearance very well, he thought, with the hint of her motorcycle helmet hanging from her coat tree to indicate the one tiniest bit of her that rebelled against her prim and proper image.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked her as he poured her some tea.

Mitsuru took a seat on the couch. "It's an awkward question, so please bear with me," she said. "You've been my bodyguard for a few years now, but seeing as our lives are prodigiously busy, I wanted to know if being my bodyguard is causing too much trouble for you."

He nearly spilled the tea. "What?"

Worry crossed her face as she folded her arms over her chest. "I'm concerned because you expressed that you've been struggling to balance your other responsibilities," she reasoned.

Ryuichi quickly set the teapot down before he dropped it. "Well, I mean, I'm getting better at balancing everything," he told her hastily, hoping to assuage her concerns. "I actually got all caught up on my homework earlier."

"Did you?" Her face relaxed by a fraction. "Good. However, if the workload is too much, you may drop one or both of your online courses."

For a few moments, he seriously considered cutting down on classes. He could keep up with his schoolwork if he had a lighter load, but he wouldn't have those two additional classes to supplement the other classes he was taking. And what's more, he would be letting Mitsuru down.

"I think I can handle all my classes," Ryuichi said, and began to fill Mitsuru's teacup some more.

The way she looked at him with her eyes narrowed and stern told him that he gave the wrong answer.

"It's good to push yourself past your limits at times, but if your current responsibilities are becoming too much of a burden, I would be more than willing to help you find a caretaker for your sister's baby," Mitsuru offered.

His jaw dropped. "You'd do that for us?"

"Indeed. I don't think it's fair for your family to put so much responsibility on you when you have your own life to live."

For just a second, Ryuichi felt hope lift him up off the couch. Just having someone speak what he was thinking eased his pain, if only for a moment. Reality, however, beat him back down onto his seat.

"Thanks," he murmured softly as he handed Mitsuru her teacup. "But, I tried talking to Shizue about hiring a nanny last week, and she wasn't so keen about having a stranger watching over her baby. She said she'd rather have someone she trusts."

"I can understand that, but as I said before, they will need to figure out something before you head off to college."

" _If_ I get into a university."

"You will. I'll make sure of it."

Mitsuru held out the plate of scones to him, but he waved it off. He sat subdued, staring deeply into his own full cup of tea, mulling over everything Mitsuru had said. Simultaneously, he could hear his parents arguing with him again, hearing their voices tell him that he was just abandoning their family and the family business when they needed him most. He knew they would complain about the cost of the nanny, which he was already certain he would pay for himself, but if they pointed out Shizue's argument about the nanny being a stranger, he wasn't sure how to counter back. Mitsuru did offer to help find a good nanny, but how she would determine the good from the bad, he didn't know.

"You're concerned about your parents, aren't you?"

Without taking a sip, Ryuichi set his teacup back down onto the table. "It's pathetic, right?" he asked, hating that she knew how weak he was. He sat forward to rest his elbows on his knees, hanging his head low. "I'm actually afraid to even tell Shizue because I know Mom and Dad will call me out on it."

"I know they can be difficult to reason with, but I think that they need to learn to value you for you and not for what you can do for your sister."

There was strength in her stare, a power that he could only draw from another source and not from within himself. He wanted to throw his arms around her in a big hug, but hardened himself so he wouldn't move.

"Thanks," he said again with a weak smile. "That means a lot to me. And, for real, being a bodyguard and butler is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"There's no need to exaggerate." Mitsuru returned his smile with one of her own as she held up the plate of scones to him again.

He took a scone this time. They took turns smearing butter or strawberry jam on their pastries, and when Ryuichi took his first bite, he knew right away that he needed to dump more butter on his piece.

"Sorry it didn't come out all that great," he said to Mitsuru as she sampled hers. "I tried going for something lighter, but—"

"It's quite good, actually." She added a little more jam. "It's light and pairs well with the tea."

Ryuichi tried adding jam to his scone. "So, are you sure you don't want me to bake cakes anymore?"

Mitsuru lowered her scone, appearing slightly sullen. "I don't mind having cake every now and then," she began, eyeing the scones. "It's just that, I might indulge a little more than I should be allowed."

"Okay. Sure." He looked to the soft butter melting on the little plate. "Then, since your birthday's coming up, maybe I'll try to bake a cake light enough for you to eat the whole thing."

She was about to sip some tea but stopped before she could choke on it. "The whole thing?"

"Just a small one!" He chuckled, seeing relief on Mitsuru's face. "At least then you can brag about eating a whole cake all by yourself."

Mitsuru smiled warmly. "I see. Though, I'm surprised you remembered my birthday despite your busy schedule."

"How could I forget?" He poured her more tea. "So, any requests for what kind of cake you'd like? I'll even deliver it secretly so you don't have to share."

She chuckled. "As generous an offer as that is, I am expected to return home for a party planned in my honor."

"One of those fancy parties again?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Though, for once, I wouldn't mind if I could take the day off for myself."

Ryuichi only knew what Mitsuru told him whenever she had those stuffy social gatherings, including her birthday celebrations. Her father's business associates and their families would all dress up in expensive suits and dresses with Mitsuru usually as the centerpiece of it all, having to go around and make small talk with everyone, taking care to not miss a single person. He imagined her meeting with some of the business associates, older men who eagerly talk about themselves or pushed their sons towards her and let her know that they were eligible bachelors who would do well to become the future head of the Kirijo Group. All the wives pushed their daughters to befriend Mitsuru, hoping that her prestige would rub off on their girls by association. All Mitsuru wanted to do was actually enjoy her birthday.

Ryuichi frowned at the thought. "Can't you just take the next day off?"

"You know I can't," she said, setting down her teacup without a sound. "Even just taking the day off for my birthday cuts into my busy schedule."

"Okay, then what would you like to do if you had a day to yourself?"

Mitsuru nibbled on her scone while she gave it some thought. "I think, I would like to just have a quiet day to read," she answered slowly, as if testing her idea first. "Lately it's been so noisy in the dorm that I can't even enjoy a nice book."

Ryuichi imagined their dorm mates messing around and whining about something to eat two floors down below Mitsuru's room.

"Not even in your room?"

"Akihiko's room is right below mine."

He made the connection in an instant. "The punching bag," he groaned.

She nodded, flashing him a wry smile. "I used to think that your decision to remain in the manager's room was odd, but you seem to have possessed wisdom beyond your years."

He held up two fingers. "I had two reasons for staying there," he said, and lowered one finger. "One: I had my own bathroom. Two: I'm close to the kitchen."

"As I said before: Wisdom beyond your years," Mitsuru chuckled.

They chatted more cheerfully after that, letting their conversation carry them wherever they pleased. They spoke and laughed as if they were two old friends who hadn't seen each other in years, even though they saw each other every single day. They talked long after the tea had run out, the scones reduced to crumbs on the plate, and after the dorm had gone quiet. It was only when a door opened and shut from out in the hallway that Ryuichi realized how late it was.

"What time is it?" He nearly tore his pocket trying to retrieve his phone. "Oh, wow. Sorry. I didn't mean to overstay my welcome."

They both stood up at the same time. "I enjoyed our talk, so I apologize for keeping you for so long," Mitsuru replied. "You must be hungry."

"I filled up on scones," he said, though his stomach did feel a bit empty. "I had fun too. I think it's the kind of rest I needed."

"That's good to hear. We wouldn't want you picking another fight with Odagiri."

He tried to hide his bashful smile as he cleaned up the tea. After bidding each other good night, he brought the tray back downstairs to the kitchen. As he approached the sink, he saw a sauce pan coated with something burnt on the bottom that smelled like a four-day-old carcass had been left under the sun. When he checked the refrigerator, he found a plastic container filled with a brownish-black gunk that he didn't recognize. One whiff of the stench emanating from the container told him that he should just settle for something of the instant variety for a late dinner.

That night, after the Dark Hour had ended, he went back to work on the CD for Mitsuru's birthday. He played the same song over and over and over, often stopping to repeat a trill or a series of syncopated notes. He had to get it right. He had to improve. For her.

The next day, he mustered up enough courage to gently suggest to Shizue that they hire a nanny to help with Megumi. It took every ounce of strength he had just to say anything, bolstered only by Mitsuru's encouragement from the previous night. He clung to Mitsuru's words, even after Shizue began to cry upon hearing his suggestion. Even when his whole family bore down on him for being selfish again, he fiercely clung to what Mitsuru had told him.

They wouldn't hear anything else he had to say. They talked over him, and if he tried talking over them, they called him out for being disrespectful.

When he returned to the dorm later that night, he learned that everyone wanted to go to Tartarus. He had to force a smile onto his face, like shoving broken glass into his mouth to hold its shape while he agreed with the late night trip.

And at school the next day, no one could tell that he was dying inside.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

On Saturday, the boys' and girls' kendo teams met after school to welcome the newest club members. It was something new that the two captains wanted to try, thinking that it would be good for both teams and newbies to have exposure to fresh, new opponents. They hoped that, by giving their teams different opponents with different skills at least once a month, it would help prevent them from getting comfortable with their teammates' familiar abilities and keep them alert. Creating a small rivalry between the two teams to get them to better themselves was a bonus incentive.

Ryuichi, Shiori, and the previous members of the teams showed up dressed in their kendo uniforms while the newest members showed up in their P.E. track suits. There were more students that year who were interested in joining, both girls and boys, and Ryuichi and Shiori were in charge of leading them in the way of kendo. Ryuichi took a look around when he saw Minato in the crowd of boys, surprised to see him interested in joining. He made quick friends with the second-year, Kazushi Miyamoto.

"That's a lot of people," Ryuichi said to Shiori in amazement.

"Right?" Shiori beamed at the new students. "Since we've been winning competitions, we have more people who wanted to join this year."

They both stared at the mats where other members were taking down names, years, and classes, and helping students to fill out order forms for equipment.

"Do they _all_ want to join the teams?"

"I hope not. Imagine how try outs are gonna be."

The two captains looked at each other and shuddered. Sure, Ryuichi was glad that more people were taking interest in joining kendo, but he worried just how many would actually stick with it, if they were only wasting his time.

He was surprised to see Shiori speaking with him normally again. She smiled, chatted with him, joked around with him, and acted as though nothing awkward had happened between them. He still felt some guilt for turning her down, but if she was fine now after what happened, then he had to try to feel normal around her, too.

When all the papers were filled and all conversation had gone idle, the two captains called for everyone to gather in the middle of the mats, girls sitting on Shiori's side, and boys on Ryuichi's side.

"Welcome to kendo!" Ryuichi greeted them all.

"Welcome!" Shiori echoed, smiling. "I'm captain of the girls' team, Shiori Hayabusa, third year."

"And I'm captain of the girls' t—wait, of the boys' team," Ryuichi corrected himself, blushing as everyone laughed. "Um, I'm Ryuichi Okazaki. Third year."

Shiori giggled. "Now, how about we have our team members say a little something about themselves?"

Ryuichi was relieved when Shiori suggested that. They each had a few members from their teams talk to the newbies, talking about their experiences, their growth in their skills, funny failures, and moments of triumph. When all the talk was done, it was time to have the girls and guys split up and start with warm-ups with their respective teams.

After about fifteen minutes of exercises and stretches, Ryuichi led the boys in basic moves. The new students were given spare shinai to use so they could perform the actions the team members demonstrated. Ryuichi and some of the other members went through the crowd, fixing postures and adjusting movements. When Ryuichi gave them all a break, he took the opportunity to talk about joining the team.

"Everyone that wants to be on the team has to try out," he told them while they sat gulping water. "Current members are expected to try out, as well, as their spots on the teams are not secured. Tryouts will take place next Saturday."

He explained the process by which he would be determining who makes the team. Each candidate would be matched up against another for a sparring match. Every round they won, they were moved up to fight another opponent, then another. Their scores were based off of how many victories they scored, and if there were any ties, their total amount of points won determined the winners. On the other side of the gym, Shiori was giving a similar speech.

When he finished the explanation, practice resumed. The new members only stayed for the first hour, and second hour was for the team to do more intensive training. The newbies were invited to observe the teams during their practice so they could have a taste of what level of skills they needed to compete.

"Psst! Captain!"

Ryuichi turned to see one of his teammates come up to him. "What's up?"

"Why not show them what you can do?" he suggested with his devilish grin. "Spar against all of us."

"If we do that, it will have to wait until the end of practice," Ryuichi said, not feeling up to showing off at his request.  
It was clear that his team wanted another chance to defeat him. At the end of practice, they pushed for the sparring match. The more they demanded it, the more students, both guys and girls, came to watch, taking seats in the bleachers.

Just as they did before on the first day of school, Ryuichi had the boys' team form two lines facing each other across the mat. The first person from each line would meet in the middle and spar, and the first to score a point would stay in the arena while the loser went to the back of the opposite line. The next person up sparred the winner.

"What about you, Captain?" Kenta asked.

"Someone's gotta referee," he answered.

"I'll do it!" Shiori came bounding up to them. "And how about we have our team fight against yours?"

"Girls versus guys?"

"Sweet!"

"No way! The girls will crush them!"

"But they've got Ryuichi-senpai!"

The spectators all began making speculations of both teams' skills. As much as he didn't want to fight anyone, Ryuichi turned to Shiori and asked about who would referee.

"I guess that's our job, huh?" She looked disappointed, like she wanted to join the exercise. "Okay, then how about this: after this is done, you and I will spar against each other. We'll use standard competition rules for scoring instead of your 'one touch, one point' rule. Our teammates can be our referees."

Everyone but Ryuichi seemed to like that idea, shouting and cheering for them to follow that plan. Ryuichi knew it would be good practice for all of them, and reluctantly went along with it.

Both teams were evenly matched, but it was clear to Ryuichi that his team was distracted on how to approach their opponents. They hesitated to strike, held back on their strength, and continued to lose points. The girls took advantage of their hesitation with their agility, striking the boys' heads, bodies, wrists, and throats with ease. By the end of it, the girls had taken the lead.

"Captain!"

"Avenge us!"

"Honor system?" Ryuichi asked Shiori.

"Honor system," she agreed, and the two geared up for their sparring match.

For their match, they settled on a three-point system, where the first to score three points wins. They agreed to be their own referees, neither sure if their teams would have the integrity to determine who the winner was. The teams weren't happy with their decision.

One of the girls on the team signaled for the start of the first match. The two captains faced each other, ready for a fight. All around them, students were shouting their encouragements, laughing along, placing fake bets with one another for fun.

"Don't lose on purpose just because she's a girl!"

"Go easy on him, Captain! Don't hurt his feelings too much!"

"Use your speed, Captain!"

"Crush her!"

When the student gave the signal, the two captains clashed. They both yelled out with every strike, stomping the ground hard with heavy thuds while their shinai clattered against each other. Ryuichi blocked and struck all in one motion, succeeding in a single clean tap to Shiori's head.

"Yeah!"

"You'll get him back!"

"Finish her!"

"Don't worry, Captain!"

Shiori was faster on the next round. Ryuichi blocked, over and over, until they both came to a deadlock. He shoved her back easily, but she was quick and struck his side.

"Aw, come on, man!"

"You did it!"

"Keep it up!"

"Get your head together, Captain!"

Ryuichi gave himself a chance to breathe and remind himself that he wasn't facing a girl, but someone who was a skilled fighter. When they were given the signal, Ryuichi attacked first, charging forward quickly, but Shiori delivered one swift tap to his helmet.

"Point, white team!"

Half the gym erupted in cheers while the boys' club and team shouted their taunts and encouragement at Ryuichi. Growing frustrated with himself, Ryuichi knew he had to just stop thinking and work. He shut down his thoughts and let his senses think for him, feeling the cheers and taunts on his body, the weight of his armor trying to hold back his full power.

"Begin!"

Ryuichi was a beast. He slashed through Shiori's defenses and struck her wrist. They were tied now, and everyone made sure they knew it through their shouts and cheers. Any thoughts that tried to enter Ryuichi's mind were forced out. He bounced slightly on his toes to get his blood flowing and loosen him up for the last point. He returned to his starting position across from Shiori, focused on his steady breathing that was too loud in his own mask. The order was given, and this time, neither captain moved.

He stared at Shiori, studying her, detecting the tiniest twitches in her body that might indicate which way she would strike next. They started to move, circling each other, taking their time to measure each other. Shiori started to jerk her shinai as if she was going to strike, but Ryuichi didn't react. He could see that she was really only moving her arms, rather than throwing her weight into her attack.

There! He struck at an opening, but she deflected it. Both lashed out, their swords cracking like thunder with each strike. Shiori's blows were stronger and faster than before, but Ryuichi blocked each swing. Her barrage of strikes were met with his, until finally he tapped her side, just under her elbow.

"Point, red!"

Ryuichi won. He awakened from his trance and bowed to Shiori, who did the same. For the first few seconds, Ryuichi was afraid that she hated him even more until she removed her helmet and smiled at him.

"You won the battle, but we won the war," Shiori called to him over the cheers.  
There was no doubt about it: The girls' team won based off the number of points they scored over the boys. Indeed, Ryuichi did win his match against Shiori, but the girls' team won the competition overall.

He removed his helmet and extended his hand to her. "You and your team were incredible," he said, and they shook hands, Ryuichi glad to feel her strong, sincere grip.

"We won!"

"Next time, you'll beat him for sure, Shiori-senpai!"

"You were amazing!"

"That's our captain!"

"I wanna join the team now!"

A crowd rushed the two captains, separating them as they congratulated them for their remarkable match. Ryuichi felt his teammates grab for him and try to shake him while they showered him with praises, but he slipped his way through the crowd back to Shiori.

"You had me worried there for awhile," he told her, smiling.

"You? No way," she chuckled.

"Yeah. I didn't expect your speed at all." He wanted to say more to praise her, but the only words coming to mind were "C'est magnifique", which he figured she might not appreciate.

The first combined meeting ended as a success, though Ryuichi felt bad for having far more experience than Shiori thanks to all his battles against Shadows. No one but the SEES members knew about the nightly adventures, so everyone else just saw someone they believed to be talented in kendo, when really he was just used to surviving almost every night. He felt like a fraud.

"Come on, Captain! Let's celebrate!"

"We lost, but we're still celebrating?"

"Why not?"

"We totally thought she had you there!"

"Let's all go to Hagakure to celebrate!"

Ryuichi kept shaking his head. "Sorry, but you'll have to go on without me."

"Come on, man! You never hang out with us anymore," Kenta whined, and the others agreed.

"Can't your sister's husband watch her for once?" someone else sneered.

Ryuichi winced. "Sorry, guys. Just, have fun."

Back at home, Ryuichi showered and let himself soak in the tub for over an hour, still guilty from winning against Shiori. More than just having combat experience, he still thought about how awkward it had been between them, where he wondered if she still felt the same way about him as before. Then again, she seemed eager to beat his head in, so her feelings must have changed, and not in a good way.

When he came out of the bath, he noticed that all the other SEES members except for Mitsuru were in the lounge complaining about having nothing to eat. Taking pity on them, Ryuichi dug through the refrigerator and pantry and found that he had enough ingredients to cook them some yakisoba. He cheered up when he saw them piling their plates high with the stir-fried noodles and ended up having to cook more when he saw that their appetites were greater than he originally anticipated. When everyone had finished eating, he found himself stuck with washing the dishes. Again.

"Honestly, what am I to them?" he grumbled under his breath as he worked. "I knew I should've just gone out for ramen with the guys."

He frowned at the thought. "They would've made me pay for everyone."

When he finished with the dishes, he returned to his room to continue working on Mitsuru's present. His performance suffered, tinged with melancholy the more he thought about his kendo teammates and the SEES members. Every song he played sounded more like a funeral march, even the spritely ones.

He stopped recording. "The hell is wrong with me?" he muttered, shaking himself out of his stupor.

He began playing a more energetic tune, one where he could imagine an opera singer performing in a very blue room. The song had a rhythmic bounce to it, then became a gentle roll back and forth as it continued on. The third section had him hitting chords in rhythm, moving up the keyboard. The opera voice in his head dropped out, letting him have his own feature of wherever the song took him, keeping up the ambiance of satisfaction in melancholy that budded into quiet joy.

He held the final chord for a second, then released. The song left him, taking with it the irritation and sorrow he felt before. He sat in silence, the song still fresh in his ears and in his soul. Something about it comforted him, as if it was there to help him out.

"Mitsuru might like that one," he said to himself. His hope hit a wall. "But, where am I gonna get an opera singer?"

It didn't matter for now. He played whatever song came to mind, having more fun messing around instead of aiming for perfection. He didn't worry about recording or if he played it well. He could make all the mistakes he wanted, and no one would be able to hear it from his headphones.

For a few hours, he was at peace.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

On Wednesday, Ryuichi took Shizue to Paulownia Mall for a day out. She had no problems riding in the sidecar of his motorcycle, squealing and laughing much of the way there. It was a rare day of freedom for her, away from their parents and out of the house beyond their neighborhood, and she relished in every moment.

"Sweet! Club Escapade is still here!" she noticed when they first entered the mall. "I used to sneak here with friends back in high school. We'd go to Mandragora first, and then we'd hit the club."

Ryuichi didn't feel all that comfortable listening to Shizue talk about the beginnings of her wild life. He remembered that his parents used to complain all the time, their wrath usually dumped onto him as if he had been the offender. When Shizue would get caught sneaking back home, they would give her the abridged version of their lecture at half the intensity.

"Shinshoudo Antiques? Must be new." Shizue walked around the fountain, taking a look at the stores and reminiscing about some of them. She told him stories about her antics with her friends, how they once ended up getting dragged to the police station and held there until their parents came to bail them out, laughing as she shared the tale with her brother. When the tall, stern-faced Officer Kurosawa passed by, he shot a look at Shizue, who was laughing too much to notice, then acknowledged Ryuichi with a nod.

"Are you really that happy about that?" Ryuichi asked his sister of her past actions.

"Well, it's all behind me now, so it's funny to look back," she said. "I felt trapped when I lived with Mom and Dad, and I just wanted to be free, like those stories that Dad would tell us about him living abroad for a few months. I wanted to have adventures. I was sick of being the studious girl and having them always show me off as their perfect little princess.

"And do you remember how psychotic they were? Remember when Dad wouldn't pay you as much as the other workers, even though you were the best cook on the line?"

All Ryuichi could think about was how much he wanted to hire a nanny to take care of Megumi. The more Shizue talked about wanting her freedom, he began to wonder why he wasn't allowed to do the same. It wasn't like he was going out to night clubs or getting anyone pregnant, but only wanted to do well in school, work his jobs, and fight Shadows beneath the moonlight. He couldn't make any sense of his family's logic at all.

They stopped by Aohige Pharmacy so Shizue could pick up some more prenatal vitamins. While she compared prices, Ryuichi went over to the shelf with various bandages and medicines. He grabbed a bottle of aspirin, burn ointment, and disinfectant sprays and gels, and at the cash register, he added three bars of some of the more expensive chocolates to his basket.

Shizue came up and added her vitamins to the pile. "What's with all the first aid stuff?" she asked.

"For kendo," he lied.

"Yeah, but burn ointment?"

He blinked. "For when I cook," he said quickly.

She squinted hard at him while the burly, blue-bearded clerk rang up their items.

"And the chocolate?"

"I like chocolate."

"Can I have some?"

He added three more bars for Shizue and paid for everything. They took a break at the food court where Ryuichi told her to pick anything she wanted to eat. She took her time walking around to all the different booths, smelling the tangy, savory-sweet stir-fried noodles and grilled meats, hearing the deafening _whirrr_ of blenders, and pausing every now and then to see if anything on the menu was worth trying. Ryuichi padded after her, the handles of their shopping bags strangling his hand the entire time. When at last Shizue chose a place, he paid for their meals.

"How about you secure a table for us and I'll bring our food over when it's ready," Ryuichi suggested, hoping she would agree.

His sister switched her weight over to one foot, then to the other. "Good idea. My feet are killing me," she groaned. "Thanks, Little Bro."

He watched her go. Shizue had a confident bounce in her gait as she went in search for a place to sit. She claimed a free table for two by proudly planting her bottom down on one of the swivel chairs. She waved to Ryuichi, beaming from her accomplishment.

Ryuichi breathed out all the tension he carried in his chest, finally glad to have a quiet moment away from his sister amid the throng of customers. He couldn't deny that having Shizue in a good mood made her more bearable, but as happy as he was for her, there was still something about her that drained him faster than any battle during the Dark Hour.

When their food was ready, he carried the bags over to their table to find two guys and a girl standing over his sister. They wore haughty smirks as they chatted with her, to which Shizue could only keep her head down as she held her hands protectively over her bulbous stomach.

"I-I don't know," he heard her murmur.

"You seriously slept around with _that_ many guys that you don't even know?"

"What a slut!"

Ryuichi snapped. He charged across the floor and stood before the three goons, blocking his sister from them. Just one look at their smug grins was all it took for him to recognize them as the crowd that his sister used to run with.

"Leave," he snarled at them. His body became taut with anger, every muscle winding up tight and ready to strike.

The three ex-friends' faces lit up in surprise at him.

"Hey, aren't you—"

Shizue touched Ryuichi's shoulder. "Let's go," she whispered to him. She slid off the chair and left without saying anything to her friends. Ryuichi gathered all their purchases and hurried after her, hearing the group spit venomous jokes and jeers about his sister.

She didn't say anything to Ryuichi on the way to his motorcycle, and he didn't know what to say to her. He was still broiling with rage at Shizue's so-called friends, where he wanted to smash his fists into their stupid faces.

On the way home, he jerked his handlebars left and right to weave between cars, speeding up every chance he got to catch yellow lights before they turned red. All he wanted to do was get his sister away from the mall as quickly as possible, and get himself away from her old crowd before he broke their teeth with his bare hands. Somehow, he stayed within the speed limit, and his sister never spoke up about his crazed driving.

When they made it to the house, Shizue shut herself in her room and cried. Even from downstairs in the kitchen, Ryuichi could hear her sobbing. All he could do was put her food away in the refrigerator and try to offer her anything else. When she refused, he tried to eat his food, but the thought of chewy, greasy noodles grew nauseating. He left it for Shizue to eat later.

That night when their parents came home, they kept Ryuichi for nearly an extra hour to lecture him about not protecting Shizue better.

"You're a bodyguard, aren't you? Then why didn't you do your job?"

"My job doesn't mean I beat people up!" Ryuichi argued back. "If she was getting physically attacked, then—"

They wouldn't listen. Shizue remained locked in her room, and Ryuichi had to take the brunt of everything their parents had to say. He returned to the dorm feeling so defeated that he sat down on his bed and held his face in his hands. He didn't cry, didn't feel angry, didn't want to do anything anymore. He just wanted to stop going to his parents' house all together. He was just so tired of always having to eat shit for his sister for things he didn't do and things that were beyond his control.

But there was no time for him to recover from that afternoon's events. That night, Mitsuru wanted to let Minato have a chance to lead the team into Tartarus. Ryuichi prepared to accompany the juniors for safety and follow Minato's orders while Mitsuru and Akihiko both stayed in the lobby.

"Uh, Ryuichi-senpai? Are you okay to go?"

It was Yukari who asked. Ryuichi straightened up and smiled at her.

"I've been waiting for this all day," he told her cheerfully, when really he was breaking down inside.

"You've had a very long day, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said to him. "Perhaps you should rest for now. I'm sure they can handle it on their own."

"Yeah we can!" Junpei was practically bouncing around Tartarus' entrance. "Just sit back, relax, and let us juniors show you senpai how it's done!"

"I can fight," Ryuichi insisted, but Mitsuru had the final say.

"Stand down, Ryuichi," she ordered. "This will be good practice for them."

The three juniors headed into Tartarus while Akihiko looked on with envy. For the first few minutes, Ryuichi wasn't sure what to do with himself, after not having had to guard Mitsuru for so long. They were in an enclosed space, where Shadows wouldn't be able to sneak up on them anywhere.

"So what's going on with you today?" Akihiko asked Ryuichi while Mitsuru issued orders for the others.

"Nothing." Ryuichi didn't even believe himself when he said that.

"Forget your duty for a sec, will you? You've been mope-y like this for a few days now. What's up?"

It wasn't just for a few days, but Ryuichi wasn't about to correct him. "I just have a lot on my mind; that's all."

Akihiko gazed up at the door leading into Tartarus. "You think they're gonna be okay in there?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "I know they've improved, but that was when you were with them."

Ryuichi barely heard anything his teammate said. His mind was so far gone with his concerns over how he could convince his family to let him hire a babysitter, if only so that he could distance himself from all of them. Every time he came near his family, it was like his life picked up from middle school, where Shizue was virtually blameless in all she did, and he was the one to get in trouble for her stupidity and selfishness.

"What's that?"

Ryuichi and Akihiko gathered around Mitsuru as she worked to scan several floors above them. She stood at her transceiver, frantically twisting knobs to strengthen her reading when they heard Junpei swear.

"Oh, shit! It saw us!"

"Everybody, run!"

"No no no no no—Ah!"

Through their earpieces, Ryuichi heard what sounded like gunshots and fiery explosions that swept away their friends' shouts and cries. Whatever was in there with them rattled chains and fired off more shots, and likely far larger and more powerful than any Shadow they had ever fought.

"Eat this you—Ngh!"

"Junpei!"

"Do not engage!" Mitsuru shouted. "I repeat, do not engage the target! Head west for the stairs—No, not that way! The other way!"

"Which way is west?"

"Waaah—!"

"They're getting killed in there!" Akihiko snarled as he started for the stairs.

"Akihiko! You stay right where you are!" Mitsuru commanded. "Arisato, head to your right. The third opening on the left will lead you to the access point. Go now."

"Wh-What about Junpei?" they heard Yukari stammer. "He's—"

"Someone will get him later, so focus on your escape," Mitsuru answered coldly.

Seconds later, Yukari and Minato appeared in a flash of green light on the warp pad of the lobby. Battered, singed, and panting hard, they both were stricken with fear as they babbled to describe what had happened.

"Iori's been rendered unconscious," Mitsuru reported as she scanned one of the floors above them. "It looks like the Shadow's already left. Ryuichi, I'm leaving it to you to find him and bring him back here."

"At once." Ryuichi readied his Evoker on his way to the warp point.

"Be cautious," Mitsuru advised. "The Shadow may not be on that floor anymore, but he's still nearby. Do not engage any Shadows; just run."

Just as the warp's light shone brightly, Ryuichi saluted her, flashing her a dutiful look. When he blinked, he found himself in the bloodied Gekkoukan hallways. Shadows patrolled the floor in search of new prey, but Ryuichi sped past them as he followed Mitsuru's directions to get to the stairs quickly.

"There are two Shadows in the next room. Try to dash through them."

Ryuichi cast Rakukaja on himself and sprinted through, pumping his arms and legs as fast as they would go. Something tugged on his blazer. Threads tore, but he plowed right through and up the awaiting stairs to the next floor. He continued upwards, getting small scratches from claws and weapons until Mitsuru told him that he was on the correct floor.

"I don't sense any Shadows there," she said. Ryuichi took a moment to breathe, feeling his little hairs on the back of his neck become as rigid as needles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he panted.

"It means 'proceed with caution'. The access point is near your position, but Iori is about three rooms away."

Ryuichi made his way down the winding halls, keeping his Evoker ready. He spotted the short dead end where the access point was, pulsing with its minty glow. Picking up his pace, he trotted along the path that Mitsuru guided him through until finally he spotted Junpei lying flat on his back. He had a few tiny holes burned into his uniform and a cut on his shoulder, where blood seeped through his blazer. Ryuichi holstered his Evoker and knelt by him to stick a bitter Revival Bead into his mouth.

"Bleh! What the hell was that?" Junpei bolted upright and spat when he saw Ryuichi. "Huh? Senpai? What're you doing here?"

Ryuichi touched his earpiece. "Mitsuru, I've secured the target," he said, then pulled Junpei to his feet. The injured teenager touched his wounded shoulder, sucking on his teeth from the pain.

"Hurry to the exit," Mitsuru ordered. "I sense a presence there. It's growing stronger."

On their way to the warp point, Ryuichi cast Dia on Junpei that renewed his strength. His injuries remained.

"We heard chains rattling, and there was this big, tall guy in a long coat chasing after us," Junpei told him. "We threw everything we had, but we couldn't even scratch him."

They passed the first room on the way back when they heard metal rattling. Both boys halted dead on the spot, with Junpei's eyes growing as big as moons. At the other end of the hall near the access point, a tall, dark figure in a long coat appeared, rattling chains and firing off shots from its twin revolvers with extra long barrels. The monster wore what looked to be a scratchy, brown sack over its head, and blood drenched its coat.

"This way!" Ryuichi pulled Junpei into one of the rooms. Two staircases led up to a platform in the corner, where the two scurried and stood in wait for their assailant. There, Ryuichi cast Rakukaja on them both as they listened for the chains. The metallic rattle grew with the flutter of heavy cloth as the Shadow drew near. When the first barrel of one of its guns appeared in the doorway, they both stiffened.

"We gotta run!" Junpei hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"Not yet!" Ryuichi grunted back.

There was no place to hide, and yet the Shadow didn't try to shoot them. As soon as it drifted up one set of stairs, the two boys ran down the other side, Ryuichi pushing Junpei ahead of him.

 _Boom!_ A fiery explosion hurled Ryuichi against the wall. Searing heat broiled the back of his neck as he lay in a heap, hearing a buzzing in his ears.

"C'mon!" Junpei hauled him back on his feet and shoved him towards the exit. Ryuichi's feet shuffled in confusion before bolting into a run. Gunshots rang out. Both ducked with every shot as dust crumbled and burst around them. Junpei whirled around and sent Hermes zooming back down the hall to attack the creature. Another series of gunshots, and Junpei went down, clutching his woundless chest. Ryuichi grabbed him under his arm to drag him towards the exit. The next second, Junpei was tossed up in the air as emerald winds slammed him into the ceiling. He landed in a crumpled lump on the ground, groaning, but Ryuichi yanked him back on his feet to keep running.

"Mitsuru! Which way?" he snarled, but his earpiece was gone. Horrified, he ran blindly down the hall, slowing down enough for Junpei to catch up. They could hear the chains closing in behind them over their feet pounding on the tiles. More shots. More plaster and dust. Ryuichi just kept throwing his weight from side to side, bullets blasting chunks of wall apart.

Green light! Ryuichi shoved Junpei forward when every nerve in his body popped and sizzled from a fat blade of a lightning bolt striking him from above. His whole body locked up, pitching him forward. He watched as Junpei disappeared in a white flash of light while he skidded forward on the tiles. His fingertips stopped just short of the warp point.

He couldn't move beyond tiny twitches. He mentally screamed at himself to move, for his legs push him forward, stretch his arm to reach the warp point, for his hand to find his Evoker. The chains rattled closer. Death was coming.

Tiles exploded near his feet. Strengthened with panic, his feet shoved him forward enough that his fingers brushed the warp point. He shut his eyes from the brilliant light, and soon, gunshots were replaced by terrified voices huddled over him.

"Give him some room! Let him breathe!"

"Senpai!"

"Easy! Don't push yourself!"

Ryuichi's body loosened up as a warm light bathed him. He painfully tried to sit up with help from Mitsuru and Akihiko, seeing Junpei lying on the ground with his arms outstretched, his chest heaving up and down while he tried to catch his breath. Yukari repeatedly cast healing spells over them both, and Ryuichi began to feel the tingle in his nerves die down. The pain was reduced to a soothing warmth.

"Junpei, you okay?" was the first thing out of Ryuichi's mouth. Junpei lifted his hand to flash him a thumbs' up.

"Ryuichi, are you all right?" Mitsuru asked.

He couldn't answer right away; he was still stunned from the blows, but at least most of the pain had faded away.

"Junpei's hurt, too," Yukari's voice rang out.

"We need to staunch the bleeding. Here, use this."

"What the hell kind of Shadow was that?"

"I'm not sure. The power it exuded was far greater than anything I've ever felt."

Somehow, Ryuichi managed to stagger to his feet. Still dazed and stunned, he masked it by holding himself upright and going over to help Junpei to his feet.

"How do you still have energy?" Junpei asked in awe.

"It's my job," Ryuichi replied. "Thanks for helping me back there."

Junpei flashed him a weak grin. "Yeah, well, heh, you saved me first."

"And now you know why he's Mitsuru's bodyguard," Akihiko said. Ryuichi thought he detected a hint of pride in his voice.

Mitsuru was the only one who didn't seem impressed, but worried. "Ryuichi, Iori—both of you should go to the hospital to have your injuries taken care of."

She turned to Yukari and Minato next. "Are you two certain that your injuries are not severe?"

"I'm okay," Yukari answered, looking over to Minato. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied as he examined a burn in his blazer.

They prepared to leave Tartarus for the night. As Ryuichi raised the kickstand on his motorcycle, Mitsuru came up to him with that hardened, concerned look on her face.

"Are you all right to drive?" she asked.

"I think so." He tested his arms and shoulders to see if everything worked. "Yeah. I'm good to go."

Her lips parted slightly. "You have a burn on your neck," she said, gesturing behind his head.

"Do I?"

"You don't feel it? You might still be in shock."

He flashed her a bitter smile. "Literally."

All he could think then was how difficult it was going to be to explain at school why his neck was bandaged. While the thought ran through his mind, he called Junpei over to get in his sidecar to head over to the hospital. He was still excitedly jabbering on about "their epic escape", laughing and embellishing the story with his heroics. At the hospital, Junpei's cut needed stitches while Ryuichi was treated for his burns and looked over for any head trauma.

A nurse smeared burn ointment on the back of his neck and over a few tiny spots on his back before covering both in gauze. Ryuichi sighed, thinking he might have to wear a scarf if he wanted to cover up the bandages at school. But then, what would he do during kendo? His burns were minimal thanks to whatever divine power protected him, but would he be able to move well enough to train?

Back at the dorm, Mitsuru was still typing up her report on the computer behind the front desk. Junpei headed upstairs to get to bed, but Ryuichi had to hang around a little longer to give his report to Mitsuru.

"I've never heard of a Shadow like that before," she said as she rapidly recreated his descriptions on the screen. "It's a miracle that neither of you were shot."

He found it difficult to move his head due to the burns and bandages. "We were lucky this time," he muttered. "If I didn't have Rakukaja on me, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead."

Her fingers paused over the keyboard. "When you arrived on the floor where Iori was, were there any Shadows around? I couldn't detect anything."

"No, none." He skimmed her report to try to refresh his memory. "Junpei and I were already headed towards the exit when we heard something shaking chains. That's when we saw it coming towards us."

"The others said that there were Shadows around when they arrived on the floor. They defeated them all and started searching for items when the Shadow made its presence known."

"Was it a trap?"

"I don't think so. They all took time to explore after eliminating the Shadows. Perhaps they lingered for too long."

She began to type again. Ryuichi hid a yawn behind his hand. He attempted to swivel his head around, feeling the tightness of his raw skin like thin plastic stretched to its limit.

"May I ask you something completely unrelated to our recent battle?"

He came out of his thoughts. "What's up?"

Without looking up from the screen, she said to him: "You seemed distracted earlier. Did something happen between you and your sister?"

Leaning back against the wall, he folded his arms and sighed. "I took her to Paulownia Mall earlier. She ran into some old friends, and they said some things."

He crushed his arms against his chest, reliving his rage towards the three. He could see the defeated look on his sister's face in his memories. He wanted to make them feel the pain they threw at her, but how, he didn't know.

But he didn't regret walking away. What he regretted was that, for a moment, he agreed with her friends.

His guilt made him shudder. "So, since it was our underclassmen's first time on their own, how do you think they did?"

"I think they did very well." Mitsuru finished typing and began to reread her report. "I will admit, I regret not going with you to retrieve Iori."

"No." He pushed off from the wall. "It was way too dangerous, even if all of us went."

Mitsuru sent her report and shut down the computer. In the dim glow of the computer screen, he could see that she was still remorseful for not going with him. "What will you do about kendo tomorrow?" she asked him.

"I can still practice."

"But, your injuries."

He touched the bandages around his neck. "They're not bad, but I don't know how I'm supposed to cover it up," he said, frowning. "I don't think I can pass it off as a bad sunburn."

The two bid each other "good work" and "good night" before heading off to bed. The next morning, Kikuno arrived with breakfast for Mitsuru and a scarf for Ryuichi to hide the bandages underneath.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's got a camera on me somewhere," he sighed to himself, and went to try the scarf on.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Saturday after kendo, Ryuichi was back in the dorm preparing tea and snacks for Mitsuru, who had gone upstairs to set her bag down and freshen up. For that day, he prepared some fruit sandwiches filled with slices of peaches and strawberries with a little yogurt, and cut off the crusts to turn them into little pouches. He made some tomato and cheddar finger sandwiches to complement the sweeter ones with a savory flavor, hoping that the fruit version wouldn't be too weird for Mitsuru's palate.

When everything was arranged on the lounge coffee table, he settled on the couch and turned on the TV. He flipped around the channels, seeing colorful talk shows, electrifying cartoons, and bland dramas, eventually stopping on a news report that showed images of Iwatodai.

 _"—cases on the rise. Last month, Apathy Syndrome suffers made a full recovery without any indication as to why. Since then, more patients than before have been diagnosed with Apathy Syndrome and admitted into hospitals. No cause has been identified, but doctors are determined to—"_

"She sure is taking awhile," Ryuichi muttered to himself, eyeing the tea.

He changed the channel again. A show featuring competitive eaters at local restaurants challenged them to finish gargantuan portions of their menu items, which were often bigger than the contestants' heads. Ryuichi salivated when he saw the chef bring out a giant bowl of grilled eel atop a thick bed of rice soaked in sauce. He considered treating himself to some later, possibly for dinner.

When almost a half hour had passed, Mitsuru still had not come downstairs. He made some fresh tea and brought the tray upstairs, figuring that she had gotten caught up in some work. When he approached her door, he heard retching inside.

"Mitsuru? Are you all right?" he called through the door.

More retching. "I'm coming in."

With difficulty, he got her door open while balancing the tray on one arm. He crossed the room to set the tray down on her desk when he heard her utter a low moan from the lavatory. He rapped on the door.

"D-Don't come in!" came Mitsuru's panicked plea. She was interrupted by another wave of retching.

"It's okay," Ryuichi said, and gently pushed the door open.

Mitsuru was kneeling in front of her toilet, one hand clamped behind her head to keep her hair out of the way. She continued heave, prompting Ryuichi to lurch forward, only to pull back immediately. He wanted to help, but—

The rancid stench of vomit made his stomach writhe, but he fought to keep his face neutral, more worried about Mitsuru than his own squeamishness. When the last wave left her, she quickly flushed the toilet, then shakily stood and steadied herself against the sink.

Ryuichi spotted a glass covered with a fluted paper cup. He filled it with water and handed it to her, but she only stood there, clutching the full glass. He took it as a sign to step outside to give her some privacy. It was only after he closed the door behind him that he heard her run the tap.

"Ryuichi, help me," she mumbled when she had finished.

He lent her his shoulder and walked her over to her bed. There, he turned down the covers before helping her lay down. Mitsuru lay limp on her side, watching with a bleary eye as he brought over her little waste basket in case she couldn't make it to the toilet in time. When he went to pull the covers over her, he almost gasped at how pale her face was, where she appeared to be a faint green.

"Do you have any medicine?" he asked her.

She lifted a weak finger to point at her bedside table. Inside, he found a bottle of liquid medicine and some aspirin, products similar to what his sister used to ask him to get for her almost monthly. He measured out a dose of the medicine for her, quickly pouring her some tea to chase it down when he saw her face twist in disgust.

"I had hoped you wouldn't see me like this," Mitsuru murmured.

"Were you this ill all day?"

"It started before the final bell."

"And you stuck with it this long? You went through fencing practice like this?"

She pushed herself up onto her elbow to reach for her boots. Ryuichi turned his back to her while she worked to undo the straps and slip her boots off her legs. He heard both hit the floor soon after.

"Can I get you anything?" Ryuichi asked without turning around.

"Could you get the heating pad, please?" It sounded to him like she was forcing herself to sound stronger than she felt.

"Sure thing." He turned to retrieve her boots. "Where's it at?"

She pointed to her dresser. After dropping her boots off by the door, he went over to the dresser and reached for the top left drawer.

"Not that one!"

He flinched. "Sorry," he uttered, and pointed to another drawer, then another, until Mitsuru confirmed it was the correct one. He brought the heating pad back to her.

"So, yours get pretty bad, huh?"

She averted her gaze as Ryuichi got down on all fours next to the bed to search for an outlet.

"By that, you mean—?"

He groped blindly between the desk and bed, feeling around the wall. "I mean, my sister pretty much put me through an advanced course in women's health while we were growing up, so..."

"I-I see."

Ryuichi's fingers found an outlet. He popped back up to grab the heating pad's plug, finding Mitsuru's face buried deep in her thick blanket.

"How's your sister?" she asked once he ducked back down again. Her voice came out raspy with exhaustion.

"Well, she's okay-ish, I guess." He got the heating pad plugged in. He could hear her moving around on the bed, repositioning the pad to her liking. "She still gets morning sickness at times, so cleaning up spills is really no big deal to me."

He stood up once he was sure that Mitsuru was covered. "Can I get you anything?" he offered again, realizing that he might be troubling Mitsuru with his chatter. "Tea? Rice porridge? One of Ikutsuki-san's jokes?"

"Everything but the joke, thank you," she replied. Even with her face half-buried in the blanket, he could tell from her rigid tone that she wasn't amused.

He bowed to her, sorry for bothering her in her condition. "Right away," he said, and spared a moment to pour her some more tea before heading downstairs.

While the rice porridge simmered, Ryuichi popped into his room for several items he thought might help Mitsuru. He brought out his portable DVD player and stuffed a couple of beloved animated movies into its carry case. As he zipped the bag closed, he snatched up some chocolate bars from his stash and threw them in with the DVDs. He slung the bag over his shoulder and returned to the kitchen, where he loaded another tray with more tea and a bowl of fresh, hot rice porridge for Mitsuru. When he returned to her room, he found her sitting up in bed, now dressed in a set of red, silk pajamas and wearing a white robe over it.

"What's that for?" she asked as she eyed the DVD player.

"Thought you could use a little entertainment," he said as he unfolded the short legs of the tray. "Whenever I get sick, I like to have the TV on. It gets pretty lonely when you're stuck in bed all day."

While she ate, he plugged in his little DVD player and popped in one of his favorite animated movies about a young witch discovering herself as she settles into her new city.

"Oh, I know this one," Mitsuru said.

Ryuichi feared that she didn't like it. "You do?"

She nodded. "Years ago, I was at a birthday party for the daughter of one of my father's associates. She received a copy of this movie as a present, but she complained that it was a dull, outdated movie."

Mitsuru stared at the main menu on the screen as Ryuichi hesitated to hit play. "I asked for a copy the next day, and I saw nothing dull or outdated about it. I was captivated by the character's strength to overcome her inner turmoil."

Ryuichi beamed. "Right? And even though it's an animated family movie, there's just something about it that still speaks to me to this day."

He started to say something else but stopped. "Um, if you want, I can play something else. Or if you prefer it quiet, I can—"

"This is fine. I haven't seen it in years. I think I'm due for another viewing."

Ryuichi went to gather up the other tray with its tepid tea and slowly staling sandwiches to take back downstairs. He put everything away, washing a few dishes while trying to think if there was anything else he could do for Mitsuru.

Back upstairs, Mitsuru had a hand over her mouth, looking panicked. Ryuichi dashed over and snatched the waste basket up to hold before her. She waved it away, then motioned for him to take the tray, as well.

"It tastes wonderful, but I'm afraid I'm unable to ingest anything at the moment," she said as she settled back into bed.

"That's okay." He set the tray on the desk. "Anything else I can get you?"

"I think I'm fine now, thank you."

She curled up under the covers, but he could see that she kept her eyes on the movie.

"Would you like some popcorn?" she offered. "There's some in the cabinet over there."

"Don't mind if I do." He helped himself to her hefty supply of buttered popcorn in the cabinet where she kept her tea sets and her microwave oven. Just as the bag began sounding off its little warzone, he asked himself why he never bothered getting himself a microwave oven for his room.

Mitsuru fell asleep before he finished making the popcorn. He let the movie play on while he stepped outside to call Kikuno and let her know that Mitsuru had taken ill.

"That's quite normal."

"You have got to be kidding."

"It is," Kikuno said. "The first day is always like that for her. Afterward, she can tolerate everything else."

Ryuichi still couldn't believe how normal it was for Mitsuru to suffer so much every single month. "Are you sure? Don't you want to come over and take a look?"

"You're doing fine, Ryuichi-san. Has she stopped throwing up?"

He had to think about it. "Well, she hasn't thrown up in awhile, but she had a moment where she almost did."

"Just make sure that she's comfortable. You're doing very well as her butler."

"No, really. I think she's more comfortable if she wasn't dealing with her time of the month _and_ suddenly having a guy all up in her personal business."

"You're fine. I've already gotten her all the things she needs, so just be there for her. I'll come by around dinnertime."

He heard Mitsuru moan. "Okay," he sighed. "I really feel like I'm intruding, though."

"As her butler, you will have to attend to her every need. Think of it like training."

She reassured him again that everything would be fine. When he hung up, he went to check on Mitsuru, who kicked the covers off in her sleep. He adjusted the heating pad over her stomach before covering her again, then lowered the volume on the movie so as not to disturb her.

And then, he had no idea what to do. He figured he could leave her to rest and just have her call him on his cell phone. That way, he could just periodically check up on her without being too intrusive.

He started to leave, only to feel like he was abandoning her.

"I'll be right back," he whispered over his shoulder. He took the tray of cold rice porridge downstairs to throw out. When he returned, Mitsuru was just coming out of the lavatory.

"Feeling better?" he asked gently as she slid back into bed.

"Not really." She pulled the covers up to her eyes. "I'm sorry to have taken up your afternoon like this."

Ryuichi knitted his eyebrows and sighed. "You didn't 'take up' my afternoon at all," he reassured her. "But, next time you're not feeling well, tell me right away, okay? I was really worried about you."

Mitsuru opened her eyes wider. "You were worried about me?"

"Well, yeah." He shoved a hand in his pocket and rubbed his neck with the other. "When you keep quiet about stuff when you look like you're dying, it's normal for anyone to worry. I was afraid you had food poisoning, or something."

She shrank under the covers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"It's fine. But, it looks to me like you get it as bad as Shizue does."

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Are hers like this?"

"Pretty much." His warm smile waned. "She used to do this thing where she would invite me to play video games in her room whenever she couldn't get out of bed. It was her not-so-subtle way of asking me to keep her company."

His memories of caring for his sister during her period clenched his heart and dragged it down to his stomach. He recalled the first time his sister shared some of the chocolate he brought her, being unsure if he should be grateful or if he was being tested. A fonder memory was when his sister asked him to get her more supplies, giving him a little extra money so he could treat himself to some ice cream. He cracked a smile when he remembered digging up some of his own pocket change, just so he could buy an extra ice cream so his sister could have one, too.

Ryuichi went around to the other side of the bed for the DVD player case and pulled out the chocolate bars.

"Here," he said, peeling open the wrapper of one of them for Mitsuru. "Chocolate is supposed to have healing properties, or so the magic folk say."

He held out the bar of chocolate to her. Mitsuru slowly pulled the covers down to her chest, then shakily sat up. She took the dark bar wrapped in gold foil from him and left her dazed stare on it.

"Thank you," she said wearily. To his surprise, she broke off a piece and offered it to him.

"But, you need it more."

"There's plenty here."

She surprised him again when she managed to smile. "I don't think I've ever seen you refuse sweets before."

Ryuichi made a show of pouting, flaring his nostrils, and blowing hot air for her amusement. Mitsuru's smile grew warmer as he snatched up the piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth. Only then did she take one for herself.

"What other movies did you bring?" Mitsuru asked after they finished their first bites.

He gladly showed her the selection he prepared. She asked what each one was about, and when he ran out of titles, he offered to bring her more from his collection. When they agreed on a movie, Mitsuru invited Ryuichi to have a seat at her desk chair. He pulled it close to the bed so they could watch together.

That evening, Kikuno arrived with Mitsuru's dinner. She relieved Ryuichi of his watch and saw him to the door.

"I'm afraid your dorm mates found your sandwiches," she reported with her seemingly eternal smile.

Ryuichi only shrugged. "At least they didn't go to waste," was all he could say about that.

Downstairs, he witnessed Akihiko and the three juniors finishing off the last of the sandwiches meant for Mitsuru's tea. Nobody seemed aware that Mitsuru had fallen ill, all chatting about school, Shadows, and other carefree thoughts.

Minato spotted Ryuichi as he headed to his room. "Senpai. Are we going to Tartarus tonight?" he asked.

"No. Not tonight," Ryuichi replied. "Mitsuru's feeling a bit under the weather."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

During lunch the following Wednesday, Ryuichi stood in line for the small store in the foyer, hoping they still had curry bread. Each time a student in front of him purchased a deep fried, curry-filled, panko-encrusted pocket of happiness, he would squint hard at that student and attempt to telepathically wish them the misfortune of getting a strong urge to sneeze and losing it shortly after. His concentration broke when the two snooty girls in line behind him giggled like idiots.

"Right? What's her deal?"

"And that hair! Did a four-year-old cut it?"

"Yeah! Haha!"

Ryuichi would have loved to send the annoying girls flying with a Garula from Ajax, but dismissed them instead. As he let himself go back to fantasizing about his malicious curses, a girl with short, pale green hair came down the stairs and sidled through the line of hungry students. A yelp behind Ryuichi made him turn to see the girl with green hair face-down on the floor. The two girls cackled, one of them retracting her extended foot.

"Are you all right?" Ryuichi stepped out of the line and knelt to help the girl up.

She rubbed a red spot on her forehead as she blinked back tears. "Oh, um, yes! Thank you," she blubbered, taking his hand. She quickly bowed and hurried away, keeping her head down.

"What a loser," one of the nasty girls snickered.

Ryuichi shot a look of contempt at the two girls. They both squeaked and sped off, still giggling and glancing back at Ryuichi. When he had a chance to look around, he saw that he had forfeited his spot in line to help the girl. There was no way he was going to waste more of his lunchtime standing in line again.

"Can it, Stupei!"

"Come on! It was just a joke!"

"It wasn't funny!"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Yukari slipped through the line of students and headed down the hall, trailed by Junpei and Minato. Just then, Akihiko came zipping through the foyer and dashed up the stairs while a gaggle of his female fans gave chase. Ryuichi amused himself by thinking that Mitsuru might show up next, only for him to recall that she was having lunch with some of the girls on the fencing team.

He hung his head. It looked like he really had nothing better to do than to stand in line again. By the time he made it to the store's counter, all that was left was melon bread and TaP soda. Sighing, he bought one of each, then went in search of a place where he could eat.

He couldn't go back to his classroom, since a group of boys took over his desk and the surrounding ones so they could play a card game. The light rain drove some of the sports teams indoors for practice, filling the gym with sharp tweets from whistles and yells and shouts from students, making it impossible for Ryuichi to relax. He considered sneaking into the music room, but aside from food being prohibited there, he was certain that his lack of attendance for orchestra club meant he wasn't welcome there anymore.

He ended up spending his entire lunch break walking around, sipping his soda and nibbling on his bread. At times, he paused by the windows to catch a glimpse of the gray world outside, the light rain progressing to a delightful shower. He caught himself staring a little longer than he should have, but having no regret in doing so.

After school, the rain continued to fall. Ryuichi overheard some of his classmates complain that their sport's practice was cancelled due to the rain.

"They told us to just study instead!" griped a whiny guy. "It's not even exam week!"

"You could use the extra time to study," a girl scolded him. "At the rate you're going, you'll have to take summer classes."

"Aw, crap! Yoko-chan, you gotta help me!"

"I've got my own studies to worry about!"

"Please?"

Another group behind Ryuichi laughed. He could hear Shiori telling her friends a funny story about her little brother. He listened in, borrowing some of their warmth as the simple tale made his lip curl.

"Shall we go?" Mitsuru asked just then.

Ryuichi looked up, almost leaping from his chair until he saw Mitsuru leave the classroom with some members of the Student Council. His shoulders deflated as he watched her go. She didn't even bother to invite him this time, something she always did even when his answer remained unchanged.

"Guess I'll just go study," he muttered to himself. He gathered his things and headed to the library.

Every table in the school library was taken, including those with only a single occupant. The lone students marked their territory by spreading all their notes and books across the entire table, warding off anyone who might be looking to sit. Ryuichi scowled at those students, but also admired them for their gall.

It took a bit of stalking for him to finally spot a group getting up to leave. Just before the last guy pushed his chair in, Ryuichi swooped in and took over the table. He quickly spread every book and notebook he had all over the table, carefully arranging everything to maximize his coverage. When he was sure that no one would join him, he silently thanked the lone table dwellers for their wisdom.

He opened his calculus book and stared at the page. In that instant, his brain decided to shut down. He had no drive to study for the moment, not even sure why he bothered to try. He just sat there with his pencil in hand and poised to write, the ideal illusion of one who wanted to look diligent with minimal effort to remain unperturbed.

A familiar figure in red approached his table. Ryuichi looked up to see Akihiko standing over him, his Gekkoukan blazer over his shoulder and school bag in hand.

"No fan club today?" Ryuichi inquired in a light voice.

Without an invitation, Akihiko quickly took a seat across from Ryuichi. "I hope not," he grunted, scowling. "They were trying to share their umbrellas with me, so I'm stuck here until they're gone."

Ryuichi scanned the library, seeing a lot of bowed heads but no girls eyeing Akihiko. "Huh. They didn't follow you?"

"They were too busy squabbling. I don't even think they noticed I was gone."

Grateful for the company, Ryuichi put away his extra books to give Akihiko some space. As his new companion began put his own books on the table, another familiar face came up to them.

"May I join you both?" Mitsuru asked.

Ryuichi gestured to the remaining empty chairs. "Take your pick," he replied, and she chose the chair next to him.

With Mitsuru's presence, Ryuichi felt obligated to focus on his studies while she tutored them. As she worked with Akihiko on English, Ryuichi twisted his torso around, wringing out the tension in his back and feeling a semi-satisfying release with every pop of his spine. He stared out the window to see the rain still showering outside, thinking that he would love to just play piano with the gentle timbre of rain for accompaniment.

But for now, he found contentment with his two fellow seniors to keep him company. He didn't bother to ask Mitsuru about the brief Student Council meeting, nor did he wonder why Akihiko decided to duck into the library to hide from his fans. For just a short while, he could pretend that he still had a life outside of work, school, and family.

When the library made the announcement that it was closing time, everyone began to pack their things to leave. Akihiko left ahead of the others, pausing just inside the library doors to look up and down the hallway before hurrying away.

"Fans," Ryuichi told Mitsuru. She nodded in understanding.

The two stopped by the restrooms on their way out. Ryuichi finished first, and when he came out of the boys' restroom, he spotted a girl with short, dark hair hiding around the corner, staring so hard at the girls' restroom that she didn't seem to notice him.

"—What if she forgot her umbrella?" he heard the girl hiss to herself. "I could offer to share mine with her! This could be my chance!"

When Ryuichi heard Mitsuru's heels click on the tiles, the girl gasped and fled. Amused, Ryuichi watched her almost run into another student before hurrying away.

"Shall we?" Mitsuru asked him. She didn't seem to notice the girl at all.

They both crossed the foyer to the shoe lockers, where they separated for a few moments to change their shoes. They met up again at the front doors, and when they both took out their umbrellas, Ryuichi was certain he heard the sound of a heart shattering. He didn't dare to look behind them.

"Did you know you have a little admirer?" he asked Mitsuru on their way to the station.

"An admirer?"

"You know, like a fan. Not like Akihiko's, but—"

He realized that the girl he just saw might be a different sort of fan.

"Well, she's definitely _unique_ , to say the least," he murmured.

That got Mitsuru chuckling. "I'm sure that our classmates would prefer to be called 'unique' in a positive light," she said, looking both amused and slightly defensive over whoever the student was.

They returned to an unusually silent dorm. Ryuichi prepared tea and took out the lemon bars he made the previous night, taking everything upstairs to Mitsuru's room.

"By the way, Ryuichi," she said when he was about to leave, "I've been sensing another large Shadow these past few nights, but I can't seem to locate it. It's been growing stronger each night for the past week."

He turned back, growing concerned. "Another one? Is it like the one we fought before?"

"I'm not sure. For now, don't tell the others. I don't want to compromise their studies over this."

He chuckled. "But what about _my_ studies?" he whined jokingly.

Mitsuru smiled. "I'm confident you'll do just fine," was all she said.

Ryuichi headed back downstairs to his room. He changed out of his uniform and into jeans and a T-shirt, wondering if he should wear sweat pants instead. Seated at his desk, he took out his calculus book once again but didn't open it. He just sat quietly, thinking about his day at school and how strange it felt. The falling rain steadily hammered his realization into him:

He was lonely.

It was pathetic, he knew, considering that he spent the first fourteen years of his life mostly as a loner. In just the past few years since moving into the dormitory, he grew to be more social, more outgoing, felt the joy of being accepted by his peers instead of ignored or bullied. He got to live a normal high school student's life, save for the nightly battles against Shadows.

But, things were different now. He had to accept that.

Pushing the thought away, he opened his desk drawer to take out the CD he finally finished for Mitsuru. It was thanks to their days off during Golden Week that he finally had all the time he needed to complete the present. He had decorated the cheap case with just a simple "Happy 18th Birthday!" he printed out, and on the other side of the printout he listed the tracks on the disc. He handwrote the same birthday greeting on the CD itself, and while he considered making a card instead of just buying one from the store, he couldn't find any words that wished her a happy birthday better than what he could buy.

"She's gonna hate it," he sighed, putting the CD back into the drawer.

After listening to the songs hundreds of times, he knew exactly where each mistake was in each song. Despite his right hand improving drastically from all the practice, it still wasn't perfect. He had hoped to cover up most of the bad notes or wrong rhythms by singing or playing his saxophone, even adding an extra layer of harmony, but he could still hear the song sour in his ears.

He had to get better. He rolled his chair over to his keyboard to practice some more, his calculus book forgotten.

The next day, it rained again. Even though he had kendo practice that day, his mother urgently asked him to come to the house to help out with Shizue. He had to put Kenta in charge of practice and took the bus to his parents' house, expecting the worst that might have happened between his sister and mother.

When he arrived at the house, he found the two women having a pleasant chat over tea. Something had to be wrong, he concluded, considering how mellow they were while in the same room together. If they were both on some kind of sedative, he hoped that they had some for him, too.

"Hey, Ryu-chan!" Shizue called cheerfully when he entered the living room. "We didn't hear you come in! What're you doing here?"

His saw the warning look in their mother's eyes. "Uh, I just thought I'd come by and see how you guys are doing," he said warily. "I took the bus today due to the rain. That's probably why you didn't hear me."

"Good! You should take the bus from now on instead of that motorcycle," Ayumi told him, looking agreeable with his reasoning. "Just yesterday there was news of someone crashing his motorcycle."

"That's because it was raining and one of those Apathy Syndrome people stepped out in front of him," Shizue pointed out.

Their mother flared her nostrils. "Apathy Syndrome—it's just an excuse for them to be lazy," she hissed, rolling her eyes.

"It sure seems that way," Shizue agreed. "Even I was more productive when I was at my worst."

Ryuichi still didn't quite understand why he was asked to come. He was about to leave when Ayumi announced that she needed to get some groceries. She asked Ryuichi to walk her to the bus stop, to which Shizue's smile brightened. Ryuichi could tell that the time she could spend away from their mother was time she treasured dearly.

Mother and son huddled beneath their umbrellas as the rain fell all around them. Ryuichi expected his mother to go on the offensive with more complaints about Shizue that she needed to release. He braced himself for it, so focused on which automatic responses he should use that he almost lost sight of the neighborhood in front of him.

"So, Ryuichi, how's school?"

He had to think for a second, stunned that she was asking about him. "Oh, uh, school's okay, I guess."

She asked about life in the dorm, work, kendo, and when the next competition would be—all things that she used to ask him when Shizue was still away at college. She smiled when he told her about their dorm mates eating the snacks he prepares for Mitsuru.

"You truly are your father's son!" she laughed. "Whenever he cooked something for our friends, he was always left with a clean plate!"

He flashed her an agonized smile. "Only because they don't cook," he said through a clenched jaw.

One of their neighbors passed by with a bag of groceries in her hand. She looked pleasantly surprised to see Ryuichi, smiling like a delighted aunt as she remarked how tall and handsome he had become. His pained smile became bashful as he tried to deflect her compliments, but when she asked him how he was doing and if he was in any clubs or sports, she praised him some more for his accomplishments in kendo. Before she left them, the sweet little lady told Ayumi that she did a fine job raising him.

Ryuichi and Ayumi continued onward to the bus stop. He took notice of how weary his mother was after the brief encounter, realizing how stiff she was during the exchange and how she seemed to relax once their neighbor left.

"Everything okay?" he asked, getting worried.

Ayumi sighed. "The other day, one of our neighbors asked about the baby," she said to her son. "She said there was talk among our other neighbors about the baby not having a father."

Ryuichi gently pulled his mother out of a puddle's way. "Well, they're not wrong."

"No, but with talk like that going around, I'm concerned about your sister. Do you remember what her old friends said about her?"

"I was there, Mom. And those guys were definitely _not_ friends."

"I don't know why she decided to keep the baby," Ayumi murmured bitterly. "This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been so stupid! We sent her to college and we don't even get a degree in return!"

It became clear to him that this was what his mother really wanted to talk about. Not only did he have to pay attention to her, he had to steer her away from puddles and people on bicycles.

She turned to him now, glowering at him. "You're planning to go to college after high school, aren't you? If you get a girl pregnant, I'll—"

"Whoa! Mom! I don't even have a girlfriend yet!" he blurted out, realizing too late just how pathetic he sounded.

"That didn't stop your sister!"

He saw no point in trying to argue when his mother was livid. There wasn't much that he could do except let her vent it all out.

"You already see how hard it is for your sister right now, so don't try to make things more difficult for us or for anyone else," she warned.

Ryuichi gripped his umbrella tighter, his arm shaking with anger. "If we need help, then maybe we should consider hiring a nanny," he said stiffly.

Ayumi wrinkled her nose. "We don't have the money for that."

"I'll pay for one."

"That's not the point," she stabbed. "We can't keep relying on someone else to deal with our problems."

"We're not relying on anyone to fix our problems," he argued, fighting to stay calm. "We're trying to get help for problems that are becoming too much for us! The nanny won't mind because that's her job!"

"That's not what I'm concerned about."

Ayumi lowered her voice as they stopped at a street corner. "I'm worried that your sister might run from her responsibilities again. Remember how she was before? She couldn't even take care of herself. I'm concerned that, once she has the baby, she'll do the same thing again, and then it'll be up to us to take care of the baby.

"She's scared, Ryuichi. She'll never admit it, but she's terrified of having this baby by herself. I'm sure that's the only reason why she agreed to come home."

They arrived at the bus stop. Neither bothered to sit on the wet bench, both roiled by Shizue in one way or another. Ryuichi was already annoyed that he was called away from practice for something that could've waited, but to be treated as if he got a girl pregnant and then told that they might have to raise the baby themselves made him want to stop helping his family altogether. If his sister didn't have to care, then why should they?

After his mother got on the bus, he went back to the house, taking his time dragging his feet over the damp asphalt to mollify his anger towards his sister. He managed to calm down enough to where he could somewhat dismiss the things their mother said, but when he returned to the house and saw Shizue, all he wanted to do was leave.

"Welcome back, Little Bro!" Shizue greeted upon his arrival. "Hey, could you read to Megumi today? She seems to like it most when you read."

He hid his anger with a warm smile. "Sure thing."

He survived the evening with his family, barely holding himself together with the email he received from Mitsuru, saying that everyone wanted to go to Tartarus that night. They had already reached the highest point open to them, which was barricaded by a fence that none of their attacks could break down. Though they couldn't advance any higher than that, everyone agreed that they should keep training anyway. Drained as he was after his day with his mother and sister, Ryuichi looked forward to venting out his frustrations by beating some Shadows' heads in.

That night, it was Ryuichi who got thrashed. He ended up on defense more than offense, tackling Junpei out of harm's way a few times and sending Ajax to guard Yukari from some Shadows that struck her from behind. When Minato was cornered by two Shadows, he switched Personas and lashed out with a powerful ice spell that hurled them off their feet. Unfortunately for Ryuichi, he was in their way and was knocked out from the impact. The worst of his injuries, however, was a poorly-aimed arrow from Yukari that now protruded out from his right buttock.

"Good thing you had Rakukaja on you," Akihiko remarked. The agonized look he wore was full of pity for Ryuichi, whose face burned so hotly with every monkey-like cackle from Junpei.

"It's not funny!" Yukari spat at Junpei. She was just as red as Ryuichi, clearly embarrassed that it was her archery skills that inflicted the wound.

Mitsuru finished strapping down the transceiver to her motorcycle and looked to Ryuichi. "Will you be okay during the ride? I can have a car pick us up."

He had already raised the kickstand and gingerly swung his leg over his motorcycle. "It's fine," he grunted, wondering why he couldn't have a less humiliating injury.

Mitsuru accompanied Ryuichi to the hospital, but arranged for a car to come pick them up to take them back to the dorm. Ryuichi had to angle the way he sat down to minimize the pain, but a few inevitable bumps in the road left him wincing.

The next day at school was just as bad. Hard plastic chairs and one tender backside made it clear to his teachers and classmates that something wasn't right. He lied and said he pulled a hamstring, but it was obvious to him that most of his teachers were skeptical about his injury.

During lunchtime, the guys on the kendo team wanted to know why he had to bail on practice yesterday. Before he could answer, some of them started scolding him for not taking better care of his body while working out, lecturing him on bad techniques that could lead to pulled hamstrings. When they found out where his injury was located, the snickers and smirks loomed over Ryuichi, and the jokes began. Ryuichi could only smile through the pain and embarrassment, lacking the will to ask them to stop.

Everything hurt. He welcomed the pain with a smile.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Friday after school, a car came and picked Mitsuru up to take her to her birthday celebration at her home. As Ryuichi walked her to the front of the school, students continued to greet her a happy birthday as they passed by. Mitsuru thanked every one of them without slowing her procession to the car.

"Don't forget to eat when you get a chance," Ryuichi advised her, grinning as he got the door. "If you can, get some small pieces of fruit. You're going to need that sugar."

"Is that spoken from experience?" she asked, smiling as she slid into the back seat.

"Just try to have fun, okay?" He winked. "And happy birthday again."

He shut the door and waved as the car pulled away. Without a doubt, she was already dreading the party.

Though he was just at his parents' house yesterday, it was his scheduled day to watch over his sister. With a little painkiller to help with his injuries, he comfortably took his motorcycle, now that the rain had stopped. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with cheery warmth by his sister and contempt by his mother, who looked to be attempting to telepathically destroy his motorcycle. As much as he knew his mother abhorred his mode of transportation, she remained friendly, likely so as not to shock the baby into a premature birth by stressing Shizue out.

"Take care of your sister, okay?" were the usual parting words Ayumi said to Ryuichi before leaving for work. He hugged their mother, rolling his eyes when she couldn't see.

"Will do, Mom," he told her. "Take care of yourself."

She hugged Shizue, too, both exchanging their own usual words of "Take care" and "Love you", sounding a little more automatic than heartfelt. When Ayumi left for the bus stop, Ryuichi and Shizue went inside.

"Exam time already?" Shizue asked when Ryuichi spread his books out on the kitchen table. "I don't envy you one bit."

Ryuichi's wound stung when he sat down. "Yeah, it's almost that time again," he grumbled.

She picked up one of his text books. "Wait, this is a college course, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It was Mitsuru's idea." He watched as his sister picked up the college level English book in her other hand, looking like a scale weighing the difficulty of each course. "She asked if I wanted to get ahead in my education since I was doing pretty well, so I thought, 'why not'?"

"Uh-huh." She set down the other book and flipped through the English one. "Did you do it to further your studies, or because she suggested it?"

"Well, if she hadn't suggested it, I wouldn't have known about furthering my studies with these classes."

"You know what I mean!"

He knew what she was getting at, but he wasn't about to indulge her. All he did was shrug and open his history book to begin studying, looking over his little note cards to make sure he wrote the correct information.

Shizue became fussy, wanting to get out of the house after being stuck indoors due to all the rain. Ryuichi eyed his books, but if Shizue was going to be distracting him with her complaints, then he might as well sacrifice a little time for an outing in the hopes that she'll return the favor and let him study.

The weather warmed up now, where Ryuichi was able to leave his blazer at the house while Shizue wore an oversized hoodie and sweat pants. The two went at a leisurely pace to the little snack store, feeling the sun plant toasty kisses on their faces, blessings after the rain.

Shizue had plenty to chat about, but Ryuichi's mind was far away on something else. He wondered if Mitsuru's birthday celebration had already started, and if she was able to sample a morsel or two from the refreshment table. He thought about the little cake he baked for her tucked away safely in his room, away from those who might steal a piece. His gut flipped when he thought about the CD.

Already, he could imagine Mitsuru giving him a smile out of pity and obligated appreciation when he hands her his presents. Compared to all the other gifts she must've received, his was just laughable. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to just give her the cake and chuck the CD in the trash.

"Mom and Dad really gave you a hard time last week," Shizue said, calling him back from his thoughts. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

"It's all right," he said, smiling. He kept his voice light to not upset her. "I don't know how I would've dealt with it if my friends were the ones who said that stuff."

"Oh, believe me," she grunted, shaking her head. "If I had your muscles, I would've beaten their faces in."

She patted his arm, not knowing about the bruises there. While all she felt was a sculpted bicep, he felt an electrical sting that made him flinch.

"I-It's true!" He forced a laugh to cover the pain. "A mother's strength is unmatched!"

"Yeah, right!" She laughed with him, oblivious to how much her touch had actually hurt.

They returned home with snacks and sodas, bringing with them their light mood. Shizue and Ryuichi both threw jokes around, imitating their parents when they went berserk and saying the things they wished they had the audacity to snap back at them.

 _Crack_.

The siblings froze, exchanging horrified expressions. Ryuichi listened for the noise again, trying to figure out what it was as his sister hid behind him. She gripped his arm, her fingers finding his bruises again.

"What was that?" she whispered loudly into his ear.

"I don't know," he replied softly over his shoulder.

"We should call the cops."

Ryuichi crossed the room to the kitchen and pulled his taser from his bag. "Go hide. I'll check it out."

Shizue's eyes bugged out when she saw the weapon. "Where the heck did you get that?"

"Just go!" he hissed.

"Fine. But be careful!"

Ryuichi crept his way out into the hallway, listening for the noise again. He heard the sharp crack of sniffles followed by a groan, and then a raggedy cough. The sounds led him to their parents' bedroom on the first floor. With one hand on the doorknob and the other holding up the taser, Ryuichi burst into the room, pointing his weapon with the intent to shoot when he saw his father sitting up in bed, yelling.

"What the hell are you doing?" he bellowed at his son.

Ryuichi quickly lowered his taser, horrified. "S-Sorry! We thought—"

Shizue rushed in after him. "Dad? What are _you_ doing home?"

Their father coughed into his hand and sniffled. "Katabuchi caught a cold and passed it to me," he grunted as he reached for another tissue. "Your mother sent me home because I'm 'spreading germs'!"

Both Ryuichi and Shizue stifled their snickers from their dad's impression of Ayumi. After putting his taser away, Ryuichi made ginger tea with lemon and honey for their dad, and then cooked him some rice porridge. Toshio proceeded to rant about the cook who got sick, spitting bits of rice as he vented. He complained about how bad it would be if Katabuchi got everyone sick, and how irresponsible he was for sneezing and coughing into his hand, and then touching all the kitchenware.

"But Dad, didn't you say that Mom had to send you home because _you_ were sick, too?" Ryuichi dared to ask him.

"I'm careful!" his father raged, but Ryuichi thinned his lip as he heard Shizue snort just outside the bedroom.

He ended up tending to both Toshio and Shizue that evening. His sister stayed far away from their dad, holing herself up in her bedroom to watch videos on her laptop where she wouldn't catch his cold. Every time Ryuichi sat down to try to study, he would have to get up to go help them in some way— making dinner for Shizue, running to the store for cough medicine, finding laptop chargers—there was barely enough time for him to even see what was on the page of his text book before he was off to do another task. When Ryuichi returned from his latest trip up the stairs, he had to pause for a second to take a painkiller when his injuries began to ache again.

He didn't bother to sit at the kitchen table anymore. Staring longingly at his books, he had once hoped that their dad being home meant that he could return to the dorm early. He shook his head at how wrong he had been.

"Thanks for the meal!" Shizue announced after dumping her dirty dish into the sink. She was already halfway up the stairs before Ryuichi could ask her to wash the dishes.

Ryuichi had just finished drying the last spoon when his father called him into his room. Anticipating that his father needed more tissues, he grabbed a fresh box and went to see his father.

"You can go home now," Toshio told him when he stood by the bed. "I'll take care of things here."

Ryuichi cocked an eyebrow at his father. "Um, are you sure about that?"

"It's fine." He waved his son off.

"But, what if she gets sick? It could affect the baby."

"She's usually in bed by now anyway." His father motioned for the new box of tissues. "Listen, Ryuichi, I don't know if your mom told you this, but there's been talk around the neighborhood about your sister. Everyone seems to think that she's—"

"Mom told me." Ryuichi regretted cutting him off. To his surprise, his father didn't seem to think much of it.

"She did? Oh, good."

Toshio rubbed a finger under his nose and sniffled. "Anyway, I noticed that you took her on a walk again today. I don't mind that, but it's just, with all the talk going on, your mother and I are worried that something might happen, like the baby might decide it wants to be born while you guys are stranded somewhere."

Ryuichi stared bleakly at his father. "So, you don't want me to take her out anymore?"

"Well, yeah. And, it's not just about the baby, but also for Shizue's safety, too."

His father sniffed up some wet gunk and swallowed it. "We don't know if someone might try to hurt your sister because of her mistake, so we just don't want to take any risks. Remember what happened at the mall?"

Ryuichi nodded stiffly. "Yeah, but she gets pretty stressed out if she's stuck at home all the time. The walks help her a lot."

"She just needs to endure it for a few more weeks. We just want to make sure that both your sister and the baby are safe," Toshio kept saying.

He reached for another tissue, finding an empty box. He opened up the new box and pulled out a handful of tissues, coughing into the open air before covering his mouth.

"There's another thing that your mom and I were talking about," he said amid a flurry of coughs. "We want your sister to go back to school to finish up her last few credits so she can graduate."

Ryuichi had to take a moment to register what he had just said. "Wait, you want her to go back?"

"Of course. She was almost done until all this happened, and since she was so close to finishing, we want her to get her degree."

He shook his head. "So, she's going back to finish up, and she's taking the baby with her?"

"No, no." Toshio breathed in too deeply and began another coughing fit. "The baby stays here with us."

Ryuichi squared his shoulders, bracing himself. "Hang on. I thought Mom said she was afraid that Shizue might dump her baby on you guys and run off. And now you guys are willing to let her leave to finish her degree, but you guys have to watch over Megumi?"

"Like I said, your mom and I talked about it, and we want her to finish her degree." Toshio started raising his voice, as if doing so would help his son understand him better.

"Yeah, but what about you guys? How are you going to run a restaurant and take care of a baby?"

"Well, we'd have you help out, too."

That did it. Ryuichi anchored his feet to the ground and his hands at his sides, fighting to keep himself from exploding at his father.

"Dad, I'm preparing to go to college, too," he said in a low growl. "I need time to study for my entrance exams, but you guys want me to watch over Megumi for Shizue while she gets to finish up her degree before I can even get my foot in the door? Is that what you're saying?"

His father snorted. "What do you need college for? You work for Mitsuru as her butler, don't you? Do you need to take classes to learn how to operate a vacuum?"

His father's laughter turned into a hacking cough. Ryuichi clenched his fists, almost shaking now.

"Besides," Toshio continued, "after you graduate from high school, you're supposed to come back to the restaurant."

Ryuichi felt as if his father had shoved his hand into his gut and pulled out his intestines through his belly button. He felt hollow. Cold.

"What if I decided that I don't want to work at the restaurant?" he asked his father. A lump formed in his throat, strangling his voice. "What if I wanted to stick to being Mitsuru's bodyguard? Or pursue music?"

His father flapped a hand at him again. "That's fine, but right now, we have to be supportive of your sister."

"But what about—"

Toshio was about to say something but sneezed. He tore a tissue when he pulled it from the box, cursing as he grabbed more. "Look, I don't like the idea of sending her back to where she might screw up again, but all that money we put into her college tuition would've gone to waste if she doesn't go.

"As far as we know, she's been clean since she moved back. I haven't seen her touch a drink, and we haven't smelled any cigarette smoke anywhere. As far as we know, she's been pretty careful about all that for the baby's sake."

Toshio stared hard at his son, as if it would help him understand the situation more. "We want to give your sister that chance to get her degree. We were hoping you could help cover the costs. It shouldn't be too much, since it's just one or two semesters. Wouldn't you want the same for yourself if you were in her position?"

Ryuichi clenched his jaw, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "So, you want to give her a second chance at finishing her degree, but I have to delay _my_ college entrance exams so I can stay home and watch over her baby?"

"No, no, you're not listening."

Fury stabbed him in the chest with a fiery spear, but his father wasn't done talking.

"You can still go to college, but we want her to be able to get her degree, too. We don't know if they'll offer the classes she needs in the same semester, so just for a little while, we need your help while she's away. You can still take your college entrance exams and start school the following year."

"What if I don't pass the exams?" Ryuichi raged at him. "If I'm busy caring for the baby, when am I gonna have the time to study?"

"You're smart, aren't you? What's the problem?"

His entire body became so taut with fury that he was sure his own muscles would crush his bones.

"I'm hiring a nanny," he snarled, choking on the solid lump in his throat.

Toshio squished his face in disgust. "We can't afford one."

"I can."

"What for? Do you hate us so much that you wanna hire a nanny just so you don't have to see us?"

"I don't hate you!"

"Don't yell!"

"I have to so you'll listen!" Ryuichi roared at his father. His blood pounded hotly in his head.

Toshio glared at him. "You're as bad as your sister when she was in high school!" he lashed out. "I didn't raise my kids to show such insolence!"

"Maybe because all you had was the one daughter and the damned restaurant!"

"That restaurant is the reason why we had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads!"

His father rubbed a tissue against his upper lip. "Are you so self-centered that you think you're not part of this family?" he stabbed at Ryuichi. "You feel left out, is that it? You wanted to live in that dorm, and now you're pissed that you don't feel like you're part of the family? Well, guess what—You _are_ part of this family!"

"Am I?" Ryuichi blasted back. "It's always been about Shizue! Even now, you want me to take care of _her_ kid so she can continue _her_ life! What about _my_ life? I have to put it on hold for her!"

"We're not asking you to give up your life! We're asking you to help out _our_ family!"

"At the cost of _my_ life!"

"It doesn't cost you your life!" Toshio threw down his shredded tissue, missing the trash can. "Ryuichi, it's because we're a family that we need to come together and help each other, okay?"

Ryuichi was ready to give up, seeing that his father would never understand. "I can hire a nanny to help us," he said quietly. The tension in his body slackened by a fraction.

"We suggested that to your sister, but she wants you to take care of Megumi because she trusts you." His father spoke just as softly, but his voice was still strained with tension. "She doesn't want a stranger to raise her baby."

"I get that, but if I'm taking care of Megumi, I won't have time to study."

"You have time. You just have bad study habits."

Ryuichi couldn't believe his father. It looked to him like his dad was telling him that he was destined to fail at school and to just give up on pursuing his education. All the times he scored number two in his school rankings, all the hours he put into studying late into the night, and all the extra tutoring he received from Mitsuru meant nothing to his father.

Ryuichi threw open his parents' bedroom door. It banged against the wall, Toshio shouting after him as he shoved his books into his bag. His father followed him, shouting in Ryuichi's face, spit drenching him as he snapped his school bag shut. He ignored him, wincing when his father grabbed hold of his bruised arm.

"I'm not done talking to you!"

"You said I can go!" Ryuichi shouted back. "I need to go so I can study!"

"Fine! Don't forget to come on Sunday!"

"I have exams coming up! I can't—"

"We had an agreement! We need you to be here!"

His father kept yelling. Ryuichi broke out of his father's grasp, grunting with pain. He stormed out the door, slamming it behind him, ignoring his father's shouts. He got on his motorcycle and left without looking back.

Ryuichi's rage sizzled against the cool night air. The engine's roar drowned out the echoes of his father's voice that chased him from the house. He gripped the handlebars tighter, his jaw clenched. The cold wind's sting froze his hands, but he didn't dare slow down to warm them up.

Back at the dorm, he slammed the back door without a care. Each quick step he took towards his room trampled the carpet. He thrust his bedroom door open, tossed his bag on the floor and his helmet on top of it. Without a second thought, he slammed his door shut and went out the front.

He couldn't feel the cold rub itself against his body, nor the twinges of aches from his injuries, nor the fatigue from the day of running around according to his family's will. From what he could tell, he wasn't part of the family the way his father claimed him to be. He was their extraneous butler who was family only in name, except he was the one paying for his sister's tuition and her baby's expenses. The irony was that he wasn't allowed to use his own money for the nanny, which he knew they all desperately needed.

He bumped shoulders with someone. "Sorry," he murmured, stopping in his tracks.

The other party uttered a low moan. When he turned to look, he gasped when he saw a woman with a dead, blank stare, filthy clothes, matted hair, and her mouth gaping open with drool dribbling down her chin. He clamped his own mouth shut and walked away.

He wound up at Naganaki Shrine, still lost in his own ire. It was when he stood at the bottom of the stairs that he took notice of where he was, unsure of why he brought himself there. He climbed the stairs, fighting back a shiver as he looked at the worn, stone steps. He started towards the shrine, glancing to the empty playground. Halfway to the shrine, he stopped to peer down at the stone pathway. Using the jungle gym as a guide, he took a few steps back and traced his toe on a spot and sighed.

"What am I even doing?" he asked himself in disbelief.

Sighing once more, Ryuichi looked again to the lonely green jungle gym in the sandbox. He remembered many years ago when he once thought he could never climb something that big, and that it was Shizue who practically dragged him up to the top to prove him wrong.

He thought about his sister and everything he and his father said earlier that evening. Maybe he was being selfish, he realized, wondering how he would've felt if he was in Shizue's position: No job, no money, no degree, and on top of that, a bad reputation. Everything was working against his sister, and even—

Ryuichi hung his head. "Even me," he said slowly, guilt sinking in.

He dragged his feet as he left the shrine, feeling his insides begin to collapse from the guilt. He kept his hands deep in his pockets and his head down, unworthy of looking up at the sky. His feet knew where to go, even while mired in his regret and sorrow. As he reached the sidewalk down below, a car passed by. He watched as it did a U-turn, the headlights sweeping over him, blinding him for just a second, and then the car came to a stop right in front of him. The rear window lowered, and Mitsuru peered out at him with a smile.

"You're back early," she called to him.

As torn apart as he felt, Ryuichi smiled through his anguish and leaned into the window. "Five thousand for fifteen minutes of whatever you want," he joked, surprised at how easily he pulled it off.

She opened the door for him. "Get in."

"Money first."

"You already received your paycheck."

He shrugged. "Fair enough," he said, and slid in next to her. As soon as he closed the door, the car turned around again and headed towards the dorm.

In the dim flashes of streetlights, he saw that Mitsuru wore her school uniform, but her make-up had been retouched. Her eyelashes were elongated, and her lips a deeper shade of red.

"So, how was the party?" he asked, hoping to distract himself from his thoughts. "Did you get to eat this time?"

"A little, but only thanks to Kikuno."

He rolled his eyes. "Can't even eat at your own birthday party?" he grumbled. "I'll make you something when we get back."

She thanked him but declined, saying that she was eventually able to eat after all the guests had left.

"How about you?" she asked. "I thought you would still be at your parents' place."

"Mom sent Dad home early because he caught a cold and didn't want him scaring away the customers with germs, so I got to go home earlier than usual since he was there to keep an eye on Shizue," he explained, leaving out the worst parts of the tale.

Somehow, he resisted the strong urge to just tell her everything that happened, not wanting to ruin her birthday. He was able to maintain his smile and kept his voice light and cheery. Then again, just having Mitsuru there helped lift his mood.

"Anyway, enough about my day. Anything interesting happen at the party?"

He listened intently as she told him about her evening. According to her, there seemed to be even more guests in attendance that year, meaning there were more people she had to go around to and socialize with for a few minutes at a time. Everywhere, guests came up to her and greeted her a happy birthday, sweeping her up in their stories, jokes, tales of admiration, and the occasional pitch for their sons as potential marriage candidates. She proudly told Ryuichi about how Kikuno called her away from the party for a few minutes, saying that her father was on the phone, wanting to greet her on her birthday. The guests allowed her to go, not knowing that she was headed to the kitchen to sit and have a little snack before going back to work.

"What's so funny?" Mitsuru asked when he chuckled.

"Just picturing you about an arm's length away from the refreshment table while crusty old men make you listen to them talk about the good old days," he mused.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not wrong," she finally said, just as the car parked in front of the dorm.

After letting Mitsuru inside, he asked her to wait for a moment while he vaulted over the front desk to get to his room. He brought out the little cake box and held the CD behind his back. The look of delight on Mitsuru's face chased away all his anger towards his family, where all he could feel was a tremendous welling of joy and a hint of anxiety as she unwrapped the strawberry shortcake. It had a crown of fat strawberries on top surrounding a small card that greeted her "Happy Birthday!" in gold letters.

"It smells divine. This is your finest work yet," she marveled, turning the little cake around so she could admire it from all angles.

He blushed. "There's one more thing," he said, and produced the CD wrapped in silver paper and tied with a red ribbon. "The thing is, I wasn't sure what to get for you, so..."

She took the flat present, turning it over in her hands before untying the ribbon. She delicately peeled back the strips of tape, taking care to not tear the wrapping paper. Each fold she opened felt like Ryuichi's layers were being stripped away to expose what a loser he was underneath for giving her something so shoddily made. When at last she held the CD in her hands, he braced himself for her disappointment.

"So, I recorded myself playing a bunch of songs," he said in a mousy voice. "They're not perfect, and you can hear a bunch of my mistakes, but—"

"C'est magnifique." She opened the case to see the list of songs printed inside. "Ryuichi, this is so thoughtful. Thank you."

He nervously rubbed the back of his head. "It's really nothing."

She closed the case, beaming as she admired it some more. "Anyone can purchase a present if they have the means, but to craft a present takes time, consideration, and a lot of hard work."

"Yeah?" His bashful smile returned. "I-I just thought it was the only thing I could do."

"It certainly is uniquely you," Mitsuru agreed. "That's what makes it special."

Ryuichi ground his fingers into his scalp. "I guess? Well, like I said, you can still hear mistakes, so it's not perfect, but I guess it's kind of like a marker for how I sound now. When my hand's all better, I'll be able to record another one—a better one."

He looked to Mitsuru with determination in his eyes. "I promise that I'll work harder so I can record a better version for you," he said dutifully.

The tiniest flicker of guilt smoldered in her eyes. He traced her sight to his right hand, then to his arm.

Mitsuru peered up at him with a fading smile. "As much as I appreciate that, I would hope that any promises for your self-improvement would have yourself in mind and not someone else," she said to him. "If you're going to be a better you for someone, be a better you for you."

He got stuck on her words. His right hand twitched the more he thought about what she had said. She had to be wrong, but as to why, he couldn't find it in him to argue against her.

He held on to his promise to Mitsuru. He had to improve for her, he told himself. It wasn't for his sake, but for hers.

She neatly folded the wrapping paper back up and gestured to the cake. "So, am I going to have to eat this all by myself, or do I get a little help?" she asked, her smile returning.

Ryuichi was all too happy to prepare tea to accompany the cake. He added a little candle on top and lit it, but when he began to sing "Happy Birthday" to her, she asked him to stop.

"If you don't mind, I've had my fill of that song for one day," she told him.

He nodded. "All right. At least make a wish before you blow it out."

She gave it some thought. When she had her wish, she drew in a deep breath.

He leaned in with a smirk. "You sure you wanna wish for that?"

She choked. Ryuichi laughed as she coughed up a tiny squall. Mitsuru lightly patted her chest and waved a hand to clear the air, but the candle remained lit.

"Honestly," she muttered to herself. With her thumb and finger, she extinguished the tiny flame.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The following evening at the top of the Dark Hour, Ryuichi carried the transceiver up to the command room for Mitsuru. She sat at the center ottoman at the coffee table, the transceiver humming, whistling, and whining as she set to work. Ryuichi watched from the sofa as she twisted knobs, pushed buttons, and flipped switches, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

He wanted to ask if she found anything, but remained silent. When the command room door opened, he looked up to see Akihiko and acknowledged him with a nod. Akihiko padded up to Mitsuru, who was too focused to greet him.

"You're still at it?" Akihiko asked her.

She sat away from the transceiver, frowning. "Yeah," she said, looking to him. "You never know when the enemy might appear."

"But, I thought you couldn't scan outside of Tartarus?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "To be honest, I lack the power," she admitted. "Maybe this is the best Penthesilea can do in terms of data gathering.

"Although, the power of Persona seems to be much broader than I thought," she added, perking up. "We've even got someone who can switch Personas in the middle of battle. There's something special about his ability. It hasn't been that long since his awakening, either."

She looked incredibly pleased to have Minato and his unusual skill, if not proud. Ryuichi had to agree that his ability benefitted them greatly in battle, not to mention he was able to keep cool when battles didn't go their way.

"I have to admit, I was surprised, too," Akihiko told her. "But in the end, it's up to him whether or not he can reach his full potential."

Nodding, Mitsuru went back to the transceiver. There were more whines, more whistles, louder than before. She kept twisting and flipping switches until all the noises died away.

"Huh?"

Ryuichi got up from the sofa. "What is it?"

She looked up to him, face wide in amazement. "It's a Shadow!"

Both boys stared at her in awe.

"What?" Akihiko blurted out. "You actually found one?"

"Wait. Something's not right. The reading is too big."

She continued to scan. "We've never encountered anything like—"

All three seniors shared the same shocked looks on their faces as they recalled the other gigantic Shadow they faced last month.

"You mean, it's one of those?" Ryuichi asked fearfully.

"It must be," Mitsuru confirmed.

A grin spread slowly over Akihiko's face. "Well then, this is gonna be fun. I'll wake up the others."

Akihiko went to the bank of consoles and hit a button. An alarm went off all throughout the dorm, and minutes later, the three underclassmen burst through the doors. All three were in uniform and armed, as if none of them had bothered to get ready for bed.

"We're here!" Yukari announced upon arrival.

Junpei kept shifting his eyes back and forth. "Where is it? I'll rip it a new one!"

Calmly, Mitsuru turned to face the three. "We've detected a Shadow outside of Tartarus. We don't know for sure, but we think it's another big one. We have to defeat any of them we find as quickly as possible."

"Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists," Ryuichi reminded them. "But, if half the city is destroyed, there will be panic."

Mitsuru nodded. "That must be avoided at all costs."

"In other words, we need to kick some ass, right?" Junpei grinned. "Well, count me in!"

Yukari wasn't impressed. "Junpei," she sighed, but he just ginned some more.

"Akihiko," Mitsuru said, "you stay here and wait for the Chairman."

"Wha—Are you kidding?" he scowled at her. "I'm going!"

"You still need time to recover. You'll just be a hindrance."

Her words were harsh, but Ryuichi knew that Mitsuru was speaking out of kindness to protect him. Akihiko couldn't find any words to counter, managing only a frustrated grunt.

Mitsuru wasn't fazed. "They'll fare better than you in your current state," she said to him. "Have faith in them, Akihiko. They're ready. You'll get your chance. But for now, wait for the Chairman."

The agitated senior clearly wanted to argue back, but all he could do was swear under his breath and comply. It had only been a month since he was injured, but it would take a few more weeks until his ribs were completely healed. The madness was starting to show.

"Relax! I've got it covered!" Junpei reassured him.

Akihiko looked to the silent Minato. "I guess I've got no choice," he grunted. "Minato, you're in charge."

Junpei let out a strangled noise. "Him again?"

"Why not Ryuichi-senpai?" Yukari asked nervously.

"Ryuichi has to remain at my side," Mitsuru explained. "Without Akihiko, I'll be left vulnerable to attack if I'm trying to navigate for you."

She turned to Minato next. "We're counting on you."

"I'll do my best," Minato replied, but Junpei didn't seem ready to let things go.

"Heh, looks like you're stuck playin' leader again," he jabbed, but disappointment shone through his bitter tone. "Sucks to be you."

Everyone ignored his remark. "You should let the three of them go first," Akihiko said to Mitsuru. "If you're providing backup out there, you'll need to time get ready, right?"

She agreed. "Wait for me in front of the station," she instructed the three. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Got it." Yukari looked to her fellow underclassmen. "All right. Let's go!"

While the juniors headed out, the seniors prepared to join them. Ryuichi brought the transceiver back downstairs to the rear storage room, where he strapped it down on Mitsuru's motorcycle. On his way to his room, he spotted a disgruntled Akihiko pouting on the lounge sofa. He wanted to say something to him to encourage him, but knowing Akihiko, all he wanted was a challenging fight. He ducked into his room for his equipment, and when he came back out, he still couldn't think of anything to say to Akihiko.

"I've got things taken care of here," Akihiko said to him. His voice was raspier than usual, with the sourness of being left out of the fun.

"Well, if any Shadows attack here, you'll have to protect the Chairman," Ryuichi ended up telling him.

"Feh. 'If' they attack."

"Right."

Mitsuru was already in the storage room by the time Ryuichi arrived. She had her Evoker, sword, and helmet, and was already unlocking the back doors.

"Don't worry about him," she said to Ryuichi.

He gripped his helmet in his hands. "I'm more worried about the others," he told her. "Think those three will be okay taking on a Shadow that big themselves?"

"Have faith in them," she told him, but the faint uncertainty in her voice told him that she, too, was anxious about how they would fare.

They rode their motorcycles to the train station, where the three were lazing about on the steps. When they arrived, Ryuichi pulled off his helmet and caught sight of the full moon overhead.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Mitsuru said to them all as she removed her helmet. "Listen carefully: Tonight, I'll be providing support from here. Everything else is the same. The Shadow is currently located inside a monorail, not far from the station. To get there, you'll have to walk on the tracks."

Junpei made a noise. "Are you serious? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Don't worry," Ryuichi reassured them. "No electronic equipment is operable during the Dark Hour, including the monorails."

"But, your bikes—"

Mitsuru beamed. "They're special."

The juniors looked on in amazement, probably filled with questions of how they were able to get their motorcycles to function during the Dark Hour, but Mitsuru didn't give them much time to think too hard on it.

"Now, if circumstances change, I'll notify you immediately," she told them.

Both Mitsuru's and Ryuichi's earpieces rang. It was Akihiko, informing them that Ikutsuki had arrived at the dorm.

"Let's get started," Mitsuru said.

Only Yukari nodded, which was more like a bow. "Okay."

"L-Let's do this!" Junpei's failed boldness showed plain on his face. Everyone felt the same, but none showed it as much as he did.

The three juniors hopped the turnstiles to get through to the train tracks. Mitsuru set up the transceiver as Ryuichi warmed up with a few swings of his sword, preparing to take on any Shadows that might attack. All the times he had to save the juniors from attacks gave him plenty of practice for defending others. Guarding just one person would be much easier for him. He almost felt invincible.

"There's a monorail about two hundred meters ahead," he heard her tell the three. You have to stop the Shadows before they harm the passengers. Hurry!"

Just then, Ryuichi saw movement towards the strip mall. He glanced back at Mitsuru as he searched for any other Shadows, then turned his attention back to where he saw something dark flicker. He backed towards Mitsuru with his Evoker drawn when a Shadow floated towards him. It looked like a woman's head wearing a wine-colored mask, with a crown like a basket containing a book inside. When it spotted Ryuichi, it cast a small tornado beneath his feet. It felt more like a strong breeze that left paper cuts on him than an actual attack.

"That all you got?" He summoned Ajax, who sliced the Shadow in two with the edge of his shield.

More Shadows appeared. Ryuichi hurried back to Mitsuru, who remained unperturbed by the enemies surrounding her. She was too focused on the others to bother.

A Shadow like a cross with scales went for Mitsuru. Ryuichi sent Ajax to shield her from the burst of flames while he got zapped by electricity from a hand-shaped Shadow. He dropped to one knee, shaking as his nerves fizzled and fried. Ajax disappeared.

"Damn!" Even the tiniest lightning spell took down his Persona. Ryuichi started to get up as the hand smacked him to the ground. He lashed out with his sword. The hand retreated with a tiny pained squeal. Ajax popped up before it and flattened it with his shield.

Two more heads appeared, this time with a table. Another hand approached. Ryuichi could hear Mitsuru and the others talking in his earpiece, but their words were lost beneath the noise of his battles. He and Ajax charged forward, wind tearing at the Shadows, Ryuichi's blade making rapid arcs flash under the moonlight. A blast of ice caught him in the chest. He was thrown back and landed hard against the station's stairs, feeling pain on his elbow, back, and where one step tried to split his ass horizontally. The explosion of pain on his already injured backside made him cry out. He got up in time to dodge a sizzling lightning bolt.

A hand scuttled up to Mitsuru. Ryuichi bolted for it and leaped, smashing his knee into its aqua mask. He whirled around and stabbed another scale while Ajax splintered the table. Ajax's Garula spell shredded a nearby set of scales into wispy smoke.

"Wait!"

Ryuichi kicked away another head when Mitsuru called out. He turned, thinking that she was talking to him.

"Something's not right," her voice said through crackling static. "The enemy is acting strangely."

While distracted, a Shadow encased Ryuichi's legs in a block of ice while another hurled fire at him. He fell over, legs still trapped, his back ablaze as he rapidly fired several rounds in a panic. Ajax thrashed the Shadows while Ryuichi hacked at the ice with his sword. Crosses, tables, and hands went flying, cracking on the stairs, splintering against the station, and rolling across the pavement. His Persona came towards him and smashed the ice, freeing him.

"Who needs your advice?" Junpei hissed in Ryuichi's ear.

Ryuichi rolled out of the way as a cross tried to stab him. He kicked at it, with Ajax blasting it with wind. It flew up high and went crashing to the ground.

The sound of glass shattering erupted behind him. He felt his strength renew and pain diminish from Mitsuru's healing spell.

"Thanks!" he called over his shoulder.

They were surrounded. He cast Magaru to strike every Shadow with wind. The crosses were reduced to kindling, the tables tumbled across the station floor, but the heads and hands remained, hardly ruffled by the spell. Ajax grabbed the hand by its head and began smacking it repeatedly into the ground. The floating head tried to stab Ryuichi with its hair, but a few quick slashes from his sword and a final punt out towards the street made it burst into smoke when it hit the pavement.

"I have never seen anything like this," Mitsuru uttered in awe.

Something struck Ryuichi's left arm. A small gash gushed out blood. Next to him, another floating head looked pleased with itself for its deed. He summoned Ajax over, who crushed the head in his fist.

The blood made his sleeve stick hotly to his skin. It wasn't a big wound, and it didn't hurt any worse than a paper cut. It was more of a nuisance than anything.

He left Ajax to deal with the rest of the Shadows while he stayed close to Mitsuru. Any that came near her, he sliced with his sword. He kicked away tables, punched hands, slashed at heads, and toppled crosses, stunning them to give his Persona a chance to finish them off. All the while, Mitsuru remained focused on the juniors, giving commands, advice, anything that could help them.

"Hey! Why're we still moving?"

Junpei's voice crackled in his ear, followed by Yukari.

"We're going too fast! We have to put on the brakes or else—!"

Ryuichi looked up, seeing the horror on Mitsuru's face.

"What are you waiting for? There's a train up ahead!" she yelled desperately at the juniors.

"Dammit! I don't know how to stop this thing!"

Screams crackled in his earpiece, and Ryuichi's blood froze over. He was sure they had killed the juniors when he heard metal screeching in the distance. He waited for an explosion, but none came.

"D-Did we stop?"

"I-I think so."

"Is everybody all right?" asked a horror-stricken Mitsuru.

Ryuichi held his breath and turned, slashing a hand Shadow behind him.

"Uh, y-yeah. We're okay," he heard Yukari answer in a trembling voice. She let out a weak laugh. "My knees are shaking."

"Dude, I'm like, drenched in sweat," gasped Junpei.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Mitsuru sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more on my end. I don't detect any more Shadows. You guys did a great job, so come on home."

Mitsuru lowered her hand from her earpiece when Yukari said: "But, how did you know which one was the brake?"

"I trusted my instincts," Minato told her coolly.

Ryuichi could hear the relief in Yukari's voice. "You saved me again. Thanks."

Mitsuru shut off the transceiver and raised her radio to her face. "This is Mitsuru. We've successfully completed the operation," she said, addressing Akihiko and Ikutsuki. "The monorail didn't sustain any noticeable damage."

He heard movement behind him. Ryuichi drew his sword in a wide arc, splitting a floating head Shadow in two as it sailed towards him. Smoke erupted in wisps as he scanned the area for any more Shadows nearby.

"The team did a great job," he heard Mitsuru tell the others. "They're learning quickly."

Garula burst underneath another Shadow, drowning out the other side of the conversation. He just barely heard Mitsuru ask "Does this mean, it's begun?" to the others before hacking apart one of the tables. Ajax grabbed one of the floating heads and flung it into a group of crosses before smashing them all down. With that, all the Shadows Ryuichi could see had been vanquished.

"If I had more power, things wouldn't be so difficult for the others," Mitsuru said glumly as he joined her by their motorcycles.

"I think you did rather well today," Ryuichi remarked. "I don't know what else you could have done to help them, but it looks to me like everything worked out just fine."

"Everything worked out tonight, but what about next time?" she asked as she buckled the straps that held the transceiver to her motorcycle. "I'm afraid it won't be enough then."

She gestured to his injured arm. "If I had been able to fight, that wouldn't have happened," she pointed out.

"It only looks worse than it really is," he insisted. "It doesn't even hurt."

"You did remarkably well tonight," she told him. "Not a single Shadow got near me."

"Ah, that you don't know of," he corrected her. "I'm not _that_ good yet."

Ryuichi tied his handkerchief around his injury while Mitsuru packed up the transceiver. The juniors returned from their mission, Junpei being noticeably subdued. He kept his head down as the others praised Minato for being able to figure out the monorail's breaks. When Yukari and Minato told the others about what happened during their mission, Junpei scowled the entire time, not even bothering to jump into the conversation.

Mitsuru and Ryuichi headed back to the dorm first on their motorcycles. When the Dark Hour lifted, Mitsuru set to work on the computer behind the front desk to type up her report on that night's mission. Ikutsuki came downstairs and praised them for their hard work, then headed out. Akihiko didn't bother to come downstairs at all.

Ryuichi peered over Mitsuru's shoulder to read her report. "So, the Shadow took control of the monorail and made it move?" he asked, going back to reread the description of the Shadow.

"It seems that way," she replied without fumbling on the keyboard.

The juniors returned. Yukari and Minato both bid the seniors a good night while Junpei skulked up the stairs without a word.

As Mitsuru read through her report, Ryuichi recalled something that she had said earlier that night.

"Hey, Mitsuru?"

She hit send and turned off the computer. "What is it?"

He leaned against the front desk, thinking. "When you were talking to Ikutsuki and Akihiko, you said, 'Does that mean, it's begun?'."

He caught a glimpse of fear in her eyes before she looked away. "Why only now, though?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Mitsuru grasped her elbow. When she slowly turned back towards him, he saw the solemn expression in her eyes.

"Do you plan to tell the others?" He leaned away from the desk.

"No."

She lowered her hands to her sides, standing taller. "All they need to know is what they already know," she told him. "The rest is irrelevant to our cause."

She lowered her face. "Don't say anything to the others," she whispered. Even in the silent lounge, her voice almost didn't carry over to Ryuichi.

He bowed his head. "I won't."

Relief softened the worry on her face, but sorrow remained.

"Mitsu—"

"Good night, Ryuichi."

Her voice was gentle, but the finality in her tone was a command for him to not pursue the subject. He knew she wasn't upset with him, but rather was upset with herself. All he could do was watch her head upstairs. When he heard her door close, he breathed again.

"It's not your fault, though," he uttered. He could only hope that she would someday accept that.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The week before exams provided Ryuichi with the blessings of having all sports and clubs being put on hold. He was free to return home right after class on kendo practice days, but like everyone else, he was supposed to dedicate that extra time to his studies.

Though he finally had a chance to sit and study, his guilt from arguing with his father wouldn't let him focus at all. He had moments where he could study and absorb the information in short bursts, but most of the time he just sat and stared at his notes and books with his mind shut off. After long periods of burning out his eyes on black text against a white page, his eyes began to feel like someone was pressing cotton over them. He resorted to making far too many snacks for Mitsuru's tea time, just to give his eyes and mind a rest. His dorm mates didn't seem to mind the extra treats.

No matter how uncomfortable he was while studying, Ryuichi would always choose a day of straight studies over having to go to his parents' house, especially after yelling at his dad. On his first night back to watching over his sister, he could feel his family's wrath when he was just parking his motorcycle in front of the house. Entering the house was like walking into a pile of needles, feeling the pinpricks of their stares while their frigid silence sent arrows to slowly bury themselves into his back. Between his family verbally ripping him apart and their silence letting his mind crush itself for them, he wasn't sure which hurt worse.

Even Shizue took some time to warm back up to him. Her stiff muteness led him to believe that she had caught a part of his yelling match with their father. She never brought it up, but she also avoided being in the same room as her brother. Ryuichi felt his gut get carved out by his guilt, thinking about how he pretty much called her a burden who was stealing his life. To make it up to her, he tried cooking her favorite foods and even baked her a cake. She ordered food online, not even once tasting anything he prepared.

Thursday afternoon, after coming home from school, Ryuichi went to prepare tea and snacks for Mitsuru. He had just set the tray down on the coffee table and was about to leave when Mitsuru came down the stairs.

"Only one cup today?" she asked him.

He glanced down at the lone cup on the tray. "Oh, yeah," he murmured. "Sorry, but I won't be taking any tea today."

He faked a smile. It was too weak. Mitsuru's concerned stare broke right through it as she went to the kitchen to retrieve another cup for him.

"I would prefer that you were honest with me, Ryuichi," she called from the kitchen. Upon her return, she sat down to pour him a cup of tea. When she held it out to him, he didn't take it.

"I'm okay," he lied. "I just have a lot of studying to do."

"Don't try to hide it. If you go into battle with the wrong mindset, you could end up dead. It's the same thing for exams."

"Except exams won't actually kill me." Reluctantly, he sank down on the couch next to her and reach over to take the cup. "You really wanna hear this?"

"I do," she said, pouring herself a cup now, "because I'm worried about you."

He was touched. As much as he didn't want to get Mitsuru involved in his problems, everything came pouring out, hot and burbling like fresh tea from a kettle, scalding and steaming. Mitsuru sat quietly, taking only tiny sips of her tea while Ryuichi's cup trembled lightly in his freezing hands. When Yukari entered the dorm with a bag of food she got from a convenience store, he shut up, smiled, and both he and Mitsuru greeted her warmly.

"Would you care to join us?" Ryuichi offered her. He knew that Mitsuru would scold him for trying to get out of talking with her, but his instinct to host kicked him hard.

"Thanks, but I really gotta get back to studying," she said hurriedly on her way up to her room.

Mitsuru didn't scold him, but she implored him to continue with his story. At the end of it, his cup of tea was still completely full, whereas Mitsuru was due for a second cup.

"I screwed up this time, didn't I?" he sighed, feeling like a truck had plowed through him.

"I can't tell if they're trying to help their daughter finish her education by putting yours on hold, or if they are confident in your academic abilities to be able to balance studying for your entrance exams and caring for your sister's baby," Mitsuru said, frowning at both options. "It all sounds irresponsible to me, as it's not fair to you that you have to sacrifice your education for your sister's sake."

He felt the sting of fresh tears begin to burn in his eyes.

"Yeah, but you know how they get when it comes to Shizue," he sighed. "All must bow down before her glory."

"And that is where they are making a grave mistake. Personally, I think hiring a nanny would be the best thing you can do for all of you. I have no doubts that you will become even busier once the baby arrives."

"She's due sometime around the end of the month," he remembered, almost dropping his tea.

"A baby is a lot of responsibility," Mitsuru said stiffly. "I have a feeling that, even if they have you helping them, it still wouldn't be enough."

"Yeah, but my family never listens, so I guess we'll just have to wait until everything gets too crazy for them to handle without a nanny."

"That might be too late."

"I know. But, there's not much that I can do at this point."

He set his tea down without having taken a sip. "I'm seriously thinking of just hiring a nanny, whether they like it or not. I don't even care if they pay half; I'll take care of the cost myself."

Mitsuru gave it some thought. "And if they turn the nanny away?"

"I'll probably have to quit kendo."

"But, you would be giving up something you enjoy that's also necessary for combating Shadows."

"Yeah, well, family comes first, I guess."

He rubbed his palms together and stood. "Well, uh, I guess I should get back to studying. Sorry about dragging you down like that."

"You didn't 'drag me down' at all," she said in all sincerity, still with concern in her eyes. "I'm just sorry you're having such a hard time."

He thanked her and bowed. Mitsuru thanked him for tea and started for the stairs when she stopped and turned back.

"If you ever need to talk about anything, you're more than welcome to come talk to me," she said.

There was a softness in her expression, one that he could feel was telling him that she really meant what she said, that she genuinely wanted to help him. As badly as he wanted her help, he knew it wasn't right to cut into her busy schedule with his problems, especially when he should be able to handle them himself.

The week of studies continued, and by the end of it, his family was talking to him again. They spoke to him through clenched jaws, a sign that they still had not forgiven him just yet, but clearly needed his help.

"It's just, what if the baby keeps you and Dad up all night?" Shizue asked their mother as she was leaving for work.

"We'll manage," Ayumi told her. "You and I can divide the time, since _your brother_ is _sooo_ busy."

Ryuichi wanted to protest that he could help, but he knew he would just be trapping himself. The more he thought about it, the more he started to really think that he should just quit kendo and stop worrying so much about school. What did he need school for when he was just going to continue as Mitsuru's butler and bodyguard? As long as he wasn't stuck working at the family restaurant, he had no complaints.

He figured it was best to just wait and see how they coped. He had no plans to change his schedule whatsoever, and if they did start to crash, he would just send a nanny to the house to help out.

When the door closed behind their mother, Ryuichi felt a chill in the house that slowly formed its ice crystals up and down his back. He was still tense around his sister, who seemed apathetic to his presence as she sat on the couch playing her video game. She seemed to ignore him as he made his way to the kitchen to make some finger sandwiches and strawberry daifuku for her.

"Hey, Ryu-chan? Do you not want to be here?"

He had just set down the plates of snacks on the coffee table when Shizue shot the question at him. "It's not that I don't want to be here," he said, straightening up. "It's just, I have a lot going on right now."

Shizue paused her game and let the controller rest on her rotund stomach. She wore a scowl on her face as she sighed.

"So, what were you busy with before I came along?" she begrudgingly asked.

He poured her some tea and handed her the cup. "Well, along with being captain of the kendo team, I was also part of the student council, helped out a bit with the Orchestra Club, and just this year, started my training as Mitsuru's butler. And, thanks to her, I was getting really good grades, too."

She looked mildly impressed. "I didn't know you did all that. How do you balance everything?"

"I don't."

"You don't?"

He poured himself some tea and went to sit on the other end of the couch. "When Mom asked me to help out, I had to quit the student council and I haven't visited the Orchestra Club at all since the end of my second year," he told her, trying to keep himself from sounding spiteful. "I've still got kendo, but now that I'm also Mitsuru's butler, that means I have to take time to shop for ingredients for her tea time and clean some of the heavier messes in the dorm."

Shizue looked upon him in amazement. "No wonder you were fine with cleaning around here," she marveled. "But, when does the bodyguard part come up?"

"I accompany her to, from, and during school," he replied, hoping he didn't sound too rehearsed. "I know it doesn't sound like much, but as she is the heiress to the Kirijo Group, they want to make sure that there's always someone with her, just in case."

"Okay. So, when do you get to hang out with friends?"

The closes thing he could think of as "hanging out with friends" were the nightly trips to Tartarus.

"I don't," he told her honestly. "I'm so busy that I really don't have a social life."

She stared at him, aghast. "What? You don't hang out with friends? At all? What the hell?"

What the hell, indeed. Ryuichi quickly became exasperated with her, doubting that she even understood that he was giving up a lot of his free time for her. All he wanted to do was scream at her about how their parents have been treating him for the past few months, how he could barely focus on his studies, and about the late night battles with Shadows during the Dark Hour. He wanted to make her understand how his life had been since her return, but knew he couldn't.

Shizue motioned for him to take her empty teacup. Ryuichi offered her more tea, but she waved him off so she could resume her video game.

"Dad says that you were willing to pay for a nanny if things got too crazy," she recalled, her voice low and dark. Ryuichi wasn't sure if their father had told her about their conversation, or if she was using it as a cover for having overheard them arguing.

"If things get too insane for all of us, I figured a nanny might help us out," he replied.

She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm starting to think that we might really need a nanny after all," she reluctantly agreed through gritted teeth. "I know I said I didn't trust a stranger to watch Megumi, but now that I know you're actually busy, we should probably consider hiring one."

Ryuichi's heart throbbed. "So, what do you think? Should we starting looking for one? I'll pay for it, so you and Mom and Dad don't have to worry about the cost."

"I'm not sure," she answered, crushing him. "I'd still feel better if you were the one watching Megumi."

He offered her more tea. She grunted a "No, thanks", but shortly after doing so, pushed herself up off the couch to pour herself another cup.

After their talk, Shizue didn't say much. She didn't ask for other snacks, nor did she complain about wanting to go out for a little while. If she needed something, she got it herself. Ryuichi wanted to tell her to just tell him what she needed so he could get it, but when she started cooking her own dinner, he got the hint and hung his head in defeat.

Despite his sister ignoring him, he still hoped that their talk convinced her that they were in desperate need of a nanny. At the moment, Shizue and their parents were united in their anger and disappointment towards Ryuichi, but if he could just get his sister to see the benefits of having additional help, he hoped that she could change their parents' minds.

As expected, his parents didn't give him Sunday off to study for exams. It was a punishment he welcomed, considering all the things he had said about his family before. When he tried to study late that night, he ended up falling asleep at his desk. Had Mitsuru not awakened him, he would have missed the first day of exams completely.

On Thursday evening, Ryuichi decided to take a break from his studies by cooking an actual dinner for himself. Instant stuff was fine when he couldn't stomach anything the past week, but now he wanted something he could shove into his face.

Upon stepping outside his room, he discovered that he wasn't the only one looking for food. Junpei and Yukari looked on as Akihiko stood bent with his face in the pantry. Minato was also halfway into the refrigerator.

"Anything?" Junpei asked, hope rising in his voice.

Akihiko straightened up, holding two plastic bowls of instant noodles. "We got chicken and beef," he said, and even Ryuichi didn't try to hide his disappointment.

Yukari looked to Minato. "If there aren't any left, then let's just make our own," she said to him.

Minato stepped back and closed the refrigerator door with a sigh. "There aren't any ingredients left, either."

"None?"

Ryuichi knew they were looking for the leftover sandwiches from Mitsuru's tea time. The problem was, he was the one who ate them when he was studying earlier, including the last few scraps of ham on bread ends. He didn't realize how much the others had grown to rely on those snacks.

"Here." Akihiko tossed all four of them some bowls of instant noodles.

Yukari stared glumly at the pitiful meal in her hands and sighed. "Thanks, but I think I'll try to find something at the convenience store," she told him, handing the bowl back.

"Or!" Junpei grinned down at his own plastic bowl. "We can get some ramen!"

He nudged Akihiko roughly with an elbow. "Hey, Akihiko-senpai? Or maybe Ryuichi-senpai—"

"No," the two seniors said flat out. Their response was like a brick to Junpei's face.

"Aww, for real?"

"What did you expect?" Yukari snarked. "You can't just ask someone to pay for your food like that."

Ryuichi's stomach rumbled just then. He started to think that there was no way he was going to shop for food, make food, and then eat food. Even the effort of going to the strip mall to get something for dinner was out of question.

"Okay, how about we order pizza?" Ryuichi suggested. "I'm buying, so you guys just order what you like."

Junpei's eye twinkled. "R-Really?"

They didn't seem to believe him until he brought out his laptop and had them all place their orders online. As the four dorm mates gathered around the laptop to browse the different toppings, Ryuichi slipped upstairs to ask Mitsuru if she wanted to order one for herself.

"Pizza?"

"Yeah." He felt a faint smile form on his face. "I'm buying some for everyone, so I was wondering what you wanted on yours."

A tiny spark of interest shone in her eye. "That's very generous of you, but what brought this on?"

"It felt wrong to order one just for myself when we have a dorm full of starving people," he answered with a shrug.

"Pizza, huh?" She looked too deep in thought for something as simple as pizza. "Kikuno will be coming soon with my dinner, so I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

"Are you sure?" He had hoped that she would at least want to try it. "I can actually make it so you customize half a pizza one way, and the other half another way."

The concept seemed to stun Mitsuru. "That's possible?"

He nodded. "Yeah. So, you wanna try it?"

It looked to him like Mitsuru was on the cusp of saying yes. She thinned her lip, standing with her arms folded over her chest when they both heard a metallic whine from the first floor. A soft _thud_ followed shortly after, and then the alternating rhythm of whine and _thud_ steadily climbed the stairs.

"Kikuno's already here," Mitsuru noted.

"Next time, then," he said with a carefree smile, and headed down the stairs.

He met Kikuno on the second floor. Even though he had seen it many times in the past, the mechanical trolley carrying Mitsuru's dinner still left him stupefied with amazement. It was a special trolley engineered by the Kirijo Group that could climb stairs while keeping its flat surface completely level at all times. When the front wheels reached the top of the stairs on the second floor, it carefully adjusted itself so that, when the rear wheels climbed up, the trolley would still be level on even ground.

The maid smiled at him. "I prepared something light for Mitsuru Ojou-sama's dinner," she said to him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Um, okay?"

"It's so she will be able to focus on her studies. Heavy meals will only cause sluggishness."

Her smile grew brighter. "Though, if it's too light, perhaps you can offer her something with her tea."

She guided the trolley to the next flight of stairs, where it began its ascent. Ryuichi wasn't sure if she was giving him permission to give Mitsuru some pizza, or if she was warning him not to.

About an hour later, five pizzas were laid out on the dining room table, each customized with the owner's tastes. Yukari opted for something with greens and grilled chicken while Minato chose something with sweet corn and mayonnaise. Akihiko loaded his up with every kind of meat available, and Junpei's looked as if someone had dumped a bunch of scraps from a restaurant onto his pizza and baked it. Ryuichi went with his holy trinity of pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms.

"Itadakimasu," Minato said before picking up his first slice.

"Thanks for dinner, Ryuichi-senpai," Yukari said before taking a bite.

"We are eternally grateful!" Junpei called from the far side of the table.

"Fanks," Akihiko managed to say with a stuffed mouth.

Ryuichi smiled as he watched everyone enjoy their meal. "It was nothing," he said. "I figured we could all use a break."

Seeing everyone in a good mood helped Ryuichi. Warmth filled his belly and spread to his smile as he listened to their conversations, laughed at Junpei's dumb jokes, and traded slices of pizza to sample others. He wished it would last.

They all shared in their misery of how their exams were going, how they all burnt out their eyes from staring at blinding white pages all day for the past two weeks. At times, the juniors consulted the seniors for answers that Ryuichi attempted to explain while Akihiko nibbled sheepishly on his greasy, meaty pizza.

While they chatted, they heard the familiar metallic whine and rhythmic _thud_ on the stairs. When Kikuno and the trolley appeared in the dining area, everyone paused their conversations to invite her to join them. She respectfully thanked them but declined.

"What about Mitsuru-senpai?" Minato asked Ryuichi.

"Since she had dinner brought to her, she didn't have room for pizza," he replied. He went to help Kikuno load the trolley into the awaiting van.

"I wish she could bring me dinner sometime," Junpei said dreamily as the maid left.

After dinner, Ryuichi took two of his pizza slices and put them on a plate to bring upstairs to Mitsuru. He smiled as he held up the treasured meal to her, relishing in the delight on her face until it turned to an apologetic look.

"While it's still fresh-ish," he insisted. "Even if it's just a bite."

She stepped aside to let him in. He heated the slices in her microwave oven and brought them over to her coffee table. Both sat down on the sofa, staring at the greasy, cheesy goodness.

"Why are you so insistent that I try this?" she asked, sighing.

"Because you looked like you really wanted to try it earlier," he pointed out, nudging the plate closer to her. "Better eat it soon; cold pizza tastes great, but hot's still pretty good, too."

Mitsuru just sat there staring at the slices, looking confused. "Forgive my ignorance, but what is the etiquette to eating this?"

His face fell. "What?"

Flushing pink, Mitsuru tried to hide her face behind her bangs as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "As you know, my sheltered upbringing never presented me with the opportunity to sample this sort of cuisine," she said. Ryuichi was surprised that she wasn't defensive, but more informative in her tone.

"Oh yeah, huh. I guess they wouldn't give you something like pizza, would they?"

He mimed picking up a slice. "You hold it by the crust," he explained. Mitsuru observed closely. "And if you need to, use your other hand to support it."

"I see. So it's designed to be consumed without the aid of forks or knives."

She picked up the smaller slice of the two. The cheese stretched to a fine string when she pulled it away, part of it still stuck to the plate. When she took her first bite from the tip, more cheese stretched from her lips to the slice. Alarm crossed her face when she looked to Ryuichi for help, who, between laughs, told her to just "attack it". She did just that, looking more like she was frantically trying to eat stretchy mochi before finally severing the cheese.

"Superb," she marveled, covering her mouth with her hand as she chewed. "The sweetness of the sauce complements the saltiness from the cheese and the meat, and the mushrooms mellow and balance the two. The crust has a nice chewiness to it, too."

She took another bite and savored it with satisfied hum. Ryuichi felt strangely proud of the commoner cuisine, as if he had just gained approval from royalty. Mitsuru offered the other slice to him, but he insisted that it was hers.

"I'm starting to get worried about our nightly excursions," Mitsuru expressed to him before starting on the second slice. "The higher we climb, the harder it is for me to keep in contact with the team."

"It's getting pretty dangerous, isn't it?" He recalled the previous few times they went to Tartarus and how Mitsuru would practically be yelling into her radio, just so the others could hear from many floors above them. Keeping in contact with them grew nearly impossible, but it was obvious that the issue would only worsen the higher they went.

"The way things are going, I don't know if I will be able to continue acting as a guide for the team."

Ryuichi thought for a moment while she bit into the next slice. "What if we traveled with them?" he asked her. "We'll climb Tartarus with them, but you and I just keep our distance."

She shook her head. "That won't be practical," she sighed. "We would only be endangering ourselves and cause problems for the others. It's difficult enough to have to worry about ourselves in battle. To concern the others with guarding another team could prove fatal."

"Yeah, I guess, but what are we supposed to do?"

Neither had an answer. They just sat quietly while Mitsuru ate, Ryuichi racking his brain for a solution. Incredibly, Mitsuru finished the second slice, even after eating the meal that Kikuno brought.

"Kikuno-san is going to kill me for corrupting your palate even more," he said, grinning.

"Not just Kikuno, but the entirety of the Kirijo Group," she corrected him, her voice full of humor. "Thank you, Ryuichi. I'm glad to have experienced that for myself."

"Only you could make pizza sound like it was more of a life-changing religious experience."

"Well, it certainly had quite the effect on me."

Exam week continued, and Ryuichi did not feel confident about his answers. Without Mitsuru's tutoring and his meager time to study, he was pretty certain that he crashed, skidded to a stop, and then exploded. He couldn't even bring himself to face Mitsuru after the last exam, where he quickly packed up and left before anyone else. He was already at the rear door of the classroom when he heard Mitsuru ask as far as "How do you think you—?" before realizing he was gone.

With exams concluding just before noon, Ryuichi wanted nothing more than to get back to bed when he remembered that he couldn't just ditch Mitsuru. Then again, it was technically his day off, so he wasn't obligated to stick around her. But, he wasn't about to lose his job over his need to sleep.

He ended up returning to his classroom and stood by Mitsuru's desk while she had her back to him, talking to another student about the exam as she packed up her bag. When she turned around again, she gasped, surprised to see him there.

"I'll never get used to you disappearing and reappearing like that," she remarked without annoyance. "So, shall we go?"

"Mitsuru! Mitsuru! Wanna celebrate exams being done?"

Three girls came racing up to Mitsuru from another class. Ryuichi recognize them from the fencing team as they surrounded their captain.

"Not this time, I'm afraid," Mitsuru said to them. Ryuichi's silent prayer for her to go with them was cut short. "Maybe next time."

Ryuichi left with her, keeping a short distance behind her out of fear of being asked how he did on his exams. He allowed other students to crowd them as an excuse to not walk next to her. When they left the school, Mitsuru sprang her question on him.

"So, how were your exams?"

He clenched. "I don't wanna talk about it," he muttered in defeat.

"I'm sure you did better than you think. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Her encouragements did little to lift his mood. At the dorm, he was spared having to make tea thanks to Kikuno arriving with Mitsuru's lunch. He skipped lunch to go dump himself face-first onto his bed, wallowing in his failure when he received a phone call.

"You're done with exams, right?" his mother asked. "I need to do some shopping, but I can't take your sister with me since it'll be too strenuous on her, especially when she's close to her due date. I don't feel safe leaving her home alone, either, so could you pick up some groceries for us?"

He obediently wrote down the list of items his mother wanted and went to attach the sidecar to his motorcycle. For the entire shopping trip, he kept telling himself to just leave the groceries at the front door and flee before his mother could latch onto him. When he arrived at the house, he exhaled heavily and brought the groceries inside.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

He shouldn't have been shocked, but seeing it sent eighteen jagged blades through his gut: The rankings for the exam results were posted, and his name had plummeted to the number eighteen spot. A new name had taken over the number two spot where his name once stood right beneath Mitsuru's. Ryuichi shoved his hands deep into his pockets, put his head down, and left, tired of facing his own failure tacked up on the wall for everyone to see. Back at his desk, he set his head down on his arms and exhaled slowly through his nostrils. He wanted to be angrier, but exhaustion took away most of his ability to care anymore.

His mother had asked him to stay and help out the previous Saturday, and he was still expected to show up Sunday for his turn to watch over his sister. With Shizue's due date looming near, they wanted to take every precaution possible to ensure that she had a way to the hospital, even if it meant she had to ride in Ryuichi's motorcycle's sidecar. Despite their logic behind their request for him to stay, he had a feeling that they just wanted him to stick around to do repairs and help clean around the house, as that was what he ended up doing under their mother's supervision. On Sunday, Shizue started to act up again, where she would be raging over dying in her video game or weeping so badly that she almost started to hyperventilate.

He had to go back again that afternoon. The thought of it almost brought him to tears as he recalled the questions his mother asked him last Saturday.

 _"Why do you always want to take the easy way out?"_ she had asked him when they spoke again of hiring a nanny. _"What if you don't have the money to hire one? Would you just abandon your sister when she needs you most?"_

Repeating her words in his mind shattered him. Hot tears blossomed hotly on his sleeve as he replayed the scene in his head. He was slowly breaking, feeling the thin cracks spreading throughout his body.

"Well done, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said somewhere above him. "For someone with such a full schedule, I'm impressed that you were able to score as high as you did."

He rubbed his eyes on his sleeve before lifting his head. "Yeah, but I could've scored higher," he murmured darkly. He forced himself to lighten his voice. "Before I forget: congratulations on getting number one."

He managed to smile for her, not wanting to take away from her victory. She didn't share his smile; instead, worry crossed her face as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Congratulations, Mitsuru-san!"

"Way to go, Madam Prez!"

"You're amazing!"

"Wouldn't expect anything less!"

Mitsuru glanced up to see their classmates congratulating her. She took the time to respond to their greetings with her own humble replies. When she had her back to Ryuichi, he slipped out of his seat and headed for the boys' restroom. He didn't need to use the toilet, but only wanted to escape the glaring greatness that was Mitsuru, so as not to highlight his own unremarkable score and tarnish her image by association.

As he relieved himself at the urinal, the PA system played a little tone to get the students' attention.

"Ryuichi Okazaki, please come to the faculty office immediately," came a woman's voice.

He let out a groan. "What did I do now?" he croaked, finishing up. He washed his hands and dried them on his pants as he hurried downstairs to the faculty office, where his homeroom teacher was practically bouncing on her toes when he arrived.

"Your mother called," she said excitedly. "Your sister went into labor!"

All the blood drained out of his head. "What? But she's not due yet!"

His teacher chuckled. "Yes, but the baby couldn't wait that long. Your mother said that they would meet you at the hospital as soon as possible."

He started to ask about leaving class early when his teacher said that he was excused. Panicked, Ryuichi thanked her and dashed upstairs to his classroom to get his things, alarming everyone around him.

"What's wrong?" Mitsuru asked.

"Baby's coming," he said curtly as he dumped books, notes, and his pencil bag inside. "Gotta go! Congratulations again!"

He didn't give her a chance to ask about anything else before speeding back out. He ran, stopping only to get into his normal shoes and sprint all the way to the hospital. The city was more alive around lunchtime, demanding that he leap, roll, dodge, and slip his way to the hospital. He dove over a baby's stroller, rolled, and popped back up on his feet unharmed and continued his ballet of twirling and almost dislocating parts of his body to weave through all the people who crowded the sidewalks.

The baby was coming, and he was the one freaking out when he wasn't even the one about to push a life out of his body. All he could think about was how scared Shizue must be, even after they both looked over all the books he got about childbirth, the Lamaze classes, and even all the videos they found online. Hell, he was scared no matter how much he prepared for the actual birth. And aw, hell! She was stuck alone with their mom!

He could picture their mother yelling at Shizue when she was already in tears and hyperventilating while trying to give birth. The image stuck with him as he shot through the hospital doors, panting hard as he propped himself up on the front desk with his elbows so he wouldn't collapse.

"Sh-Shizue Okazaki," he sputtered. "Baby, coming, now—"

"Ah, Okazaki-san," the nurse said kindly to him. "Your sister's just arrived."

She told him the room number and where to go. On shaky legs, he managed to navigate the hospital hallways until he found his sister's private room. She was already changed into a hospital gown and was sitting up in bed while their mother lovingly stroked her hair. They both looked up when he entered the room.

"Did you run here straight from school?" Shizue asked in awe.

Huffing and puffing, he nodded for the moment so he could catch his breath. "Did you do it? Is she—?"

"Not yet," Ayumi said, smiling as she shook her head. "The nurse said that she still has a long way to go before she's dilated enough to give birth, so it could be some time."

"Didn't you get my message?" his sister asked, prompting him to check his phone. He saw one email from her, telling him that her water broke.

Ayumi's phone made a twinkling noise. When she saw the message, her face collapsed into a frown.

"Honestly, your father," she grumbled. "He would miss the birth of his first grandchild for his restaurant."

"Let him stay," snorted Shizue. "He'll just get fidgety waiting for—Oomph!"

She clutched her stomach. Ryuichi rushed to her side, taking her hand to hold. He set the breathing pace for her, coaching her through the pain as she crushed his hand in her powerful grip. After a few seconds, she loosened her hold on him and settled back down on the bed. Ayumi went to soak her handkerchief under the tap in the bathroom while Ryuichi pulled up a chair to sit closer to his sister, still holding her hand. Her face shone with sweat, and her hair, though pulled back in a high ponytail, had some strands that came loose and tangled about her head.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her softly while Ayumi dabbed her damp handkerchief at Shizue's face.

"I can't wait to get this cannonball out of me," she moaned, making the others chuckle.

Their mother's phone twinkled again. She checked it, looking even more annoyed.

"Your father wants to know if I'm still coming in to work today," she reported to them, angrily smashing her thumbs on the keys as she typed out her response. Before she could finish the message, her phone twinkled once more. "Now he's saying that it might be like when I was in labor with Ryuichi: he thinks it'll be twenty-two hours before you're ready to give birth."

Shizue held her hands over her stomach. "Well, that's _one_ less person to worry about."

There wasn't much else for them to do at that point. Ryuichi gave Shizue control over the TV remote to keep her mind off of giving birth, at least between contractions. Ayumi kept getting up to get her some ice chips, and every now and then, a nurse would come to see how dilated she was. Each time, it seemed as though she had either not dilated at all, or shrunk.

No matter how Toshio blew up Ayumi's phone with demands for her to come to work, Ayumi refused to leave her daughter. Ryuichi watched his mother in admiration as she stood up to her husband. At the same time, he worried that their little spat might turn into a full-on argument. For Toshio, the restaurant was everything, but to see that he would miss the birth of his first granddaughter for a few hunks of meat made Ryuichi ashamed to even call him his father.

Evening came, and still no baby. Shizue became incredibly fussy from hunger, pain, discomfort, and agitation, and from the way it looked, Ryuichi and Ayumi were only making things worse. Even just being there seemed to make his sister irascible. When a nurse came to check on Shizue, Ryuichi excused himself to walk around a bit.

"Still?" Shizue's shrill rage raked across his back as he left. "Are you kidding me?"

"Shizue," Ayumi said gently, "I know it's taking a long time, but you've got to hang in there."

"I know, Mom, I know. Just, ugh—Just go ahead and get yourself something for dinner, okay?"

"No, I can't just leave you alone—"

"Mom, it's cool. At this rate, you can probably go home and come back tomorrow morning and she still won't be born!"

Ryuichi ducked back inside to lightly tug on his mother's sleeve. "Come on, Mom," he whispered to her. "I think she needs some time alone."

Reluctantly, Ayumi let Ryuichi guide her to the cafeteria. He walked her to the different cuisines they had available, but his mother kept quietly raging about the whole ordeal. It took some coaxing, but she finally chose some Napolitan pasta, looking as though she wasn't even aware of her selection. Ryuichi paid for both their meals and found a table to settle down and eat.

"I think your father cursed her," Ayumi spat. "If he hadn't brought up that I was in labor for almost a whole day, Shizue might not have to go through the same thing."

"I don't know if it works that way, but yeah, let's say that."

She wasn't done. She spent some time complaining about Toshio's preference of his food over his own granddaughter's birth, illustrating in Ryuichi's head an image of his father coddling a hunk of marinated and seasoned ground beef swaddled in a blanket. The man loved his beef, no doubt, a love that often cost his family much grief whenever they were dragged into the family business.

"To be honest, I actually like that I had to cut my work hours," his mother admitted to him. "It was always work, work, work, work, work. At least when Shizue came back, I'm lucky enough to have some quiet time every now and then."

Ryuichi had trouble believing that "quiet time" could happen between his mother and sister. Still, he said nothing, only nodding along with whatever Ayumi said.

She pushed her pasta around on her plate. "But, even watching your sister can be tiresome," she sighed. Ryuichi couldn't believe that he was actually connecting with his mother. "You know what she said to me the other day? She said I was unreasonable because I wouldn't let her go grocery shopping with me. That's why I had to ask you to do it for me."

He nodded along, letting her continue. "The problem with your sister is that she doesn't think ahead. She doesn't think about how difficult it would be if she did go with me to go shopping. Can you imagine? What if she went into labor at the store or on the way? What if she over-exerted herself and caused harm to the baby? She only thinks about herself!

"She and your father are so alike. Did you notice that?" she asked. He nodded again, his mouth stuffed from his grilled chicken sandwich. "And Toshio just keeps acting like he doesn't know where she got her unruly side from! He even blames me for it sometimes!"

Ryuichi finished his meal before his mother even touched her food. "I'm gonna head back up to the room, but you just take your time and rest, okay?" he said kindly to her.

She patted his arm. "Yes, go watch over your sister," she agreed, sounding appreciative of his gesture. "Thank you, Ryuichi."

On his way back, Ryuichi stopped by the ice machine in the hallway to get his sister more ice chips. It was when he started filling the cup that he received an email from Mitsuru.

 _"Has she given birth?"_ she asked.

 _"Not yet. Still in labor,"_ he wrote back.

Back in the room, Shizue had her eyes fixed blankly on the TV overhead as she changed the channel in a dull rhythm. Ryuichi offered her the cup of ice chips, causing her to abandon the remote and land on a comedy cooking show to take the cup.

"I'm gonna pretend that this is one of Dad's Tempura Burgers," she murmured woefully. "Speaking of Dad, I'm actually pretty glad that he didn't show up. Can you imagine having the two of them here?"

"I thought Mom was pretty okay so far," he replied as he took a seat by the bed.

She rolled her eyes. "She's pleasant now because we're not at home. I swear, on days when you're not there, she keeps ragging on me about finishing up my degree, not helping out around the house—I'm freakin' pregnant, dammit!"

Uh oh. Ryuichi could tell that he made a mistake coming back on his own.

Shizue grabbed the bed control to adjust the mattress so she could sit up higher. "I don't think I'll survive if I stay with them," she told him. "I'm seriously thinking about moving out."

"Uh, what about Megumi?" Ryuichi pointed out. "I mean, you're gonna need someone to watch over her, right? And you're most likely going to have to work if you—"

"I know, I know! Dammit, it's like I'm destined to be stuck with them! But, come on—you know how much better it is when we're not living with them, right? Don't you like living in the dorm more than at home?"

"Yeah, but Megumi kinda changes all that."

The conversation ended when Ayumi entered the room. A nurse followed her in to check Shizue once more. Shizue was still not dilated enough to give birth, but that didn't mean that Ryuichi and Ayumi were going to leave. They were ready to stay with her all through the night, Ayumi sometimes sitting on the bed next to Shizue, other times sitting in the chair at the bedside. Ryuichi sank low in his chair and napped, waking up every few minutes with a stiff and sore neck.

As midnight approached, Ryuichi kept checking his phone for the time.

"Waiting for a call from your girlfriend or something?" his sister snarked. He wanted to snap back at her harsh tone, but kept reminding himself that her prolonged discomfort and lack of food was to blame.

He said nothing. Shortly after, the world went completely black for just a second, and then the rotten moonlight filled the room. Ryuichi shuddered when he saw the coffin on the chair opposite from him, and the other coffin on the bed where his sister had been. The Dark Hour had struck.

The silence made his skin tingle. Ryuichi tried to combat his uneasiness by pacing the room, but the sight of his mother and sister as coffins made him ill. He left the room to wander the halls, realizing what a mistake that was when he saw how dark the hospital had become. Coffins stood in the halls, sat in chairs, and occupied beds, as if foretelling the fates of those who were there for treatments. He thought back to his mother and sister, having to tell himself over and over again that they were still alive. He shuddered at the thought that there could be another miniature coffin inside his sister's that held her unborn baby.

Ryuichi returned to his sister's room and stood by the window. He could see Tartarus piercing the sky and wondered if the others had gone on another excursion. If they had, he hoped that Mitsuru took Akihiko along for protection.

There wasn't much else to do. For the remainder of the Dark Hour, he sat in his chair and tried to sleep, managing only to twitch awake every few minutes in anticipation of Shadows attacking.

Early the next morning, Megumi Okazaki was born. The first time Shizue held her, Ayumi snapped a few photos to commemorate the occasion, and then left to call Toshio to berate him for missing Megumi's birth. Ryuichi stayed with his sister and newborn niece, keeping a short distance away from the bed to give Shizue some space.

"Good morning, Megumi," he heard her whisper faintly to her daughter. Her exhausted, pale face smiled as her baby slept. "You and I are the same, you know. But don't worry—I love you very much, and I want you to know that."

Ryuichi wasn't sure what Shizue meant when she said that she and Megumi were the same, but whatever it meant, it looked to him like something had changed within his sister.

She gave Megumi over to her brother to hold. When he held her in his arms, he realized something: Here was this little baby who was not yet aware that she had no father, a mother with a shameful past, grandparents who could crush spirits with just a few choice words, and an uncle who wanted nothing to do with their family. Looking at her red face and chubby cheeks, he found himself full of regret for not wanting to help take care of her before. All he wanted now was for her to feel love, to shield her from the ugliness of their family, and protect her from the truth of her conception.

"Hey, Megs," he whispered to her. "I'm your Uncle Ryu. I'll do my best to be here for you, okay?"

Shizue let out a yawn. "I really hope she ends up liking the same boy bands as you," she groaned. "I'm not going to sit by and listen to you and Megumi argue over who is the better band."

Ryuichi sheepishly beamed at her. "I'm going to teach her to appreciate _all_ of them," he answered indignantly.

"Oh, balls. She's gonna be just like you!"

When everything had settled down with his sister, Ryuichi headed home to the dorm to freshen up before school. He took a quick shower, but when he sat down on his bed to pull on his socks, he ended up passing out and missing the school day entirely.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

The weather began to warm up for summer, where the heat gradually lingered from day to day thanks to the humidity. It was the time of year for everyone to switch to short sleeves for a little relief from the heat, but it also let the sun scorch their exposed skin.

Ryuichi loathed the summer weather. He reluctantly exchanged his charcoal gray dress shirt for a white one and rolled the sleeves up until they ended just under his elbows. To maintain his clean butler look, he kept his black vest and his red, silk necktie. When he noticed that some of his scars were still visible through his white sleeves, he added a white T-shirt underneath to cover up his shoulders. He knew the amount of layers he wore was always deadly in the stifling heat, but if it covered his scars, then to him it was worth the extra suffering.

Around the start of June, there were stories going around school about disembodied voices, missing girls, ghosts, and people who had somehow gone mad overnight. It was all anyone could talk about, each tale with a slightly different telling every time it passed to another set of ears. To Ryuichi, it sounded like everyone was getting started on making up scary stories for the summer.

When Ryuichi returned to the dorm from an evening of poopy diapers and a wailing baby, he found Mitsuru waiting for him in the lounge.

"Something wrong?" he asked when he spotted her.

"In fact, there is," she said. As he sat down next to her, she poured him some tea. "I'm sure you've been hearing some of the rumors that have been flying around school lately."

"Rumors?" he yawned. "Again? What, do they think that _you're_ the one cheating on me this time?"

She ignored his joke. "These particular rumors are a bit unnerving. One rumor claims that being in school late at night will result in you being consumed by a ghost that roams the halls. Iori was telling us earlier that a friend of his saw a girl from class 2-E enter the school at night and was found outside the school gate the next morning."

Ryuichi flinched when he burnt his tongue on the tea. "So, you think these rumors are real?"

"I think they are worth investigating," she replied. "We came to an agreement that we should look into the matter. The other rumor of our school swallowing someone sounds too much like another nightly phenomenon that you and I are familiar with."

When he didn't respond, she tersely said: "Tartarus."

Nodding, he let out another yawn. "Right, right."

Mitsuru seemed to be carefully observing him as he shakily lowered his cup of tea back down onto the table. "Are you not getting enough sleep? You seem more tired than usual."

"I'm fine," he mumbled with a tiny sniffle. "Anyway, what else were you saying?"

She didn't look convinced. "I was going to say that, for now, we should listen to the rumors and see which details are the most common among them."

Ryuichi looked upon her with skepticism. "Um, so, you're having us investigate rumors?"

"That is correct."

He lightly scratched his cheek. "And, those rumors are about a ghost roaming the school?"

He saw her grip her arm a little tighter. "As absurd as it sounds, we need to see if any of the rumors have some truth to them," she answered in a curt tone.

"Yeah, but, are you going to be okay?"

She glowered at him. "It's just a ghost story," she said, sitting up higher and looking tense. "We need to find the intersection between reality and fiction."

Yawning once more, Ryuichi shrugged and reached for his teacup. "Yeah, you've got a point," he agreed, hatching a little plan in his mind. "Hey, as long as we're investigating ghosts, can I run something by you really quick?"

Mitsuru's tense expression never let up. "What is it?"

"Well," he began, putting on a slightly worried look, "actually, never mind."

But she already took interest. "You can tell me," she reassured him, and he put on a show of refusing, baiting her even more until at last, he agreed.

"The thing is, the other night, when I was taking a bath, I was in front of my mirror washing my hair," he finally said, taking his time with his tale as he spoke in a light, fearful voice. "And, while I was rinsing off, I looked at my mirror to see, you know, myself, staring back.

"Except, it wasn't my face I saw."

Mitsuru stood up without warning. "O-Of course it was your face!" she blurted out. "You've been tired lately, so your eyes must have been playing tricks on you."

Ryuichi fixed his weary eyes on hers, and in a grave voice, said: "The face I saw was a woman's."

"A trick of the light!" she asserted, and started towards the stairs. "You should go to bed early, Ryuichi. You're starting to have hallucinations."

With that, he watched her shakily climb the stairs. On the third step, she jumped when someone threw their bedroom door open on the second floor. Ryuichi watched as Mitsuru froze, the two of them listening as someone dropped some coins into the vending machine in the hall. A soda can dropped, and seconds later, a bedroom door slammed shut. Mitsuru straightened up to compose herself, shot one final, frigid glance at Ryuichi, and then continued upstairs. When she was beyond his sight, he began to chuckle to himself.

Throughout the week, he did as he was told and listened in for any rumors he overheard from their classmates. They made for some interesting tales until the stories began to cross into reality. There was, in fact, a girl from class 2-E who had been absent for a few days now, though most students attributed her absence to illness. Ryuichi saw nothing wrong with her missing a few days of school.

More rumors flew around as the week progressed. Apparently, there were other girls who were found outside the school gates that had to be hospitalized. According to the rumors, they had all complained of hearing voices that no one else seemed to hear before collapsing outside the school. From what he gathered, there were three girls who were discovered and hospitalized, and all three had been friends.

Saturday after school, Ryuichi and Mitsuru headed back to the dorm to discuss their findings. They agreed to talk upstairs in the command room, where Ryuichi brought tea and snacks. When Mitsuru joined him, she brought two fencing epees for them to use while they chatted.

"Fuuka Yamagishi, huh?" Ryuichi parried a thrust from Mitsuru's blade.

"Yes. It seems that she's been out sick for about a week now," Mitsuru confirmed. Her sword seemed to whip at all his weak points, where he could only react in time to defend himself.

"Okay, so, what, she got tuberculosis or something?"

"I highly doubt that. Though, it's hard for me to think that Yamagishi would be the type to skip school, according to what I've heard from other students."

"It was a joke."

The tip of her sword jabbed him hard in the shoulder. He rubbed where he was hit, still amazed that the blunted tip can still sting through the many layers he wore. Mitsuru smiled at her victory.

"Okay," he grunted as he prepared for the next round. "So, what's the connection between Fuuka Yamagishi and the other girls?"

"I happened to pass some girls in the hallway who mentioned Yamagishi's name. It seems that a girl named Natsuki Moriyama had played a trick on Yamagishi in the locker room before."

He cringed. "What happened?"

Mitsuru parried all his strikes. "It seems that she pretended to take a picture of Yamagishi as she was changing just to frighten her. She was understandably upset, but the girls were laughing about it."

"Sounds like bullying to me."

"That's what I thought, too."

He lunged, but she sidestepped his assault with ease and tapped his cheek with her blade. He slapped a hand to his face, finding no blood.

"Part of the rumors I heard was that the girls were hearing voices before they fell ill," he recalled, still reeling from her attack. "Where does that part come in?"

She straightened up out of her fencing stance and dabbed at her brow and throat with a small towel. "I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect that it might have something to do with Shadows. There have been cases where few people without the potential gain consciousness during the Dark Hour, but shortly after, they suffer a mental breakdown."

"So, that girl, Natsuki? Did she have a mental breakdown, too?"

"Not yet, as far as I know. But, if she's friends with those other girls who were hospitalized, then there's a possibility she could be next."

The following Monday during lunchtime, Ryuichi followed Mitsuru to classroom 2-E to find the girl named Natsuki Moriyama. Some students in the class informed them that she had gone downstairs to the faculty office earlier. The two thanked them and headed downstairs.

They found Ekoda-sensei at his desk, with his hair swept forward like a pop idol wearing a bad toupee. Sitting by him was a terror-stricken girl with a dark complexion, brown hair, and looking as though she was having a meltdown: her eyes shifted anxiously, her lip quivered, and tears pooled her eyes without overflowing.

"Can I help you?" Ekoda-sensei asked Mitsuru, who was staring at the girl.

"Is this girl Natsuki Moriyama?" she asked him.

"Yes, this is her. Why do you ask?"

The door to the room opened again, and Yukari, Junpei, and Minato came in. They looked surprised to see the two seniors.

"What are you two doing here?" Yukari asked Ryuichi.

"Same as you," Ryuichi guessed.

Mitsuru looked back to the teacher. "Ekoda-sensei, I'm here to ask you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi."

When she said the name, the frightened girl named Natsuki screamed "No!", startling everyone in the room. Her eyes had gone wild with fear as her body began to tremble.

"I-I never thought it'd turn out like this," Natsuki whimpered.

She uttered Fuuka's name. Doing so seemed to drain her strength as she lowered her face.

Mitsuru hardened her stare on the girl. "What did you do to Yamagishi?"

"Hold on, Mitsuru. This isn't an interrogation," Ekoda-sensei said gruffly. He turned to Natsuki. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea."

"Fuuka, she—" Natsuki uttered. "She always looked so frazzled whenever I gave her a hard time. Then I realized she's an honor student, but deep inside, she's just the same as us. I knew exactly which buttons to push."

Her eyes widened. "We were just messin' with her that day, too! May 29th—We took Fuuka to the gym and locked the door from the outside."

"What?" Junpei bellowed. "You locked her in?"

She nodded. "That night, Maki returned to school alone. She was afraid we'd get in trouble if Fuuka committed suicide."

Ryuichi flinched as the juniors exchanged uneasy looks.

"But, she never came back," Natsuki continued. "And, the next morning—"

"—She was found lying on the ground by the gate," Yukari finished, and Natsuki nodded.

"I went to the gym to let Fuuka out, but the door was still locked. So, I opened it and went inside, but she wasn't there.

"We all freaked out. Starting that night, we went out looking for her. But, every night, another one of us went missing and they each ended up like Maki!"

Mitsuru gripped her elbow tightly," I see," she said of the tale. When she turned her attention to the teacher next, she lowered her hand from her arm.

"By the way, Ekoda-sensei," she said, shifting to an accusing tone, "all this time, you've attributed Yamagishi's absences to 'illness'. But in reality, she was missing. You must have been aware of that. What was your intention?"

The teacher leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. "I was thinking of the students, of course," he asserted. "You children may not understand, but we have to consider the future of everyone affected."

"You mean, you chose _not_ to report this to the police for the 'good of the class'," Mitsuru shot, and sweat began to bead on Ekoda-sensei's forehead. The other teachers in the office began to stare.

"It-It was in her best interest," he said, lacking the strength in his voice from before. "I wouldn't want her records to be stained by something like this. Her parents agree!"

Mitsuru leaned towards him. "So, to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher? How despicable!"

Ekoda-sensei gasped and began shifting his eyes everywhere that wasn't directly at Mitsuru. "I-I didn't—I was just—"

Mitsuru ignored him and looked back to Natsuki. Her tone changed again to a gentler one without losing the authority in her voice. "About your friends—did you notice anything unusual before the incidents?" she asked her. "Anything at all?"

Natsuki whimpered, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly as tears left dark dots on her knees.

"They all heard a voice," she whispered, and everyone leaned in to hear her better. "A creepy voice, right before each of them went missing. They said it was calling their name."

Junpei shook his head. "Oh, man."

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru. "Do you think it could be—?"

"It's them. No doubt about it," Mitsuru confirmed. "Until now, there was no way of knowing how or why some people are conscious during the Dark Hour. But, it's the voice: it draws them in. It's not a random phenomenon."

She stood quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "This whole thing has made me realize—they're clearly targeting humans. Shadows are the enemy of mankind."

To Natsuki, she said: "Stay at our dorm tonight; it's the safest place. If you hear the voice, tell us immediately. And don't leave the room, no matter what. If you can do that much, you should be okay."

She put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, making the girl flinch. "Don't worry. Yamagishi should be all right, as well."

Natsuki's eyes glazed over. "Fuuka," she uttered again, looking slightly less distraught.

Mitsuru motioned to the SEES members. "We'll meet after school in the Student Council Room to discuss tonight's operation."

"T-Tonight?" Junpei's eyes were as big as Natsuki's.

She nodded. "We're going to rescue Yamagishi. If my guess is right, she's still inside the school."

"U-Understood!" Yukari yelped.

Ryuichi was the only one who couldn't meet with the others after school. After an evening of reading, singing, feeding, changing, and trying to get a wailing Megumi to quiet down, Ryuichi returned to the dorm, ready to collapse onto his bed when Akihiko told him that they were going to infiltrate the school that very night.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Everyone had gathered upstairs in the command room late that night to prepare for their rescue mission. Akihiko was more fired up than usual, as it would be his first time back in battle since his injury. In contrast, Ryuichi was nodding off and had to make himself some coffee to perk up. With his warm belly full of coffee, all he wanted to do was curl up on the couch and take a nap.

Mitsuru closed her cell phone. "I can't get a hold of the Chairman."

"I guess we can handle it ourselves," Yukari suggested.

"There's one problem, though," Mitsuru told her. "Without the Chairman's help, I'm not sure how we can get inside the school."

Junpei grinned. "No need to worry. I've got it all set to go."

"'Set to go'?" Mitsuru stared at him. "An explosive?"

Everyone jumped back, horrified, but Mitsuru chuckled.

"All right, I'll let you handle this," she said. Ryuichi couldn't tell if she was joking or if she was looking forward to using bombs.

Akihiko stood up from the ottoman with a flip of his jacket over his shoulder. "We don't have time to waste. Let's go."

On their way out, Ryuichi stopped by the kitchen to retrieve the little bundle of sandwiches and a thermos of tea he prepared for Fuuka. It wasn't much, but if Fuuka was indeed trapped inside Tartarus, then he figured that she might be starving by now.

At the school, they entered through the emergency exit door on the second floor that Junpei had unlocked as part of his master plan—thankfully with no need for an explosive. He had a smug grin on his face that he wore since they left the dorm.

"See?" he told everyone. "We got in no problem. Man, I'm a genius!"

Yukari sighed. "Is that really something to brag about?"

"Why not?" Ryuichi asked, yawning. "If he hadn't planned ahead, we'd be stuck outside."

Mitsuru looked the door up and down. "So, you unlocked it earlier. Très bien!" she told Junpei, who blushed.

"No time for compliments," an impatient Akihiko urged them. "Let's go."

They all headed down the darkened hallway, guided only by the dim moonlight that came in through the windows. Squinting in the darkness, Ryuichi could make out the signs over the doors that read the classroom names. They ducked into one of the second-year classrooms to strategize.

"Can we turn on the lights?" Yukari murmured miserably, and Junpei patted her on the back.

"Aw, what's the matter? You scared?"

She glowered at him. "No! Ugh, Stupei," she growled, and Junpei's grin disappeared.

"Stop callin' me that!" he hollered, and his voice echoed around the room.

"Stop that!" Akihiko snarled. "It's better if we leave 'em off. They cut the power at night, anyway."

Yukari sighed again. "I hate sneaking around."

"First, we have to find the key to the gym," Mitsuru said, cutting their conversations off. "The seniors will check the janitor's room. You three will check the Faculty Office. After that, we'll meet in the main hallway. Got it?"

"The Faculty Office, huh?" Junpei had a look of glee on his face. "Hey, maybe we'll find some test questions!"

That remark got Akihiko's attention. "Maybe I should go to the Faculty Office, too. It sounds interesting," he told Mitsuru.

She had a dark smile on her face that made the two boys shudder. "Are you planning something unscrupulous under my supervision?" she asked in a slightly sing-song-y voice. "If so, then expect to be severely punished."

The room dropped about twenty degrees cooler, yet everyone began to sweat more than usual. Junpei was the one to rapidly waved his hands in front of himself in defense.

"I-It was a joke!" he tried telling her. "I'd never do something like that!"

His nervous laughter didn't convince anyone. Even Akihiko hung his head.

"Come on, Mitsuru. Lighten up a little," he groaned.

She took one step towards him, and he let out a sharp gasp out of fear. Looking between the two boys, she sighed and hissed to them: "Fine. Let's head over to the janitor's room. Iori, you're coming with us. Ryuichi, go with the other two."

At that point, Ryuichi was sure that Mitsuru would be safe for the time being and that Akihiko and Junpei were the ones in danger. He had no problems with leading Minato and Yukari to the Faculty Room.

"All right, let's get this over with," Yukari grumbled as they made their way down the hall in the dark.

There was something eerie about the school at night. Shadows that shouldn't be anywhere seemed to flit out of the darkness or streak across windows. All sounds of life had gone away, leaving only the noises that seemed out of place that made them all jump. There was no laughter or gossip in the halls, no loud music playing from one of the students' oversized headphones, and no sports whistles being blown while teams practiced. Instead, they heard distant dogs barking into the darkness, the ocean breeze rattling the windows, and other unexplained noises that made Yukari whimper.

A squeaky noise made the three freeze. Ryuichi led Yukari and Minato into the boys' restroom to hide as they listened for anyone who might be coming down the hall. No one dared to breathe as they huddled inside a bathroom stall. The other two were so silent that for a moment, Ryuichi was afraid that he had only imagined that they made it into the stall with him.

"I think it's safe," Ryuichi whispered to them. He led them out and down the stairs into the foyer, where he could just make out the white tiles on the floor and the white columns. The small store at the rear had all its shelves cleared out for the night until it would be restocked the next morning.

Footsteps. Yukari gasped.

"Th-There's someone else here?" Yukari whispered.

The three fled behind a thick pillar just as a security guard's flashlight beam swept across the wall near where they had just stood seconds ago. The conical light paused on the pillar briefly, and everyone held their breaths again until the flashlight clicked off. They listened as the guard headed down the opposite hallway.

"Whew. it's just a security guard," Yukari sighed with relief.

"As opposed to what, exactly?" Ryuichi asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yukari, do you believe in ghosts?" Minato asked with a smirk, sending Yukari into a panic.

"O-Of course I don't! Those are just kids' stories!"

Ryuichi couldn't believe that such words were coming from the same girl who foolishly led her classmates into a dark alley the other night.

Just then, a cell phone let out a cheery tune, making Yukari jump and shriek. She ran around in a circle before clinging to Minato's arm, only for the sound to follow her.

"M-My cell phone?" she stuttered. "Why now?"

Ryuichi looked to the hallway the security guard had just gone down, seeing his flashlight turn on again.

Minato led them into the faculty hallway to hide. Once there, Yukari checked her phone.

"Figures; it's spam," she grumbled, stuffing her phone back into her pocket.

Ryuichi pressed himself against the wall to peek into the hallway. The security guard had returned, examining the foyer once more. His beam of light traced from the shoe lockers towards the faculty hallway. Ryuichi ducked away from the door as the light passed by. He listened as the guard's footsteps headed to the little store, paused, and then went back down the other hallway again.

"Turn the ring off on your phones," Ryuichi whispered, and they all obeyed.

"Sorry about that," Yukari grumbled. "It took me by surprise."

Minato smirked. "Yukari, you were so cute."

"H-huh?" Yukari gasped. "It's not funny!"

They didn't give her time to protest as they peeked into the Faculty Office window. With the lights off, it was impossible to see anything inside, but that didn't stop Minato from slowly sliding the door open. They slipped inside and closed the door without any squeaks or groans to alert the security guard once more.

Squinting in the darkness, Ryuichi was tempted to use his cell phone's light to help him see. They checked the teachers' desks, cabinets, and searched for a rack on the wall that might have all the school's keys hanging from it. They eventually found a drawer full of keys with tags on each one.

"No, no," Yukari mumbled to herself. "It's so dark, I can barely read these."

She held one up to the others. "What does it say on this one?" Yukari asked.

Ryuichi yawned as Minato said, "Morgue."

Yukari threw the key back into the drawer. "Can't you be more serious?" she raged, and Minato had to clamp a hand over his mouth to muffle his snickering while Ryuichi hunted for the key. The other two soon joined him in his search until Minato held one up that read "Gym".

"Good work," Ryuichi told him. "Let's go."

Yukari nearly slammed the drawer closed on Ryuichi's fingers in her eagerness to leave. She whispered rapid apologies to him while Minato ushered them both out of the room.

The others were already in the foyer when they arrived. They stood in the middle of the hall, as though impervious to being spotted by the guard. Mitsuru turned to them when they showed up.

"Did you find the key?" she asked, and Ryuichi held up their prize.

Junpei went up to Yukari and nudged her arm. "You know, I heard a scream that sounded kinda familiar," he teased.

Yukari looked away, and Junpei seemed surprised by this. "What, you actually did? I was just kidding."

She scowled at him. "You wanna make somethin' of it?" she challenged. He backed away.

"Keep it down," Akihiko snarled, glancing back towards the other hallway where Ryuichi had last seen the guard.

Mitsuru waved a hand for their attention. "We'll divide into teams again," she said, keeping her voice low. "Three of you will enter Tartarus, and one of you will remain outside with Ryuichi and me. Once the Dark Hour has begun, I'll determine Yamagishi's position."

"I'll go," Akihiko volunteered, barely giving Mitsuru a chance to finish. To Minato he added, "You should come, too. You can take the lead."

"Um, then, I'll be the third," Yukari piped up.

"Wait a second!" Junpei blurted out. "Remember how I accidentally screwed up on the monorail? Gimme a chance to make up for that!"

"Oh, come on! It's not always about _you_!" Yukari argued. Her frown turned into a haughty grin. "Besides, you didn't 'accidentally' screw up."

Akihiko looked to him and said, "Okay, Junpei—We'll give you another shot."

Junpei gave a big fist pump. "Sweet! Thanks!"

Yukari groaned. "What's wrong, Yukari?" Akihiko asked. "You don't want to stay behind with Mitsuru?"

She shook her head. "Um, n-no. It's fine," she said hastily as her eyes flickered to Mitsuru with unease.

"It's almost time," Mitsuru announced, and everyone prepared for the mission.

Ryuichi gave Minato the small bundle of food to ensure that Fuuka would get it when they found her. The three boys headed to the gym to wait for the Dark Hour to begin while Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ryuichi headed outside the school gates. The two seniors had to pick up their motorcycles from Port Island Station and drive them over to the school.

"You think Fuuka's okay?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru while they set up outside the school gate.

"It's hard to say," she replied as she checked the transceiver on the back of her motorcycle. "We've determined that, in the ten days that she's been missing, she's really only been trapped in Tartarus for ten hours due to the Dark Hour."

"Ten hours?" He folded his arms over his chest. "I guess ten hours is better than ten days, but..."

Yukari kicked at a pebble as she stood apart from the others. Ryuichi began to wonder if she didn't like him simply because he associated with Mitsuru.

"So, what happens to people who don't transmogrify who wind up in Tartarus?" he wondered aloud, hoping to cut the tension. "What about the students in the dorms, or the security guard?"

Mitsuru let out a heavy sigh. "I don't have all the answers, but if we haven't encountered anyone inside Tartarus during any of our excursions, then it might be safe to say that none of them end up trapped inside Tartarus. It's really only the high school that transforms into Tartarus, after all, and the security guard leaves well before midnight."

Ryuichi let out a long yawn as he stretched. "So, do you think that Fuuka Yamagishi might have the potential?"

"It's possible, but we'll have to find out and see."

She looked up to the school with cold concern on her face. "However, you might be right—we can't be certain if she's even still alive," she said in a grave voice. "Ten hours with no way to protect herself..."

She trailed off. Ryuichi didn't want to think about what the others would find in Tartarus. Even Yukari gasped, and when the two seniors glanced over to her, they caught her staring at them for a split second before she turned away.

Minutes later, the world darkened, and Tartarus stood in place of Gekkoukan High. Ryuichi and Yukari went to open the doors for Mitsuru to ride her motorcycle inside. She parked by the stairs and turned on the transceiver, the machine emitting high squeaks and whines as she attempted to locate their friends.

While she struggled to contact the exploration team, Ryuichi did small warm-up exercises to wake himself up. He jogged around the lobby, did a few back-flips off the staircase, worked with his shorter katana—anything to make sure that he was alert and in top condition, should any Shadows come their way. Fatigue continued to caress him to sleep, making his eyelids heavier with every uneventful second. Blinking became dangerous for him, as his eyes would refuse to open up again if he kept them closed for too long.

Time passed, and still only static. Mitsuru never let up on her search.

"We still haven't heard back from them," she reported as a long whine escaped the machine. "The transceiver's sensitivity is set to high, too."

Yukari tapped her toes on the ground behind her. "O-Oh yeah," she said meekly, looking to Mitsuru. "That girl, Natsuki? I hope she's okay at the dorm."

"Unfortunately, no place is completely safe in the Dark Hour." Mitsuru's reply shut her down, which Ryuichi attributed to her being hardened by her frustration in her struggle to trace their comrades. "But, we couldn't possibly bring her here, and one of us staying behind was out of the question."

Yukari sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Ryuichi stayed out of their conversation, continuing to work with his sword. Yukari was trying to connect to Mitsuru as far as he could see, and he didn't want to step on her efforts.

"But, we're all here for Fuuka's sake," he heard Yukari say.

Static sizzled in their earpieces as Akihiko's voice faintly reached them.

"Mitsuru, can you hear me?"

"This is Mitsuru," she replied immediately. "I've confirmed your position. You're higher up than I expected. You're barely in communication range. Is everyone all right?"

"...don't know... got separ..."

She twisted some knobs on the transceiver. "Akihiko! Come in, Akihiko!"

"Is he out of range?" asked Yukari uneasily. "I'm starting to get worried."

Ryuichi strode over to Mitsuru as she called in a loud, clear voice: "Can anyone hear me? Are you all right? The distance is too far. I can't provide backup. You got separated from Akihiko. Prioritize finding each other first!"

No response came. None of the three said anything, straining to hear even the tiniest hints of their friends who might be trying to contact them. Ryuichi held his breath when he thought he heard Junpei somewhere beneath all the static, but nothing came of it.

"Can you hear me?" Mitsuru asked again. "Please, answer me!"

 _Boom._ A low, heavy thud sounded from outside. The three stared at the front doors, all frozen with horror on their faces as they drew their Evokers. _Boom._ The doors shook, and they caught a glimpse of an enormous blue and black Shadow on the other side.

 _CRASH!_ Two large Shadows burst through the doors and came bouncing towards them. One was a stout, onion-shaped blue one with a neck that narrowed into a head with a white mask. She had a flowing garment that attached to her wrists, and a scepter that she waved around. The other was a broad-shouldered, black-armored Shadow with a red cross on its chest, somehow balanced atop two stubby legs. He wielded a sword so large that he would just need to drop the edge on a person to cleave them in half. The large Shadows looked to be an elegant lady and some kind of king.

"T-Two of them?" cried Yukari.

Mitsuru struck first. Penthesilea hurled ice at the onion empress, but she continued to waddle towards them with her companion.

"It didn't work?" Mitsuru gasped. "But, how?"

Ajax shot forward. He bashed into the king, but it only wobbled slightly, completely unharmed. Yukari's arrow bounced off of its solid body without leaving a dent.

Ryuichi's jaw dropped. "The hell—?"

"Nothing's working!" Yukari cried.

Mitsuru shot ice at the king. It stumbled, falling and crushing Mitsuru's motorcycle and transceiver. The onion empress waved her scepter just as Yukari cast Garu on the general. Her spell was merely a gentle breeze to it as the kingly monster got back up. It picked up Mitsuru's smoking motorcycle and hurled it at Yukari, who Mitsuru yanked out of the way just in time.

"Maybe it's only weak to ice!" Ryuichi shouted to the others.

The general waved its sword as Ryuichi cast his own wind spell at the onion empress. Her garment fluttered, and she trembled as though she was laughing at him as she returned a wind spell at him. The razor winds tore at him as Ajax rammed her bulbous body.

"Ryuichi! Look out!"

Panicking, he jumped back. The tip of the king's enormous blade bit his shoulder, sending pain and blood bursting just inches from his neck. As Ryuichi scrambled away, the onion Shadow cast two pink hearts that struck Mitsuru. She shuddered, then turned to Yukari with her sword raised.

"M-Mitsuru-senpai!" Yukari yelped when Mitsuru lunged at her.

"She's charmed!" Ryuichi yelled, clutching his injured shoulder.

The empress toddled up behind Mitsuru with her scepter raised. Ryuichi tackled Mitsuru to the ground as the Shadow swung at them. Mitsuru thrashed beneath Ryuichi, throwing elbows, kicking him, but he kept her pinned. Yukari cried out as the king slashed the air with his sword, shooting energy blades every which way. Ryuichi crushed Mitsuru to his chest as he took the full brunt of the attack. Cuts sliced all up and down his back, shredding him. He nearly passed out from the pain.

Yukari shot an arrow at the onion. The Shadow flailed about, wounded, and waved her scepter again. As the junior fumbled for the next arrow, the king knocked her over with the flat of his sword.

The onion empress plucked Ryuichi from the ground. Mitsuru slipped out from his limp arms, her expression changing from livid to fearful. She reached for him too late.

"R-Run," Ryuichi uttered to Mitsuru.

With the flick of her hand, the Shadow tossed him aside. He hit the ground hard, his head buzzing with a sharp sting when he struck the floor. He lay gasping for breath, dazed, feeling the floor shudder from the Shadows' heavy footsteps. All he could hear was that damned buzzing in his head as he painfully propped up on one elbow. Something wet trickled hotly down the back of his neck as he watched the king seize Mitsuru around her middle. Yukari's mouth moved, yelling something to Mitsuru while she clutched her injured leg.

When Ryuichi blinked, he saw the other SEES members there. There was a girl with them he didn't know with short, pale green hair. Everyone's voices sounded distant and muffled, no matter how hard he tried to focus. All he knew was that Mitsuru was in trouble, and no one was doing anything to help.

Another girl entered Tartarus through the gaping front doors. He recognized Natsuki as she wandered in, and the green-haired girl ran over to her. Ryuichi pushed himself to get to one knee, forcing himself to his feet. He tensed his eyes, focusing on Mitsuru as she was held aloft in the Shadow's grasp. A flash of brilliant light burned his eyes as a Persona with a bulbous body wearing a flowing pink dress appeared, surrounding Natsuki and the green-haired girl.

The onion empress struck at the new Persona but was thrown back, crashing into her companion. Mitsuru was flung from the general's hand, and Ryuichi ran to catch her. She slammed into him, and that was the last thing Ryuichi saw before darkness overcame him.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Stitches. Stitches for his shoulder. Stitches for the split on the back of his head. Stitches for the larger cuts all over his back. Bandages everywhere. A sling supported his arm to keep the stitches on his shoulder from tearing. Every stitch and bandage carefully held Ryuichi together, keeping him from falling apart.

He awoke in a hospital bed to radiant sunlight streaming in through the windows. The curtains were wide open, showing off the brilliant blue sky outside. Ryuichi slowly blinked in confusion, his eyes hurting from the sudden brightness. Languidly, he shifted his eyes to his right, and his head followed. There, he saw Kikuno sitting in a chair next to his bed, her eternal smile a welcome sight.

"Is Mitsuru okay?" he rasped through cracked lips.

"She's safe," she told him, and he felt his stitches pull as he relaxed.

Kikuno brought out a file with a copy of Mitsuru's report on last night's mission. She read the important parts to him about Fuuka Yamagishi, the green-haired girl they rescued from inside Tartarus. According to Mitsuru's report, Fuuka was able to summon her Persona, Lucia, without hesitation. With her Persona's ability to scan the Shadows' weaknesses, the SEES members were able to defeat the two large Shadows. After the arduous battle, Fuuka collapsed and has been unconscious since.

"And it looks like Ojou-sama put in a firm word about your valiant efforts to protect her," Kikuno added at the end. "I imagine Ikeda-san got her point."

He said nothing. All he could think about was his ineptitude at properly protecting Mitsuru.

Around mid-morning, the doctor gave him permission to go home. A Kirijo car picked Ryuichi and Kikuno up and took them to the dorm. Kikuno prepared a light meal for him, taking into consideration that he only had one hand to eat with. When he finished his lunch, Kikuno helped him get undressed to change his bandages.

Ryuichi sat silently on his bed, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs while Kikuno cut through his soiled bandages with some scissors. As the bandages fell away, he spotted the threads of the blue stitches that started from the top of his shoulder and extended a few inches down his chest. It was a sight that no longer sickened him, having been used to it for years now.

Kikuno deftly cleaned his wounds without causing him too much extra pain. She worked quickly, her years of tending to his injuries training her hands to know exactly what to do and how to do it. Her touch was so gentle that he barely felt her, allowing Ryuichi's mind to wander without interruption until she asked him to turn his head slightly to clean the wound on the back.

Obediently, he followed her every command to assist her in her work. When she finished wrapping his head in bandages, she asked him to raise his arms next. He lifted his arms away from his body, just enough to look more like he was hunching over. When he felt his stitches pull at his skin, he took shallow breaths, afraid that his expanded lungs would cause his wounds to reopen. Kikuno worked quickly to wrap fresh bandages around his torso, from his shoulders down to his waist. She wrapped his arms in seconds and allowed him to relax. The most painful part of the whole procedure was bending and lifting his arm to put back into the sling.

"I have a few errands to run, but you can call me if you need anything," Kikuno told him as he got settled into bed. She put his cell phone next to his pillow before gathering up the old bandages to throw away.

"Thank you, Kikuno-san."

"And Ryuichi-san?"

Ryuichi avoided her gaze and sighed. "I know," he murmured as he pulled the covers over his face. "I did my best and I should just try to do better next time."

"Actually, I was going to say that Ojou-sama will be in contact with you soon," she said, still smiling. "Please do your best to ease her concerns."

Mitsuru. Ryuichi exhaled loudly through his nostrils. He checked his cell phone for the time, seeing that it was almost lunchtime at school. He would only have to wait about twenty minutes, but sleep shortened the time. It only felt like an instant since he closed his eyes that he woke up to his phone beeping in his face with an email.

 _"How are you feeling?"_ It was Mitsuru.

He drew breath in and released it slowly, feeling the stitches pull around his expanded chest. Immediately, his guilt for his poor performance dropped away and was replaced with concern for Mitsuru.

She most likely wouldn't believe him if he only said he was okay, so he figured that he should send her a picture to show her instead. After several crappy shots with his bad aim, he managed to get a shot of himself smiling and flashing her a thumbs' up with the arm in the sling. When he looked at the picture, he realized that he looked even worse than he imagined, judging by the way he was covered up with all those bandages. Still, he sent the photo to her, hoping that his smile would be more convincing than simply writing "I'm okay".

She responded back immediately. _"I'm sorry for what happened. I should have been able to detect those two Shadows."_

He snapped another picture of himself shrugging, adding _"It's not your fault"._

 _"No. I should've been more observant."_

He sent a picture of himself with a stern look. _"You're doing it again."_

 _"Doing what?"_

 _"Taking responsibility for something you didn't do."_

 _"That's the problem at hand: I didn't do my job as a guide."_

 _"You GUIDED the others, so technically you did do your job."_

 _"You won't give up, will you?"_

He sent another picture, this time of him with a broad simper. He could almost hear the sigh escaping Mitsuru.

At least he began to feel slightly less anxious about his shortcomings, now that he knew that Mitsuru was safe. If she had any injuries, they were most likely minimal enough that she could attend school. The only wound he could sense through her messages was her guilt, and he knew that photos and encouraging words wouldn't be enough to dispel it.

His phone beeped again. When he saw Mitsuru's message, he rolled his eyes.

 _"Just try to get some rest. If you need anything, ask Kikuno."_

He flared his nostrils. _"Yes, Boss,"_ he replied, and snapped his phone shut.

The problem, though, was that their chat woke him up. Getting back to sleep was impossible, and after trying for about twenty minutes, he sat up in bed.

"Can't say I didn't try," he grumbled to himself, and reached over for his TV remote on his desk.

He couldn't sit still. The colorful images on the TV went unnoticed as his body itched with the powerful desire to keep busy. He began to worry about how he would show up at his parents' house the next day with his scalp split and not being able to care for his niece due to his injuries and bandages restricting his movements. If they asked what happened to him, he knew he couldn't tell them about the Shadows, but he didn't want them to think he flew over his motorcycle's handlebars, either.

His phone beeped again. He got a few messages from the guys on the kendo team, asking where he was and if there would be practice after school. He had to email Mitsuru again to see if she had been telling anyone of his whereabouts.

 _"Only that you weren't feeling well."_

He thanked her and relayed the message to his team, mentioning that practice was cancelled that day. He was pretty sure he heard some of the team members cheering all the way from school.

As the afternoon dragged on, he started testing out his arm. He could move it just fine, but even small motions made his skin pull on the stitches to compensate. He put his arm back in the sling, grateful that he still had movement in his right hand.

And then, there was nothing to do. He couldn't sit still. He needed to get up and do something before he lost his mind. With difficulty, he managed to pull on a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt so he could do his laundry. He took two steps out the door, scooting backwards to drag his laundry basket with him when Kikuno came up and took it away.

"You should be resting," was all she said, and left with his laundry.

Again with the resting! Did they expect him to just lay in bed all day? Except for a stiff neck and a few stings here and there, he felt fine.

He eyed his keyboard, already knowing he wouldn't be able to move well enough to play. Watching TV let his mind wander to his troubles. He needed something to keep his hands busy, like—

Ryuichi smiled when he spotted his video game system. For nearly three hours straight, all his worries about school, kendo practice, his job, and his family were lost to his efforts of assisting peasants, increasing his magic abilities, assassinating corrupted people of wealth and power, exploring old ruins, and defending himself against two murderous unicorns who attacked him without provocation.

While he was enchanting some of his armor, someone knocked on his door. He found Junpei and Akihiko standing outside, holding a plastic bowl piled high with grilled beef and rice soaked in a sweet and savory sauce.

"Hey, hey, Senpai! You're alive!" Junpei looked past Ryuichi's shoulder and gasped with delight at the video game on the screen.

Ryuichi stepped aside to let them in. "Let me save it first and then you can make your own file," he told the eager Junpei and quickly manipulated a few buttons on his controller before handing it to him.

"You were a mess last night," Akihiko told him as he handed over the beef bowl. "We had to tie you to Mitsuru so she could drive you to the hospital on your motorcycle."

Ryuichi took the beef bowl. "Thanks," he said, realizing that he was talking about his injuries instead of his failure. "Was I really that bad?"

Junpei plopped down at the foot of Ryuichi's bed. "Let's just say it was a good thing we came at the right time." His words patted his own back, and Akihiko's smile was filled with the same pride.

Ryuichi asked what else he missed during the mission as he dove into his beef bowl. Both gave a more embellished version of Mitsuru's report, complete with sound effects, hand motions, and loaded with drama. Their descriptions of the battle helped him picture the scene like it was in a comic book.

When Junpei grew tired of retelling his favorite parts, he turned back to the video game. He began customizing his character, mumbling animatedly to himself as he constructed a female avatar's face, allocated stat points, and then went back to the avatar's face screen to change a detail or two. While he labored over his creation, Akihiko spoke in a hushed tone.

"Mitsuru and I were talking about it, and she concluded that the larger Shadows seem to appear on nights with a full moon," he said quietly to Ryuichi.

He chewed through a mouthful of grilled beef before talking. "A full moon, huh?" He thought back to the other battles from the last few months. "Not only that, but we started getting more Persona users around the same time those Shadows started showing up."

"Yeah. Now we've got three more members," Akihiko agreed.

"Four if we include the new girl," Ryuichi chimed in.

Junpei finished customizing his paladin character and began the main story for the game. "Hm? You guys talkin' about Fuuka-chan?" Junpei asked the two seniors. "She's really something, isn't she? I told Akihiko-senpai earlier that we should visit her in the hospital, you know? Maybe bring her some flowers or something."

Akihiko looked to Ryuichi. "She's got a power like Mitsuru's," he told him. "But stronger. She can scan our enemies' weaknesses. She survived Tartarus by avoid Shadows because she could sense where they were."

Ryuichi was scooping some of the rice towards his mouth when he lowered the bowl.

"Wait, so does that mean we're getting a new member?" he asked.

The others couldn't give him an answer. None of them knew much about Fuuka Yamagishi to even speculate if she would be the type to join their battles. As far as anyone knew, Fuuka Yamagishi was a shy, timid girl who did very well in school.

According to the others, she showed compassion for Natsuki when she appeared at Tartarus last night, despite being terrorized by her for who knows how long. Ryuichi admired Fuuka's strength to move past Natsuki's previous offenses and care for her when she needed help. Even more astonishing to him was Natsuki's remorse for what she had done to Fuuka in the past. He secretly hoped that his old bullies would also have the same turnaround, though part of him knew that it would be impossible.

That evening, Ryuichi knew that he would have to attend school the next day and help care for Megumi, but how he would hide the stitches on the back of his head, he couldn't figure out. As he began to fret about it, Mitsuru and Yukari showed up at his door, bearing a box.

"Is that a cake?" he asked, judging the box by its size.

Yukari held it out to him. "Mitsuru-senpai said that you might be worried about hiding your stitches, so she had Kikuno-san get this for you," she told him.

"If the bandages draw any unwanted attention, I thought that at least a hat might offer a more appealing visual aesthetic," Mitsuru said. "Though, I'm not sure what Kikuno chose for you."

"Wow. Thanks. I'll have to thank Kikuno-san personally—Oh?"

He opened the box and held up the black fedora inside. He gasped, admiring that it wasn't like the short-brimmed trilby hats people often mistook for fedoras, but the actual kind with the wide brim like that one famous archeology professor wore—Except, Kikuno got him a black one with a charcoal gray band.

"Wow," he said breathlessly as he tried it on. "So, do I pull it off?"

Yukari tipped the hat slightly to the side and smiled. "There! Wow, imagine when you wear it with your uniform."

Even Mitsuru smiled at him. "It suits you," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked, getting up to check himself in the mirror. "It doesn't look too mafia to you?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Yukari started to say, but stopped there.

Ryuichi stared at his reflection, picturing his school uniform in place of his T-shirt and sweatpants. Looking at the fedora, he wondered if wearing something so out of place was worth it just to cover up his bandages. The many times he showed up to school injured, he always managed to cover up his bandages with his clothes. With the gash on his head, it wasn't something he could hide so easily.

He took off the fedora to see how he looked without it. All he could see was the bandage wrapped around his head. When he put the hat back on, all he could see was the hat with a few bandages visible underneath. And while wearing only a T-shirt and sweatpants, he thought he looked like a dork trying to be cool in front of the two girls. Secretly, he loved the hat.

Yukari quickly excused herself while Mitsuru hung around after. From her reflection in the mirror, Ryuichi could see that she still felt guilty that he got hurt. He set the hat down on the foot of the bed.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, turning towards her.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that," she answered stiffly. Her hand latched onto her arm.

"I'm fine," he said with a smile. "Really. If anything, I think your motorcycle suffered the worst of it."

"Motorcycles can be fixed," Mitsuru said, raising her voice. "Bodies don't always make a full recovery, and yours has been through more than enough."

"Yeah, well, I'll do better next time," he reassured her. "The important thing is that you're safe."

"No. It's not enough that I'm safe."

"Well, I mean, yeah, we have to take care of everyone on the team and stuff—"

"Yes, and it is my responsibility to ensure that you and everyone else are safe," she reminded him.

"And it's _my_ responsibility to ensure _your_ safety," he added, sitting back down on his bed. "If anything, _I_ screwed up because _I_ didn't give myself enough time to rest before the operation, so _I_ got hurt because _I_ was irresponsible."

Mitsuru gave him a funny look like she wanted to keep blaming herself, but also appeared to consider what he had said. "These past few months have been pretty rough on you," she said with compassion softening her tone. "I've noticed that you fall asleep in class more often now. I've been wanting to say something about it, but you can see the results for yourself."

He couldn't deny it anymore that she was right. It didn't feel like he was admitting defeat, but more like he gained validation for needing to take a step back and do something to help himself.

"So, how do I get my family to agree to getting a nanny?" he asked her, lowering his face. "You know I've been trying, but they keep seeing it as me trying to get away from them. They think I hate them."

"We can tell them that you fell asleep on your way home last night and crashed your motorcycle," she suggested.

Frowning, he let out a bitter grunt. "They'll tell me that I was stupid for riding a motorcycle in the first place and blame me for not sleeping enough.

"Besides," he sighed, "that's not going to convince them that we need a nanny."

Mitsuru seemed to silently agree with him. "We can at least come up with a reason for how you were injured like this," she decided, her eyes fixed on the bandages peeking out from under his shirt collar. "You are expected to help your sister tomorrow, correct? For now, we can tell them that you were attacked by your old tormentors when you stopped to get something to eat on your way home last night."

"I don't feel right about involving Sakai in this."

"We can change that. We'll just say that you were attacked."

"Okay, then what?"

"I will propose that you need time to recover from your injuries and have someone sent to help them."

Ryuichi rubbed his palm on his knee, feeling like something was off about the whole situation. "I don't know if I like that I always have to have you step in to reason with my family," he said to her, dropping his gaze to the floor. "It feels like I'm always running to you for help with my problems."

"Sometimes they just need to hear it from someone else." Mitsuru picked up the fedora and placed it on her head. She examined her reflection in the mirror. "And, it's the least I can do after all the sacrifices you've made for me."

He spied her reflection, seeing the guilt in her solemn expression. "Bodyguard or not, I'll protect you because you're my friend," he told her.

He saw her shoulders rise and fall with her deep breath. Slowly, she lowered the hat from her head and placed it back onto the bed.

"Then as my friend, please remember that your life isn't any less valuable than mine." Mitsuru's eyes pleaded with him, but he said nothing more.

Ryuichi didn't have to go help care for Megumi the next day. After school, he went with Mitsuru to the Student Council meeting, where the members kept staring at his new hat, the bandages beneath the brim, and his sling, just as their classmates had done all throughout the day. They eyed the thin cuts on his arms that had scabbed over, but whenever someone asked him about it, he told them what Mitsuru coached him to say: He was mugged late at night on his way home.

"I don't remember much," he would add after his audience gasped and exchanged hushed voices. "I think there were two of them."

When they asked about his hat, he just smiled bashfully and told them he thought it looked cool. He removed his fedora to show them the bandages it covered, earning him some looks of pity. Others asked what happened to his arm, and he honestly told them about the large cut on his shoulder. Some of the girls on the student council seemed to give him more attention than usual, but when they fussed over him too much, Mitsuru called for everyone to focus on their meeting. The girls kept stealing glances at Ryuichi, some trying to meet his eyes, others staring at his bandages and at his sling. Only when Mitsuru shot them frosty glances did they behave themselves.

After the Student Council meeting, Mitsuru and Ryuichi both headed to the hospital to check up on Fuuka. Only two days had passed since she was rescued, so neither were surprised to see her still unconscious. The only evidence of anyone visiting her was the teddy bear holding a "Get Well Soon" card on the bedside table.

"How long until she wakes up, do you think?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru as they observed the sleeping girl.

"It could be a week, maybe longer," she answered. "But to think, her power is greater than mine."

"Does it bother you?"

"No, not at all. I was actually impressed that she had the will to fight after her ordeal. She was able to step up despite her exhaustion and led our team to victory."

He peered down at Fuuka. She looked so small in the hospital bed with two layers of blankets pulled up to her chin. "You think she'll want to join us?"

"Part of me hopes that she does, as she would be an asset to our cause. However, I also wouldn't want to interrupt her life for a perilous one," Mitsuru said mournfully.

Her gaze rested on Fuuka's peaceful face. "About those girls who were hospitalized, they were released yesterday morning," Mitsuru informed Ryuichi. "I saw them in school earlier, still ridiculing Yamagishi, but it seems that Moriyama is now distancing herself from those girls."

It took him a second to remember that Moriyama was Natsuki's surname. "She doesn't hang out with them anymore?"

"It seems that this experience has changed her for the better." Mitsuru's stare warmed up when she looked to the bear on the bedside table.

A soft smile appeared on Ryuichi's face. "One out of four," Ryuichi said to himself. "Good job, Fuuka-chan."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Thanks to Mitsuru negotiating with his family, Ryuichi went from babysitting Megumi four times a week to only twice a week. She used his injuries to drive her argument further, telling them that his exhaustion dulled his senses, resulting in him barely being able to fend off his attackers on his way home from taking care of Megumi.

From what Ryuichi heard from Mitsuru, his family was reluctant to reduce his hours until they had a chance to consider Mitsuru's arguments. Both Ayumi and Shizue were the first to agree that they needed extra help, especially after Ayumi was burnt out from trying to work at the restaurant, take care of her chores at home, and care for a newborn baby. Shizue shared the day and night shift of caring for Megumi with her mother, but took the brunt of the late nights when Megumi wouldn't stop crying. Despite having the least amount of responsibilities, Toshio did most of the complaining.

They needed help. It was something that Ryuichi had been saying long before Megumi was even born, but no one bothered to acknowledge that he was right, even after proving it to themselves. It mattered little to Ryuichi, as he was more relieved when he heard them finally admit that they needed help.

When Ryuichi told Mitsuru that he would be the one to pay for the nanny, Mitsuru argued with him, saying that he should split the cost with them. When he argued back that it was the least he could do after cutting back on his babysitting hours, Mitsuru disapprovingly shook her head and said nothing more. It became clear to him that even she was getting frustrated with him.

On Friday, Ryuichi went to take up his shift to help Shizue take care of Megumi. Both his sister and his mother met him with furrowed eyebrows and scowls as he pulled up in front of the house on his motorcycle.

"I can't believe you're still riding that thing after what happened last time." Ayumi's dark tone and narrowed eyes attempted to pierce through Ryuichi, but it felt more like a tiny tickle in his chest.

He barely removed his helmet when the two started poking around the stitches on his head. Without the protection of the bandages, they were free to push his hair out of the way to see where the stitches held his wound closed.

"How did you get this if you were wearing a helmet?" Shizue demanded on their way inside the house.

"I took it off when I stopped at a vending machine," he lied, wincing when he bent to untie his shoes.

"Why couldn't you wait until you were home to eat something?" Ayumi hissed accusingly at her son. "Or why didn't you eat something before you left to go home?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I, um, wasn't hungry then?"

The conversation turned to them calling him an idiot, but he didn't care too much about it. He knew he couldn't tell them the truth, so it was just easier for him to keep apologizing and promising to not be so idiotic next time.

When Ayumi finally left for work, Ryuichi walked around the living room with Megumi in his arms, trying to calm her down as she screamed about something he couldn't figure out. He tried feeding her some of Shizue's breast milk and checking her diaper again and again, finding it clean each time. He tried making funny faces, showing her toys, rocking her, speaking softly to her, and finally burping her, all to no avail.

"Hey, Shizue," he called to his sister when nothing worked. "What do I do?"

"Keep trying everything," she called from the couch. She was melted over it, combating a headache. "Try rocking her back and forth, but kinda fast."

He tried it, but was afraid that he was doing it wrong. He gently whipped his upper half to one side while his lower half remained rooted to the spot. He was pretty sure he felt a stitch or two pop from the sudden motion as a red-faced Megumi wailed even harder.

Shizue groaned. "Hey, Ryu-chan? Are you sure you're okay to be doing this kind of stuff after what happened the other day? I don't want you to hurt yourself again."

"I'm okay. As long as Megumi's not out to kill me, I'll be fine."

Ryuichi sat down on the love seat and started to bounce the screaming Megumi in his arms. It seemed like nothing worked to calm her down, like she just wanted to cry. Or for all he knew, she was sick, and they were only making things worse.

He began to sing to her. The song "All I Can Give You" came to mind, and soon the familiar boy band ballad flowed softly from his lips. The lyrics made him feel like a hypocrite, having just cut down on the days he would have to watch over his niece. It felt like he wasn't giving Megumi his all, but if he didn't cut his hours, she could wind up without an uncle to help care for her. It was for the best, he kept telling himself, but his culpability continued to pump poison through him.

It took him a moment to notice how much quieter things were in the house. Megumi's cries died down, and her little pink hands reached for him, groping for his face, but her little arms were too short for her to reach him.

"She knows her Uncle Ryu's voice," Shizue said with a faint smile on her face. "See? And you thought I was crazy for wanting you to sing to her before."

"I didn't think you were crazy," he said, interrupting the song. "I just didn't know she would be able to recognize me."

While Megumi slept, so did Shizue. When Ryuichi got a closer look at his sister's face, he could see the bags under her eyes and her pallor from too many nights of lost sleep. She began to snore when he started to sing another song, this time doing "Shade of My Heart". He sang most of the oldies he knew and some of the newer songs that he liked, not once touching on the usual kiddie songs. Megumi slept through much of it, but when she was awake, she babbled happily.

"It's weird," he told Mitsuru the next morning on the way to school. "Before she was born, I didn't feel that way about Megumi, but now I just wanna be there for her."

"It's probably because your niece now has a face to go with her name," Mitsuru helped him realize. "Now that you can see her as her own person, you see her as part of your family. And personally, it sounds to me like she's quite fond of her favorite uncle."

Ryuichi blushed. "Yeah, right," he grumbled, but Mitsuru only chuckled.

He thought about what Mitsuru had said and realized something that sent guilt surging to his gut. "Um, sorry I keep complaining about my family and all," he said shamefully. "It's not fair to you that you don't get to see your father all that often."

"My father is a busy man, so it can't be helped," Mitsuru replied without a single change in her stoic tone. "What I admire about your family is how you all still come together to help one another despite your differences. I remember when you first moved into the dorm, your parents were still staunch against you moving out, but despite all that, you embraced each other before parting ways. Do you still do that?"

"We do, yeah." He thought about how those hugs were a little more forced now. "Before Mom goes to work, we hug her. Before I leave the house to come home, we hug then. I guess it's our way of remembering that we're a family no matter how ugly things get."

Mitsuru moved her bag out of the way as elementary school children ran past them. "I find it remarkable that you can all be so honest with one another and still be so affectionate," she told him.

His eye twitched. "'Affectionate'? Us? You see that in all the arguments, the yelling, and—"

"Yes, and despite all that, I see that you grew up to be a very warm, caring person, or else you wouldn't be helping your family no matter how busy or tired you are."

She cast a side-long glance at him. "Or injured, I might add," she said, still looking to be riddled with guilt.

He was astonished to hear so much positivity from Mitsuru in regards to his relationship to his family. He had been so embarrassed and troubled by how insane his family had been, the way they would treat him like a servant to his sister and talk behind Shizue's back about her behavior. He was certain that all his grief from his family was enough to ruin their image for Mitsuru, but somehow, she saw things differently—things he wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't pointed them out.

"Well, you've got a pretty great family going for you, too," Ryuichi replied, stunning her.

" _My_ family?"

"Yeah. Your father, naturally, but also Kikuno-san, the maid staff, the chefs, the bodyguards, the drivers—"

"That's quite the family you've drummed up for me," she said, chuckling. "I'm not sure if we have the same idea of what a family is. We're not close like you and your family."

"Well, families come in different forms of intimacy, I guess."

"True, though, I don't think my father and I would ever embrace each other the way you and your family does."

"Why not try?" he asked.

She shook her head. "We're just not like that," was her answer. "And before you start thinking of anything strange, I don't think that Kikuno or the others would feel comfortable being embraced by me, either."

"Aw, but how great would it be if you went up to a random gardener and started hugging them? You might make their day!"

Ryuichi laughed aloud at the thought, picturing a panicked maid getting hugged by a flustered Mitsuru. After many protests from Mitsuru for him to "Perish the thought!", he managed to cut his laughter down to a snicker. One shot from Mitsuru's frigid glare was enough to make his breath freeze in his chest. A tiny snort slipped out, and he slapped a hand to his mouth when Mitsuru glowered at him.

Fuuka eventually awakened, and according to Mitsuru, she jumped at the prospect of moving into the dorm to help them in their fight against the Shadows. Both Mitsuru and Yukari were tasked with cleaning out a bedroom on the girls' floor for Fuuka while she packed up her things for the move. While they worked, Junpei's curiosity piqued as he slinked up to the third floor to observe the girls.

"Leave 'em alone, Junpei," Akihiko told him. The four guys gathered on the third-floor landing to watch the spectacle, hearing Mitsuru and Yukari working together to clean the room.

"They might need a strapping guy like me to help them out," Junpei said slyly, jabbing a thumb into his chest.

"'Strapping'? They're calling the wrong guy if they pick you." Akihiko started down the stairs. "Let's go before they catch us up here."

But Junpei only grinned. "What's the matter, Akihiko-senpai? Afraid of a couple of girls?"

Akihiko winced. "I'm not afraid of girls," he protested. "It's when the girl is Mitsuru."

"Seriously? Hey, how come you're scared of her but Ryuichi-senpai's all buddy-buddy with her?"

The three turned to Ryuichi, who was busy peeking around the corner down the hall at the girls. When he felt the guys' stares like fingers pressing on the back of his head, he turned and blinked.

"Uh, what?" he asked, slowly catching up with their conversation.

"How come you're not scared of Mitsuru-senpai?" Junpei asked again.

"Yeah, how 'bout it?" Akihiko loomed over Ryuichi. "What's your secret?"

"There's no secret," Ryuichi answered truthfully. "We've been in the same class since kindergarten, so it was almost inevitable we'd eventually become friends."

Junpei tapped a finger to his chin. "Is that really all?" he wondered aloud, staring up at the ceiling.

Even Minato leaned in. Ryuichi pressed his back to the wall, unsure of what else he was supposed to tell them. Having the three surround him so closely made sweat collect on his face and drip from his chin.

"Hang on," they all heard Mitsuru say from the bedroom on the right side of the hall. "I'll get Ryuichi to help us with that."

The four guys fled down the stairs. Ryuichi dashed into the kitchen, sticking his face into the fridge while the other three sped to the lounge. Minato turned the TV on, and Akihiko and Junpei feigned interest in the documentary about frog spawn.

Ryuichi's cell phone rang, and the other three boys stared.

"'Sup, Boss?" he said upon answering.

"Ryuichi, do you have anything we can use to clean the windows?" asked Mitsuru.

"Yeah. Just gimme a sec."

He brought some window cleaner upstairs for Mitsuru to use. The room itself had a bed, a TV stand, a desk, a wardrobe, and a sink by the door, but everything was bare.

"Hey, Ryuichi-senpai?" He turned to Yukari as she sprayed some of the window cleaner onto a rag. "Tell Stupei that we'd never ask for help from his noodle arms."

A few days later, Fuuka moved into the dorm. Together with Mitsuru and Yukari, the three quickly brought all her belongings upstairs to her new bedroom. As a welcoming gesture, Ryuichi brought them all tea and snacks to enjoy before Fuuka began unpacking all her boxes.

"This is Ryuichi Okazaki, a third-year," Mitsuru introduced him to Fuuka. "Ryuichi, this is Fuuka Yamagishi, a second-year."

"Good to have you with us," he greeted with a small bow. "Thanks for helping us out awhile back. You're tougher than you look."

Fuuka blushed at that. "Oh, it wasn't much," she said shyly. "Thank you for the tea. Did you make all this yourself?"

"Wow. That cake." Yukari marveled at the sumptuous red-velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. He even made little fondant flowers on top and made the frosting in a swirling pattern all around the sides and top of the cake.

"I hope it came out all right," he said. "But yeah, I made everything you see here."

Fuuka invited him to stay and share the tea and snacks he brought, but he respectfully declined. As he left, he heard Mitsuru explain his role as her bodyguard and butler, garnering a revelatory "Ohhh" from Fuuka.

With the addition of Fuuka, everyone in SEES wanted to give her some time to adjust to her new responsibility as navigator while allowing Mitsuru to have a chance to get used to being part of the exploration team. It was the first time in a long while that she would be part of the fighting, and she easily adapted to her new position of following their leader's orders. She didn't question his commands, but if she had a suggestion for strategy, she discussed it with him after battle.

Minato led a team consisting of Ryuichi, Mitsuru, and Junpei into a section of Tartarus that looked to be a pale purple and white ribcage. Ryuichi was instructed to stay in the back and only use his Persona while the others were on full-assault. He supported his teammates with stat-enhancing spells, offering them extra protection. At times, he had to dodge some attacks, but Mitsuru often came to his rescue.

"Who's the man?" Junpei cheered as he thrust a finger high above his head, having defeated their latest Shadow.

"Look out! There are more Shadows on the way!" Fuuka warned. Her voice echoed directly in their heads as two tables and three cross-shaped scales glided across the floor towards them.

"Mitsuru-senpai, use Bufu skills on all of them," Minato instructed. "Junpei, Agi on the scales!"

Ryuichi stood back as the two blasted the Shadows with ice and fire with ease, making them collapse. With Minato's order and Mitsuru shouting "You'll fall by my hand!", the four descended on the Shadows, decimating them with their weapons, kicks, stomps, and pistol whips with their Evokers. The Shadows disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and all was clear.

"It's a lot easier now that we have someone with ice abilities," Minato noted after the battle.

"You can switch to Personas with ice, can't you?" Ryuichi asked.

"I can, but with two people it's less work for me."

Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru was holding her arm. "Everything okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Just a little tired," she replied, straightening up. "Even with Iori's help, it's still taxing to cast all those spells."

"We should go back if you're tired."

"Yeah, that might be best."

Junpei had his katana around his shoulders. "Tired already?" he asked. "That's tough. I feel like I could go all night."

They found a warp point and returned to the lobby. There, Junpei was still bouncing around, ready for another trip inside the tower. He and Minato were joined by Yukari and Akihiko for the next bunch of floors.

"I'd hate to break it to you, but if we leave now, Fuuka's left here by herself," Ryuichi told the fatigued Mitsuru.

"We can't leave her, then," Mitsuru concluded, straightening up to hide her exhaustion. "How about you? You must be tired, too."

He was, but he wasn't going to say it. "I'm all right," he said, smiling.

She shot him a skeptical look. "I still think that you should have given your injuries more time to recover. You might be pushing yourself too hard."

"But, they're already healed up. See?" He removed his fedora and pushed aside his hair to show her that the stitches had already disintegrated. All that was left was a thin scar that he easily covered with his hair. It was almost impossible to see that a gash had been there at all. "The one on my shoulder's already healed, too."

Off to the left side of the stairs, Fuuka was encapsulated by Lucia, giving directions to the others up in the tower. Ryuichi watched as she floated within the glass globe, suspended by nothing discernable.

Near the right wall, Mitsuru had Penthesilea construct a simple bench out of ice so she could sit. She smoothed her skirt before taking a seat, one leg resting atop the other. She invited Ryuichi to have a seat next to her, which he was relieved to take. He flinched when his backside froze against the ice.

"So, how does it feel being back on the battlefield?" he asked her.

"It's a bit of a relief, to be honest." She swept her hair back over her shoulder. "Now I can focus more on strategy and assault with the confidence that Yamagishi will be able to detect any hostiles around us. With her superior abilities, I know we're in good hands."

"You don't feel bad about having to hand over your job to her?"

"Not in the least. Personally, I vastly prefer being on the offense."

He flashed her a grin. "Because you get to beat the crap outta Shadows?"

Mitsuru returned his grin with a tired smile of her own. "That, and because now I can keep you from becoming too reckless."

His grin became painful. "Ah, haha. Right."

Mitsuru held up a hand over her mouth as she yawned. Ryuichi sniffled, feeling his own fatigue begin to weigh him down. He kept glancing from the front doors to Fuuka to the doors at the top of the stairs and to the warp point, watching for any Shadows that might have slipped their way into the lobby. He yawned, and as he lowered his hand from his mouth, he felt a weight on his left shoulder: Mitsuru had fallen asleep, leaning on him.

It must have been exhausting for her, he thought as he stiffened, afraid to disturb her. For years, she stayed out of most of their battles to navigate for the others. The Dark Hour wore them out quickly enough, but for someone who had just returned to the battlefield, it must have drained Mitsuru faster than normal. He let her be, knowing that she was in more need of rest than she initially let on.

She awoke when Fuuka announced that the others were returning to the lobby. She sat up, drawing in a sharp breath through her nose as she stretched. When Ryuichi looked at his shoulder, he saw a small wet spot on his sleeve.

"Huh. Must've been a really good nap," he chuckled.

Mitsuru yawned. "It was, actually." She spotted the stain and gasped.

"It's okay," he reassured her, still smiling. "I won't tell anyone you drool."

"Sorry." Her face flushed scarlet as she stared at the wet spot. "I can't believe how slovenly I've become."

Shrugging, Ryuichi stood up and stretched with his hands high above his head, rising up on his toes as he felt a series of pops all up and down his body.

"Everybody drools," he said with a yawn. "If it bothers you, I can return the favor next time."

The horror on Mitsuru's weary face made him quickly explain that he was only joking. As she composed herself, the others appeared on the warp point, all with tired relief on their faces. Ryuichi tended to all their injuries while everyone praised Fuuka for her excellent work as their new navigator. It was the first time Ryuichi saw her smile, as if she had never received a compliment before.

When the Dark Hour had passed, the SEES team rode the train back to Iwatodai. Ryuichi missed the late night motorcycle rides across Moonlight Bridge, but now that the transceiver was obsolete with Fuuka's addition, there was no need to ride apart from the group. The SEES team could now travel as a single unit, which Ryuichi had to admit was safer than their previous arrangement. Still, he wondered if Mitsuru missed the rides to Tartarus, too.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

When Ryuichi went to take up his Friday shift to watch Megumi, he found his mother napping on the couch and Shizue desperately trying to calm a screaming Megumi. Upon closer inspection, Ayumi had the telltale signs of lacking sleep with her pale complexion and dark circles under her eyes. When he approached her, she stirred and sat up.

"You okay?" he asked his mother.

She rubbed crust out of her eye. "Just tired. It's the same as when you and Shizue were little: Megumi cries all night, and none of us can get her to sleep."

Ayumi stood up with a small groan. "Your father and I both caught colds, but he got it much worse than I did."

"Another cold? Didn't he just catch one not too long ago?"

She sniffled. "Yes, but he caught a sore throat this time."

"Are you okay to work today if you're sick?" He stepped aside to let her head to the front door.

"I have to go. You know how your father gets when things don't go his way."

She had Ryuichi go along with her to the bus stop. Whenever she wanted him to walk with her, it meant that she had something big she needed to discuss.

The cicadas' cacophony of deafening buzzes and chirps engulfed Ryuichi and Ayumi, making it impossible for them to hear each other even though they walked side by side. They had to raise their voices over the noise, and even then, Ryuichi had to resort to sticking his face up close to his mother's ear just to be heard.

Whenever they passed a neighbor, Ayumi would flash them a smile and greet them cheerily with the slight stuffiness in her voice to indicate a cold. She had to repeat her greetings a few times, louder and louder just to be heard over the cicadas' songs. Ryuichi did the same.

"Your son grew up to be so handsome," their elderly neighbor said of Ryuichi, making him grin. "Do you do any sports?"

"Kendo," he replied. "I'm the captain of the kendo team at Gekkoukan High."

"You must be so proud, Ayumi-san."

Of course, to not appear arrogant, Ayumi had to act like Ryuichi wasn't all that remarkable. The praises from the neighbor was good enough for him, but hearing the proud humility in his mother's voice made him suppress the urge to hug her.

They moved on. "Things haven't been going well at the restaurant," his mother finally had a chance to say.

Ryuichi blinked sweat out of his eye. "Because Dad's sick?"

"That's part of it, but mostly because your father doesn't get as much sleep anymore. As I said before, Megumi keeps us all up at night with her crying. The babysitter helps, but of course, she goes home in the evening. I'm better off because the babysitter lets me sleep during my days off, but your father doesn't have that luxury."

"That's because he hates taking a day off," Ryuichi reminded her. "Remember when he didn't even want to take Tuesdays off?"

"I remember. But, now that he's lacking sleep, there's been some trouble with the workers. He started yelling at them for small mistakes, and we had a girl quit because she couldn't stand it anymore."

"Okay, so Dad's cranky because he's not getting enough sleep and we're losing workers. So, should I hire a night-shift nanny?"

"We were hoping that you could take one or two of your father's shifts so that he could have some time to catch up on sleep."

He halted on the spot. "Uh, Mom? I don't know if—"

"Just one or two days a week," she insisted. "It's most likely just going to be one day a week, knowing your father."

"But, I have school."

"We'll make sure that the one day will be a Sunday."

"My one day off?"

"We can try for Saturday, since you're only half-day."

"I have kendo practice!"

"You can skip a day!"

"I'm the captain! I can't 'skip a day'!"

Ayumi exhaled in frustration. "The hard part is that you and you father are the only two who know the recipes for his marinades and spice rubs, and you know that he doesn't just teach anyone. You're the only one we can ask."

Ryuichi wasn't about to let go of his Saturday or Sunday just yet. "Can't Dad mix the stuff at home and drop everything off later?"

"We don't have enough room in our refrigerator to keep everything overnight. It's too much trouble to bring everything home, prepare everything, and then bring it all back to the restaurant. It makes more sense if you just made everything there."

She had him cornered. "Does it have to be a Saturday?" he groaned. "What about Friday? Or Wednesday?"

"It'll be too late in the day by the time you take your shift after school."

"Dad'll only be working for like, five hours. That's plenty of time for him to rest!"

Ayumi wasn't ready to let go of Saturdays, either. She wanted Toshio to be able to rest before Sunday, the busiest day for their restaurant. Worse still, Ryuichi was also asked to come on Sundays to help out, since they were currently down by one worker. She kept reassuring him that they would hire someone as soon as possible.

After seeing his mother off to work, Ryuichi returned to the house, thinking about his new (hopefully only temporary) schedule. He already wasn't looking forward to working with his family on Sunday, or ever again, but if his father needed some rest for the sake of the workers, then he figured he should help out a little bit.

When class ended the following Saturday, Ryuichi packed up his things and left, reviewing the different menu items in his head on his way to the dorm to get his motorcycle. He had to keep reminding himself that he was going to the restaurant that day and not the house, only for his mind to wander for a few moments while driving. He was just a few blocks away from his parents' house when he realized his mistake and had to turn back around to head to the restaurant.

"Everyone, this is my son, Ryuichi," Toshio told the other workers when he arrived. He had his strong, rough hands on Ryuichi's shoulders when he introduced him. Ryuichi could see that the others looked at him like he was Daddy's little dictator.

"I look forward to working with all of you," Ryuichi said, bowing. He wore the restaurant's orange apron over his school uniform, wondering only now if he should have changed his clothes.

"Ryuichi will be in charge for the rest of the day. If you have any problems, ask him."

The gruffness in his father's voice made it clear that he didn't want to relinquish his job to his son, or to anyone at all. Toshio was the most stubborn person Ryuichi knew aside from his mother, and potentially Mitsuru. How Ayumi managed to persuade him to go home to rest up was some kind of miracle.

In the first few orders that came in, Ryuichi noticed that none of the workers seemed to know how to properly assemble the burgers. One order asked for two of the same burger, but two different people assembled one each, resulting in completely different burgers with neither one looking anything like the one on the menu. Ryuichi found himself correcting them over and over while periodically having to go out back to check the smoker where all the barbecue was cooking, leaving them all completely unsupervised. When he finally got a break, he went to the office to print out several pages of how each burger is supposed to be made. He found some plastic covers to put them in and taped them all above the assembly station in the kitchen.

"I hope this will help," he said to the others as he put the pages up.

"There's some missing," one of the workers told him.

"Where's the Tsunami Tsandwich?" another worker asked.

"And the Cowboy's Hankering?" asked a third.

"Okay. One sec." Ryuichi hurried back to the office to find out about the newer menu items. When he found nothing, he had to call the man himself about how to make them. He had to hold his cell phone away from his head as his father yelled at him for not knowing.

"How am I supposed to know when I haven't worked there in years?" Ryuichi argued back.

"The workers should be able to make them! Why do you have to ask me?" Toshio snarled at him.

Ryuichi somehow managed to get the burger information out of his father after Toshio kept complaining about the workers not knowing how to do their jobs. It became clear to Ryuichi why the one worker quit before, but it still remained a mystery as to why the others would want to stay working at Toshio's with a boss like his father. When he got the information he needed, he printed them out and taped them with the others for the workers to see. Once everyone could see what went where, the orders went out even faster than before.

With the charts to guide them, Ryuichi was able to focus more on actually cooking. He helped prepare the burger patties, checked on the barbecue, cut potatoes into fries, made sure that there were enough ingredients at each station, and even made some more sauces when they ran low. Everything but some of the new menu items was second nature to him, but those he picked up quickly. If someone had a problem, he was quick to help them out.

When dinnertime came around, a lot of young people in high school and college formed a queue that stretched outside the restaurant. Ryuichi noticed that the workers were all starting to panic, no longer able to gauge when the burger patties were done, or how many ribs go in a single order. Ryuichi found himself raising his voice more to try to keep them going, feeling oddly calm amid all the chaos.

"This is overcooked! I need new patties!"

"But that's how your dad cooks them!"

A customer returned his soggy fries. Ryuichi was the one who apologized and brought out a new batch for him. A few more customers did the same, bringing back undercooked or overcooked food.

Ryuichi had to take care of cooking the burgers himself. As for the fries, someone had messed up setting the timer to the right amount of minutes. He timed how long the burgers should cook on the flat top grill on each side, but when he had to keep adding patties, it became impossible to keep track of it all.

"Does everyone get a chance to cook?" he asked them.

"Usually your dad takes care of the cooking," he was told.

"Sometimes he lets one of us cook the burgers, but he usually tells us that we're doing it wrong."

"And he never lets anyone touch the barbecue."

That explained a lot. "Okay, well, you guys are about to learn some new things today," Ryuichi said.

He guided them in cooking the burgers and even let them check on the barbecue. He finally noticed that no one ever touched the pulled pork sandwiches, leaving it to him much of the time. He showed them how to shred the pork and how much to put on the burger, let them cut the spare ribs into the right portions, and even gave them a chance to put in some new barbecue in the smokers.

"Where did you get these things?" someone asked Ryuichi about the smokers.

"My dad made them himself," he told the worker. "He saw how some restaurants in America had smokers and wanted to make his own."

When Toshio's closed for the night, Ryuichi had to wait for the staff to finish cleaning up before he could start making the dry rub for the barbecue and preparing the ground beef for burgers. He helped clean to make things go faster, more for his sake so he could just go home already. When they were all done, he thanked everyone and praised them for their hard work. They all stared at him as if he had slapped them all, but they quickly smiled for the first time since they started working together.

He returned to the dorm, reeking of smoke, grease, meats, smoke, and lemon-scented cleaners. And smoke. He bore gifts of burgers, fries, onion rings, and a few of the leftover racks of ribs. For Fuuka, Minato, and Junpei, he got California Cheeseburgers, adding bacon to each one. For Yukari, he remembered that she had expressed before that she was watching her weight, and got her the Tsunami Tsandwich. Akihiko's Meat Monsoon was the biggest of all the burgers, and the greasiest. Lastly, he thought Mitsuru might want to try the Cowboy's Hankering, which was piled high with onion tanglers, pulled pork, and coleslaw. He made sure to add bacon to that, too.

On his way to the dorm kitchen, he kept calculating the math in his head for all the items he brought for his dorm mates, including the charges for extra sauces and bacon. It was when he opened the refrigerator that he realized his mistake of bringing home food long after everyone already had dinner.

"Would anyone want to eat this tomorrow?" he asked himself as he put the food into the fridge.

As he closed the refrigerator door, everything went dark. He blinked in the darkness, seeing no difference in his sight as he did so. Sighing, he made his way back to his room, groping around, finding more furniture with his shins than with his hands.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Their P.E. class started a new unit that Ryuichi hated: swimming. He got permission every year to skip it thanks to Mitsuru, and all he ever had to do was show up to class in his track suit and walk laps around the Olympic-sized swimming pool. Although, he would have preferred swimming with the others just to keep cool.

The summer heat slammed them hard, where early mornings already left Ryuichi sweaty and grimy simply by standing still. The pool was the only cool place with relief disguised as a school lesson, and Ryuichi wanted to dive right in, clothes and all.

Except, unlike the previous years, he had a legitimate reason why he couldn't join his classmates in the pool: Ryuichi's right hand was bandaged after a mild accident at work. They had just hired a new worker who was a cripplingly nervous young man who somehow survived his interview with Ayumi. Ryuichi was put in charge of teaching him everything he needed to know, and it had been a struggle.

His injury occurred only yesterday when he was teaching the newcomer how to cook a fresh batch of fries. The nervous young man kept dipping the basket into the fryer, then pulling it back, dipping, and then back, paranoid that he would get burned. The hot, popping oil spooked him, and he ended up dropping the basket into the fryer and running away. Scalding oil splashed onto Ryuichi's hand, spotting his hand and fingers. Despite his injury, his father made him finish out his Sunday shift with only one hand.

When the others had free swim, Shiori swam towards him while he walked another lap around the pool. He stopped when he saw her coming his way.

"Aren't you hot wearing all that stuff?"

He tugged on his track jacket. "I'm actually pretty okay," he lied. "I had to help out at my dad's restaurant, so heat's not really much of a problem for me anymore."

She hung onto the edge of the pool. "Is that where you were last Saturday? I saw Kenta-kun leading kendo practice."

"Yeah. It was kind of a last-minute thing, so I had to let Kenta take the lead. How did he do?"

She cringed. "I think he had trouble getting the team to be serious, so he worked them really hard," she said. Her eyes went wide. "Really. Hard."

Ryuichi grimaced, imagining Kenta cracking a whip at the team as they ran barefoot over hot coals. "Were they okay?"

"They're fine, but I think they hate him now."

"Okazaki!" their teacher shouted from the other side of the pool. "Keep walking!"

As he resumed his lazy walk, Shiori swam along the edge of the pool to keep up with him.

"So, how's your team looking?" he asked her, unsure of what else to talk about.

"They're doing pretty well. Some of them managed to beat some more of the guys on your team last Saturday."

Ryuichi raised his eyebrows in amazement. "Okay, I think Kenta was right about working my guys harder if we're gonna keep up with your girls."

She grinned smugly at him as she floated on her back. "That's what happens when you miss a day!"

"Oh, they're gonna make up for that. And it is going to hurt."

He took his bandaged hand out of his pocket to scratch his face. It hurt to move it around, but habit made him relieve the itch on his sweaty upper lip.

Shiori sucked on her teeth when she saw his hand. "What happened there?"

"A little accident at work, is all." He flashed her a smile. "It's nothing much, but changing the bandages was a real pain with only one hand."

"Need help? I can change them for you after class."

He looked to her in amazement. "Really? Wow, thanks," he said, grateful for the help.

After P.E., Ryuichi hurried to the locker room ahead of his classmates to change. All he had to do was take off his track jacket, having worn his uniform underneath so he wouldn't have to struggle with the buttons. He changed into his uniform pants as the other boys headed to the showers, and before they began to dry off, he was already out the door.

He headed for the main building at a brisk walk, feeling unbearable, moist heat trap his clothes wetly against his slick skin. He was the first to return to the classroom, where he could remove his bandages in peace without anyone gawking at him. After a quick wash, he spread burn ointment on his hand and fingers, staring at the raw patches and blisters in disgust.

"I just keep wrecking you, don't I?" he said to his injured right hand. "Sorry about that."

He pinned the end of the gauze to his wrist with his cheek when Mitsuru came in. She stood by his desk for a moment, and he could feel her critical stare, watching him struggle.

"Here." She took the bandages from him and began to wrap his hand. "I'm guessing this is why you told me to go ahead this morning."

"Yeah. Sorry about that." He rested his face against his other fist as he watched her work.

"Do I get to hear the story of what happened?"

While he told the story of the new hire, their classmates started coming in, filling the room with their chatter. Some of them came by to see Ryuichi's hand, where he had to repeat the story a number of times over, shortening it each time. When he looked down, he saw that Mitsuru had wrapped each individual finger so it looked more like he was wearing a glove of bandages.

He wiggled his fingers. "Ow."

Mitsuru finished tying the two ends together. "If it still hurts too much to even take notes today, I can lend you mine later," she offered.

He nearly teared up with gratitude. "Thanks," he said, smiling appreciatively.

Second period began, and Ryuichi had the feeling that he had forgotten something. It felt like he was being watched, but every time he swept his eyes left and right, it didn't look like anyone was looking at him. Whoever it was, it didn't seem like they were very happy with him right then.

He learned just how much he used his right hand that day. He couldn't take notes, couldn't write on the board, had trouble working his zipper when he used the toilet, and kept making his hand hurt whenever he habitually used it for any small task. The only thing that worked for him was eating instant noodles while using his chopsticks in his left hand, thanks to months of practice after nearly losing his right arm before.

After the Student Council meeting, Ryuichi went home together with Mitsuru. Now that they had a nanny to help with Megumi, Ryuichi's Monday and Wednesday afternoons were free, and he was able to accompany Mitsuru home on those days once again.

During the walk back to the dorm, Ryuichi's guilt bubbled and spilled in his gut as he reflected on how he abandoned his butler duties to Mitsuru. Even though his tasks were few, he knew it wasn't right that he had to leave Mitsuru to make her own tea. And worse, any snacks he made were done either the previous night or early morning. Instead of warm snacks or moist cakes, Mitsuru would have to eat dry sandwiches or mildly stale cakes that were stored in the refrigerator for hours.

While Mitsuru went to rest up in her room, Ryuichi went to the kitchen to try to prepare tea and snacks with one hand. The tea was the easy part, but crafting sandwiches proved difficult without the use of his right hand. He thought that making cucumber sandwiches would be a nice, light and easy snack to make, but when he tried to peel a cucumber with a knife, he sent the vegetable shooting across the counter before falling to the floor. After a bit more searching through the cabinets, he found a mandoline slicer that he briefly hugged before working on the sandwiches again.

Not long after he started getting a few slices of cucumber done, Mitsuru came downstairs and stopped him.

"If it hurts, you should give it a chance to heal," she said.

"It's fine." He started slicing more of the cucumber. "I have to be a butler to you more than just once a week, you know."

"I won't starve just because you don't make me cakes or sandwiches," she insisted. "I don't want you inflicting unnecessary pain on yourself just because you feel obligated to."

"It's really no big deal. The tea's easy to make, and the sandwiches won't take long."

She remained there, watching him as he slid the cucumber back and forth on the mandoline. He wished she would just go sit in the lounge and wait there.

"Are you afraid that you might lose your job?" she asked bluntly.

The cucumber resisted the blade right then when he tried pushing it through. "Well, yeah," he said as he spied her at his elbow. "The way things are going, I really need both my jobs if I'm going to support my family and get myself through college."

His shoulders sagged. "That is, if I'll even make it through this year."

Mitsuru stepped up to the counter on his left side to help spread mayonnaise on some slices of bread. "I will make sure that you graduate _and_ make it through your college entrance exams," she reassured him. "All you need is more time to dedicate to your studies. Just have the caretaker watch your sister's baby a few more times a week."

"That's going to happen anyway, but I still won't get more time to study."

"Why not?"

Ryuichi got the slicer going again, feeling as if his own spirit was being parsed down to thin slices. "You know the new guy I talked about earlier? Well, Dad fired him and asked me to start working at the restaurant every Saturday and Sunday. He said it was a lot easier to have someone who knew what he was doing and that I made mixing the new rubs and marinades go a lot faster than if it was just himself. He didn't want to hire anyone else."

He looked to see that Mitsuru was now trying to get the cucumber slices to fit on the bread. "But, you don't like being around your father, do you?" she asked tentatively, even though it was obvious she knew the answer.

"Well, my dad—My entire family, actually, is best taken in doses," he replied, passing her more cucumber slices. "They can't even stand themselves. They always complain about each other, and Shizue's even mentioned many times before that she wants to move out as soon as possible because Mom and Dad are driving her crazy."

He realized he had forgotten to add lemon juice to the mayonnaise and decided to just drizzle some on the cucumber slices. "Sometimes I wonder if people can't stand me, either," he added without thinking. "It seems to run in the family, so why not?"

"So you'd think, but you're actually pleasant to be around." Mitsuru watched him try to wash a lemon with just one hand before taking it from him.

While she worked carefully to cut the lemon into wedges, Ryuichi found himself latching onto Mitsuru's words. He felt as if he was affirmed to be nothing like his family, that he wouldn't end up as messed up as they were. He drew hope from what she said, clinging to it while feeling like his family was trying to claw at him.

"So, what will you do?" she asked. "Are you going to help your father, or—Ah!"

She dropped the knife. Fat droplets of blood dripped from her finger and onto the cutting board as she stared in horror. Ryuichi grabbed some paper towels and pressed them over her cut, instructing her to hold it firmly while he went to get his first aid kit.

"I don't think you'll need stitches," he said as he inspected the cut. "But, damn—I bet that hurt with the lemon juice."

"It's fine," she said stubbornly. "Thank you, but—"

They both looked to the bloodied kitchen counter. Spots of blood trailed from the cutting board to the countertop and onto the floor. After bandaging her finger, Ryuichi reassured her that everything was fine while they cleaned up the mess. None of the sandwich ingredients survived the bloodshed, but it was Mitsuru who looked disappointed between the two.

"About what you were asking before, I'm still trying to figure that out myself." Ryuichi mopped up the last of the mess with some paper towels and tossed them away. "Working for my dad means I'm going to have to quit being a butler and give up kendo. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to the team."

"What happens if you refuse?" she asked. It was the first time that Ryuichi actually considered the idea. "If you say no, your father can't force you to work."

"Yeah, but I don't know if I'd be able to live with the idea of them hating me for the rest of eternity," he sighed. The kitchen was clean, but he still didn't have anything for Mitsuru to snack on for the afternoon. "Plus, they need help. I can't just ditch them like that."

"That's true." Mitsuru lowered her gaze to a spot on the floor. "If you only have to miss one day a week from kendo, couldn't you just assign another member to lead the team during Saturday practices?"

"I could, but from what I heard, Kenta lost the team's respect when he worked them way too hard last Saturday."

Ryuichi fixed his stare idly on the rice cooker. "I've been missing a lot of practice lately. Even if I dedicate two days a week for kendo, it's not guaranteed if I keep getting burned at work or get hurt during the Dark Hour."

"Let's try to avoid sustaining injuries altogether," Mitsuru told him. "But, with that in mind, what are you trying to say? Do you want to give up kendo?"

"Of course I don't." He peered down at his bandaged hand. "But lately, I've been skipping out on practice a lot. It's not fair to the team that I keep ditching."

He breathed a heavy sigh. "I think I might have to quit kendo," he quietly admitted to himself. "I know I'm letting the guys down whether or not I quit, so at least if I quit now, I won't keep disappointing them.

"I'll be able to focus on being your butler, too," he added, turning to Mitsuru. "I feel bad getting paid when I'm barely doing my job."

Her stoic expression didn't change, but he had a feeling that something was brewing beneath the surface. He couldn't tell if she was angry with him, annoyed, or guilty.

"Are you sure you want to give up kendo?" she asked. "I know you're also concerned about your studies, but you have Mondays and Wednesdays free now, don't you?"

"I do, but I figured that those would be my new days to clean and get groceries and stuff," he replied. "It's not easy when you can only carry one giant bag of rice in a sidecar. I have to make two trips just to get the rest of the groceries."

Mitsuru seemed to be considering what he said. "How often do you have to buy rice that it's so troublesome?"

"Too often." He made a face. "The others tend to bring take-out food back to the dorm and have it with the rice here since it's cheaper that way. So with seven people and about three meals a day, that's a lot of rice we go through."

She nodded. "I see. I was under the impression that everyone dined out, so I hadn't even thought about whether or not the rice supply was enough. I can arrange to have more rice brought to the dorm so you don't have to be burdened with that."

Ryuichi worried that he complained too much and had one of his duties revoked as a result. "Uh, I guess that's fine? But, what about the groceries for you tea?"

"You're still my butler, correct?"

Her kindness shone through her words.

"Thank you," he said, feeling more at ease.

He opened the rice cooker to find just a few clumps of rice inside. Whoever took from the rice cooker last most likely left just enough so they wouldn't have to wash the pot and cook more rice. After he scooped the remaining rice into a bowl, Mitsuru took the dirty rice pot from him and brought it to the sink.

"So, what will you do if you decide to quit kendo?" Mitsuru asked. "With your Tuesdays and Thursdays free, will you be using that time to rest and study?"

"I guess so."

For a few seconds, he worried that he had too much spare time until he saw Mitsuru hesitate to wash the rice pot. At first, she let the water run to get it hot, but then she started trying to hold the pot while keeping her injured middle finger up in the air. He nearly giggled, as it looked like she was flipping someone off.

"Here," he said kindly as he added some soap. "You hold, I'll scrub."

They were able to keep their mildly injured hands dry as they worked together. Mitsuru held the rice pot while Ryuichi scrubbed with a sponge. When the pot was washed and dried, Ryuichi prepared to cook some rice, offering to make Mitsuru some onigiri.

"I'm sorry I can't make anything better than this," he said glumly.

She surprised him with a smile. "I look forward to it."

While the rice cooked, they took their tea in the lounge. It took a little longer than usual for him to serve her, but once she had her cup, she prepared one for him in turn.

"Are you sure you want to quit kendo?" she asked again.

"I think I have to," he said, hearing the waning confidence in his voice. "Like I said before, it's not fair to the guys, especially if I keep missing practice days due to injuries."

"How do you think the team will take your resignation?"

It was a thought that had been twisting around in his gut since he said he would quit. "I really don't want to think about it," he murmured into his tea.

"Understandable." Mitsuru took a sip. "But, without kendo, would your family ask you to work more days at the restaurant?"

He leaned back on the sofa and sighed, cradling his teacup in his hands. "I guess I just have to hope that they never find out about that."

Sometime later, Ryuichi went to check on the rice. He opened the rice cooker's lid to let the rice cool down while he searched the pantry for some canned fish. Not only did he find some canned tuna, he also found some furikake for a little extra flavor. Using plastic cling wrap, he managed to shape the rice balls and stuffed them with tuna. He rolled some of the onigiri in the furikake, and others he wrapped in seaweed. Thanks to his injured hand, the onigiri looked more like miniature, mossy boulders. Mitsuru observed with silent intrigue, and when he invited her to try making some, she eagerly leaped at the chance.

"The next full moon operation is coming up in a few weeks," Mitsuru said while creating a small well in her handful of rice. "I hope with your new schedule, you will be able to get more rest before then."

His memory of their last operation stabbed him in the gut. "I'll definitely be ready," he answered gruffly.

As he worked, Ryuichi pictured himself suspended within a dark well, holding on to two ropes: One rope came from overhead, and he pictured Mitsuru on the other end. The other rope came from the bottom of the well, with his entire family trying to pull him down with them. His entire body strained to pull his family up and out of their pit, but all they did was drag him back down. The rope tying him to kendo was pulled back up to the surface, abandoning him the way he abandoned the team.

One rope threatened to take his life, and the other gave it. Letting go of the rope to Mitsuru would mean the end for him. But, each time he tried to let go of the one tying him to his family, the rope lashed itself tighter onto him, coiling around his neck.

The only comfort he had for the moment was the hope that Mitsuru refused to let go of her rope.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

On the night of the next full moon, everyone itched with anticipation for the next big Shadow they would have to fight. Fuuka scanned the city, extending her reach to Tatsumi Port Island where she detected their next enemy. With the Dark Hour active, there were no neon lights to burn the city with a dull, pink glow. The artificial island was an unearthed graveyard, with coffins clustered on street corners, outside buildings, and in dark alleys.

Fuuka's search led the SEES team to Hotel Champs de Fleurs on Shirakawa Boulevard, a street known by the locals as a place that often incited grins, winks, and nudges. Every so often, Junpei kept elbowing Minato and Yukari before jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at one of the many love hotels on the street. His constant raising of his eyebrows and impish grin almost made even Ryuichi want to trip him in the gutter.

"I sense a powerful Shadow on the third floor," Fuuka said to them all as she scanned the hotel. "Please head there immediately."

Yukari had been adamant about wanting to take part in the fight this time, having missed out on the last one and wanting to redeem herself. Minato had no choice but to take her along, rounding out the team with Ryuichi and Mitsuru. Ryuichi got his shorter sword ready, eager to get in and fight to make up for his shortcomings in the last full moon operation.

The lobby was a narrow hall with a small front desk that had a panel of darkened screens but no coffin to indicate a concierge. Ryuichi thought it was unusual until he remembered that the screens were there to ensure the customer's privacy when they booked a room. His face soured at how pink the halls were, where even in the darkness, they just seemed to radiate a cancerous pink death. The hotel building was designed to have each floor a giant square stacked on top of one another, where they would have to race to the opposite corners of each floor to head to the next one up.

"Turn right," Fuuka told them. Though she remained outside with the others, her voice spoke directly into their minds thanks to one of her Persona's abilities. They followed her directions for the next staircase.

"Wait! There's a Shadow!"

Minato halted. He threw up a hand, barring their advance. Their leader peered around the corner while the others gripped their Evokers, ready for a fight. The little sprite Shadows fired their arrows at them, sticking them into the wall across from them. Minato sent Black Frost to attack, and shortly after, they were on their way up to the third floor.

Fuuka directed them to an ornate door, the only one of its kind in the entire hotel. Ryuichi frowned at it, thinking that whoever paid for that kind of room was probably trying too hard to impress his or her date to make their night of passion more special than it actually was.

...Or maybe the one offering the "services" was just that expensive.

"Ryuichi-senpai, would you do the honors?" Minato asked him. Nodding, Ryuichi dutifully put a hand on the door handle and waited for the order. Everyone did a last check of their equipment, making sure they were prepared for another difficult fight. On Minato's count, Ryuichi threw the door open, and the four charged inside.

Four white pillars surrounded a large, round bed, and sitting before them on a short stool was a rotund Shadow dressed like a king in fine red, white, and gold silks. His big, blue mask was all smiles as his enormous second chin bounced with his belly.

He had a gleaming white female companion that snaked up along his back. She stroked his head from behind with bony arms and fingers, her milky breasts sitting atop his scalp and bouncing merrily with his laughter. Her head wasn't a head at all, but more like a little curved tree with branches that all ended in rounded bulbs.

Standing on either side of them were two towering, human-shaped paper dolls. Both had marks on their chests that looked to be bleeding wounds, one pink and the other black. The two dolls hopped like eager servants, flapping their paper arms as if to fly.

"This thing's the boss?" Yukari scoffed. "Huh. It's more normal-looking than I expected."

Ryuichi cocked an eyebrow at her. "'Normal'?" he asked, trying hard not to stare at the female Shadow's breasts.

"Get ready, everyone!" Fuuka warned. "It's coming!"

Cursing himself, Ryuichi could hear the bad innuendos that Junpei might say at a time like that.

"Ryuichi-senpai, use Tarukaja on us," Minato ordered. "Mitsuru-senpai, focus all your power on ice spells. Yukari, defend and make sure that everyone's health stays up."

Ryuichi raised Mitsuru's attack as Minato lowered the Shadow's defense. The female Shadow let out a loud, derisive laugh, and her paper servants shared belly laughs with their mistress. Together, the Shadows all glowed red, and a bolt of lightning slammed down on Yukari.

"Oh, no! Yukari-chan!" Fuuka cried, but from the ground, Yukari winced and waved to the others, telling them that she was fine. Ryuichi eased her pain with Diarama.

Ice blasted the Shadow next. It shivered, and Minato seized the opportunity to strike thrice with his blade before retreating. The Shadow's laughter filled the room, and Ryuichi dodged a lightning bolt before raising Minato's attack next, then his own.

The Shadow laughed again, and the pink room disappeared to show a fog-covered graveyard overflowing with chipped and faded headstones. Each breath Ryuichi took in froze his chest and paralyzed him with terror that pierced his mind and shut all rational thought down. He saw Minato cower behind one of the pillars while Mitsuru dropped her sword to grasp both sides of her head. Her breath became rapid gasps.

"Someone, use a Me Patra Gem!" Fuuka advised, and Ryuichi spotted Yukari digging into her pocket. She held up a glittering stone that shattered in her hand. The tightness in Ryuichi's chest faded, but a bolt of lightning nearly blew him apart a second later.

"Penthesilea!" came Mitsuru's vengeful command. Ice burst against the Shadow, followed by Minato's blade flashing in rapid strokes. Yukari's Garula shredded the Shadow as Ryuichi cast Diarama on himself.

"Are you all right?" Mitsuru called to him. His body loosened up just enough for him to flash her a thumbs' up.

The Shadow cried out when Minato struck again. While it was distracted, Ryuichi ran around behind it and slashed at the female figure. She arched her back and shrieked, then laughed to make the graveyard appear again. Ryuichi returned to the others to see them all cowering and shaking with the same terror that had gripped them before. Fuuka's shouts were drowned out as a lightning bolt speared Mitsuru. She remained on her feet, wincing as she raised her Evoker to her head. She shuddered and gripped her elbow, unable to summon her Persona.

The Shadow cackled again as it prepared another spell. Yukari's stray arrow missed her target, and she was struck down by lightning. Ryuichi quickly healed her as Minato used a Patra Gem on himself.

"It's getting weaker!" Fuuka told them all.

"Unload on it!" a recovered Minato shouted.

The Shadow was quickly lost in a haze of ice and wind. Craggy ice bashed into the Shadow, and powerful winds launched the miniature icebergs back at the enemy for a second attack. With wide, terror-filled eyes, Yukari repeatedly squeezed her Evoker's trigger to summon a tornado that filled the room. Ryuichi pulled Mitsuru behind one of the pillars as ice and hotel goodies swirled and battered against furniture, friend, and foe. As he held a fearful Mitsuru with one arm, he frantically searched his pockets for a Me Patra Gem but fumbled the stone and watched it get sucked into the vortex.

Their combined spells knocked the Shadow off of his little throne, crushing the female shape beneath him. The paper dolls bent over in anguish, flailing in silence. When all became dark smoke, the fear in Mitsuru's eyes disappeared instantly. They had won.

"Good job," Fuuka said, sounding breathless. "You succeeded once again. I'll be waiting outside for you."

"We did it," Yukari gasped, grinning. "I knew it would be no match for us."

Minato was the first to reach the door. He gave the handle a tug, but it wouldn't budge. He stuck his foot against the wall to brace himself as he pulled even harder.

"Weird. It won't open."

They all heard Fuuka gasp. "I still sense a Shadow in that room!"

The team whirled around with weapons and Evokers drawn, squaring their shoulders for another fight. The room was just as they left it: the sheets and pillows strewn all over, little bottles of gels and shampoos smashed and splattered, along with all the other free goodies also flung from the dresser. As far as they could see, there was no Shadow in the room with them.

"You sense anything?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru.

"I do, but I can't tell where," she said in a low voice.

"It's not the same one you defeated!" Fuuka told them. "But, where is it hiding?"

"Split up and search," Mitsuru ordered.

The four checked behind curtains, inside the bathroom, under the bed, and behind the pillars. Ryuichi looked up to see a large mirror on the ceiling above the bed, but found no Shadows lurking there.

"Hey, is it just me, or is there something strange about this mirror?" Yukari called to the others.

At first, Ryuichi thought she was talking about the one on the ceiling. It took several seconds of him with his head craned upwards to realize that the others had gathered around the large octagonal mirror next to the bathroom. He joined them there, noticing that there was no reflection of their group at all. All they all stared at the mirror, a bright light in the back engulfed them. Ryuichi felt his feet leave the ground as he was sucked into the mirror.

The next instant, Ryuichi opened his eyes. He was flat on his back, his body feeling light and too comfortable to even want to move. As his vision focused, he saw that he was staring up at a reflection of himself lying on a circular bed. He blinked a few more times when he noticed that Mitsuru was in the reflection with him. She lay next to him, curled on one side, looking to be at peace as she slept. Her bangs drew a small curtain over her face.

 _Embrace your desires._ It wasn't a voice, but an idea that manifested within Ryuichi. His head felt foggy, but the idea echoed clearly in his mind. He rolled onto his side towards Mitsuru and reached over to brush her bangs away from her face. With a wisp of a smile, he admired her peaceful expression.

 _Embrace your desires,_ the thought said again _._

Something stirred within him. He felt oddly detached from his body, as if he was watching a scene play out on a large screen and he was actually sitting in the front row of a movie theater. His body moved on its own, but for a brief second, he regained enough control to touch a hand to his forehead and try to shake off the fogginess that clouded his thoughts. When Mitsuru hummed softly in her sleep, he lowered his hand and his body took over once more. He scooted off the bed, hat in hand and, taking one last glance back at Mitsuru, he crossed the room to get to the door on his left.

Ryuichi entered the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind him. There, he shed his uniform jacket and neatly placed it on the counter. Each article of clothing he removed, he folded or smoothed out before setting them down one layer at a time, topping the pile with his fedora. He nudged his shoes over to the door, far away from the shower. Soon, he stood underneath the running showerhead, the steam fogging up the mirror over the sink in mere seconds.

Near-scalding water ran down his pale body, taking with it his sweat, grime, and filth, but leaving behind all his scars. No matter how hard he scrubbed, the mars on his body wouldn't come off. But, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't keep her waiting.

When he finished, he dried off with one of the luxuriously thick, white towels folded on the rack. He wrapped it around his waist, then wiped off some of the steam on the mirror to examine his reflection. His silver-gray hair had darkened with dampness, and when he tried to towel it off, it became a shaggy mess. He found a comb provided by the hotel to rake through his hair, smoothing it back to show off his plain face. He thought he didn't look so bad, even with his sickly pale body practically glowing. Before heading out, he straightened up, flexed a few muscles to show off his chiseled physique, and then snatched up one of the cologne sprays from the sink to spray under his arms and beneath his towel. Now he was ready.

Ryuichi returned to the room. Mitsuru remained on the bed asleep, still laying on her side half-curled. Her bangs had fallen back over her face, with her gentle breath slightly ruffling just a few of the strands. Standing at the foot of the bed, Ryuichi observed her as she rolled onto her back with a soft hum. One of her hands came up to rest on her pillow next to her head as she slept.

 _Embrace your desires._ The thought returned, bringing with it a sensation that stirred beneath Ryuichi's towel.

"Better get in while the water's still hot," he said to Mitsuru. Groggily, Mitsuru sat up and shook her head, her body appearing to sag beneath a great weight. When she smoothed her bangs out of the way, her mouth fell open and her eyes bugged out at the sight of him.

"What are you doing?" she yelled as she reached for her Evoker.

Ryuichi took a step back. "Me? What are _you_ doing?" he shouted back, eyeing her Evoker. "Put that thing away!"

She pressed the muzzle to her temple. "Put your clothes back on before I execute you!"

"The hell are you—"

He looked down. His heart thudded against his chest when he saw his scarred body on display. Swearing, he gripped his towel as he fled back to the bathroom.

 _She saw everything!_ The thought haunted him as he threw his clothes back on. And worse: What was he about to do to her?

He kept his fedora low over his face when he came out of the bathroom. "I'm, uh, for the record, uh—"

He heard bed springs creak. "That Shadow must have muddled our minds somehow," came the grit in Mitsuru's voice. Yet, there was a slight waver that he could hear as she spoke. "We have to eradicate it before it resorts to such shameful tactics again."

"Y-Yeah." Ryuichi's humiliation fueled his rage towards the Shadow. In the back of his mind, he worried that Mitsuru would ask about what his intent was mere minutes before, and then about his scars.

She said nothing. Neither of them spoke as they left the room.

"Oh! Ryuichi-senpai! Mitsuru-senpai! Finally!"

The two froze as Fuuka's voice called to them. Ryuichi shared Mitsuru's fearful expression, both clearly wondering the same thing: Had she seen what happened to them?

"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner," Fuuka said. "The Shadow was interfering with your thoughts and you all got separated."

They both visibly sighed with relief. Neither Ryuichi nor Mitsuru could look at each other as Fuuka added: "The enemy is still in the same room. Please regroup and hurry there."

"We're on our way!" Mitsuru barked a little too loudly.

"On it!" Ryuichi blurted out, flinching at his own voice.

Fuuka remained silent for a moment. "Um, did something happen?"

"Nothing happened!" the two blurted out in unison, and Fuuka said nothing more.

"Ryuichi," Mitsuru murmured under her breath, as if afraid that someone might overhear. "Tell no one of what transpired here. Understood?"

"S-Sure thing, Boss," he answered nervously, and followed her down the hallway.

Fuuka informed them that the Shadow seemed to have sealed the door and that there should be a way to break the seal. They hurried down the hall in time to see Minato and Yukari coming up the stairs.

"I can't believe there was another one," Yukari grumbled. "That was the worst."

Minato eyed the stiff seniors carefully. "Did something happen?"

"W-We're fine!" Mitsuru snapped.

"Nothing happened!" Ryuichi shouted again in a cracking voice.

It was clear that even Minato and Yukari couldn't look at each other. They all muttered their agreements to take down the Shadow and end the mission, but after that, no one spoke. Ryuichi suspected that the two juniors had the same encounter that he and Mitsuru had when he took notice of the few wet tips of Yukari's hair.

"I got it!" Fuuka announced, shattering the tension. "It's the mirrors! They're giving off the same energy as the Shadow! Maybe the seal will vanish if you break the mirrors."

"Let's check all the rooms," Minato ordered, and the four went around in search of the strange mirrors.

On the first floor, they entered rooms with glowing coffins in all sorts of strange positions. One was on the bed while the other leaned against the foot of the bed in front of its partner. Another room had the two coffins lying on the bed, one on top of the other. Another room had one on the bed while the other stood by the bathroom. They soon came to a room with another pair of coffins, one laying on the bed while the other stood on top of it, but it was the mirror that caught their attention. Looking at it, they noticed right away that there was no reflection, just like the one they saw before getting separated. Minato smashed his sword into the glass, shattering it, but no mirror shards fell. Instead, a black void appeared, looking as if it wanted to suck them in.

"You weakened the seal," Fuuka confirmed. "But, there seems to be another mirror on the floor above you. Please, find it."

The team hurried up to the next floor, finding more coffins in compromising positions. The first room they entered had one coffin face-down on the bed while the other one stood behind it.

"Everyone, split up," Minato instructed. "Remember: we're looking for a mirror with no reflection."

They separated, everyone taking a different room. The second Ryuichi saw his reflection in a mirror, he hurried to the next one at the end of the hall. Just as he stepped inside, Fuuka announced that someone had found the mirror they were looking for. Ryuichi glimpsed the empty room before slamming the door shut to meet up with the others.

With Fuuka's announcement that the other mirror had been found, the team regrouped. They all returned to the grand room on the third floor, finding a large, purple glass heart with metal rivets patterned like suspenders. It had five pink stones laid down its center, four of them hearts, and the one diamond by where Ryuichi deemed to be its belly button. It had gelatinous wings coming out from its sides, two stringy arms and two stringy legs that looked more like the Shadow was melting. Two spiky shoulder pieces sat on either side of a tiny head covered by a mask with mournful eyes and a downturned mouth. A pair of male and female symbols spun inside its transparent body in a languid waltz. The Shadow weakly flapped its gelatin wings, unable to do more than bob uselessly in the air. It was as if it knew it was doomed.

Ryuichi opened his mouth to curse at the Shadow when Mitsuru beat him to it.

"How dare you trick us!" she threatened in a low, icy voice. Ryuichi could feel the frost coming off of her words. "I'll make sure that you are thoroughly punished for your actions!"

"We can defeat it this time!" Fuuka reassure them all. "Hang in there, everyone!"

Ryuichi didn't wait for Minato's orders. He quickly gave everyone a boost of strength and defense while Minato switched his Persona to Pyro Jack to lower the Shadow's defense. As he switched back to Oberon, Yukari hit the Shadow with Garula and Mitsuru struck it with Bufula. The Shadow released a neon pink arrow from its chest that struck Ryuichi. He turned to their leader and unsheathed his sword.

"The enemy can use charm attacks! Please keep an eye on each other!" Fuuka announced just as Ryuichi took a swing at Minato.

He dodged, and as Ryuichi ran around their leader, Minato thrust the flat of his sword between his legs, tripping him. He fell hard against the floor while Yukari cast Charmdi to heal his confusion. His head cleared, his embarrassment fueling his desire to thrash the Shadow in retaliation.

"Sorry! Thanks!" Ryuichi shouted to both Minato and Yukari.

Ajax rammed the heart next, knocking it down. The Shadow fired another arrow as it got back up, this time striking Mitsuru. She turned to Ryuichi and thrust her weapon at him. She slashed and swiped her blade at him with a cold glare in her eyes that clearly wanted him dead.

"Hold still!" Yukari snarled. Her Charmdi spell missed, and Mitsuru lunged at Ryuichi. He dodged, and her sword nicked his sleeve.

"Mitsuru! It's me!" When Mitsuru lunged again, he caught her wrist and twisted her down to the floor, keeping her pinned. While he apologized rapidly to her, he fought to keep her on the ground. His Tarukaja spell gave her monstrous strength, where she almost broke out of his grip twice until Yukari finally landed her spell on her.

"My apologies!" Mitsuru yelped to Ryuichi.

The Shadow stirred. At the last second, Ryuichi covered Mitsuru with his body as he summoned Ajax to take the brunt of two fiery blasts meant for them. He felt a searing pain on his body from the damage his Persona took from them, but both he and Mitsuru were unharmed.

"Enough of this!" Mitsuru got to her feet and unleashed frigid bombs onto the Shadow while Ryuichi cast a quick Diarama spell to rejuvenate himself. Mitsuru's spells left the tiniest crack in the Shadow's glassy body, and that was all it took to encourage everyone to fight harder.

Ryuichi and Minato ran around the Shadow to distract it with their attacks while Mitsuru and Yukari concentrated ice and wind spells on it. A strong Garula spell slammed the Shadow up into the ceiling. Bufula exploded, and the Shadow crashed against a pillar. Minato switched Personas again to cast Zio, sending a sizzling lightning bolt down on it, and Ryuichi used a powerful gale that blasted the Shadow right at Ajax to smash into his shield. The crack grew larger, and soon, the Shadow fell at the mercy of the four teenagers, shattering into tiny pieces that dissipated into smoke and faded away.

"Good job, everyone," Fuuka said to them all. "Come back now. We're waiting for you."

Their victory put the four in a good mood, save for Ryuichi. He was quick to remember his mistake earlier, shuddering when he remembered the horrified look on Mitsuru's face when she saw his body. Shame turned to disgust when he wondered what would have happened, had Mitsuru not freed him from the Shadow's grasp. When they all returned downstairs, Ryuichi brought up the rear, lagging behind the group with his head down.

Outside the hotel walls, the rest of their team members greeted them, wanting to know how it went.

"I'm glad you're all safe," Fuuka said to them with a relieved smile.

Thanks for your help," Mitsuru replied, smiling. "The enemy was sly, but you did well."

Fuuka beamed. "I did what I could," she said humbly.

Mitsuru turned to Minato. "And you, too," she said to him, "for withstanding the enemy's mental assault."

Ryuichi winced, for he couldn't do the same.

"All right," a grumpy Akihiko grumbled from not having been able to join the battle. "Let's call it a night."

The three seniors headed back towards Moonlight Bridge ahead of the juniors. All the while, Akihiko kept pestering them about what had happened when Fuuka lost connection with them, to which Mitsuru would only say that they were separated and left disoriented in different hotel rooms.

"Sounds rough," Akihiko murmured. "Hey, Ryuichi. Why's your hair wet?"

"I woke up with my head in the shower," he lied.

"That Shadow did a number on you, didn't it?"

"Nothing that we couldn't overcome," Mitsuru answered.

When Ryuichi glanced at her, he nodded as thanks for covering for him, but also to apologize for what happened. She gave him a look that seemed to forgive him for his mistake, and for the rest of the evening, he felt like he could rest a little easier, though his stomach was still clenched with the fear of what could have happened.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Exams loomed over the students again. In the second week of July, all Ryuichi wanted to do was hole himself up in his room with the air conditioner on full blast so he could focus on studying. His goal was to make it within the top ten this time, even if he didn't reach the number two spot. He couldn't disappoint Mitsuru again.

His room seemed to be the only safe place to study nowadays. Oftentimes in school, some of the kendo team members would come find him to beg him to be their captain again. When Ryuichi first informed his teammates that he was quitting kendo, most of the guys did their best to be supportive of his decision. After about a week, their support grew cold, and the underclassmen in particular quickly distanced themselves from him.

He often caught glimpses of the team's darkened stares when they passed in the school hallways. Their seething disappointment gnawed at him daily, making him question if he had made the right decision. Guilt reminded him that it was better to have his teammates hate him rather than his family, but even after telling himself that, he ached to apologize to the team and be their captain again.

"Please, Captain!" some of his loyal teammates thundered at him after school on Saturday. They all surrounded his desk, bowing low to show their sincerity.

Ryuichi felt himself crumble, wanting so badly to join them. He knew he couldn't, especially since he had work to attend to that day.

Kenta spoke up for the others. "Even if it's just once a week, we just want you to come help out whenever you get a chance," he tried to reason with Ryuichi.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Sighing with relief, he said a quick "One sec" before checking his email. There was a message from Ikutsuki, asking everyone to meet up in the command room that night. Ryuichi caught sight of Mitsuru also checking her phone, who locked eyes with him in a knowing look that seemed to read his mind.

He closed his phone and sighed again. "I'm sorry, but I can't," he told them all clearly. "I'm pretty busy right now, so I'd only drag you guys down."

"You've never dragged us down!"

"We need your skills!"

"You're the only one who can beat Hayase!"

He apologized again and got up from his desk. His teammates parted to let him through, and Mitsuru collected him to whisk off to the Student Council Room.

"Will you be all right for tonight's meeting?" Mitsuru asked him as she unlocked the room.

He was already planning out what to say to his father about not being able to come in to work, but none of it sounded convincing enough.

"You might want to stay outside for this one," he told her, and Mitsuru allowed him to enter the room alone.

The phone call had been a painful one, where his father cursed him out a number of times with the belief that he was just trying to get out of doing hard work. For nearly ten minutes, he had to listen to his father rant and swear in front of the customers, where he was sure that some of them left mid-meal without taking their food with them. When his father finally paused to breathe, Ryuichi dropped Mitsuru's name to let him know that his reason for skipping work at the restaurant was actually work-related for his other job. Toshio reluctantly let him go, but not without a few more curses before hanging up.

"How did it go?" Mitsuru asked when he emerged from the room.

Another sigh, like steam escaping a kettle. "Let's just say that work tomorrow is gonna be _fun_ ," he said exasperatedly through gritted teeth.

"Couldn't you tell your father that you need to leave work a little early for your other job?"

He let out a wry chuckle. Mitsuru seemed to understand what he meant and didn't push for an answer.

That evening, just a few days after their most recent midnight operation, everyone in SEES gathered upstairs in the command room. Mitsuru gave Ikutsuki her account of what happened during the operation, with Minato, Yukari, and Ryuichi keeping silent during the whole story. As Ryuichi served everyone tea, he listened to Mitsuru's tale, holding his breath for most of it as he waited for her to get to the part about her waking up to a naked Ryuichi in front of her. She was merciful and only told the chairman what she had told Akihiko about their minds getting muddled and being separated, leaving out the more sensitive details.

"It was a difficult operation," she concluded, sitting with her arms folded across her front.

"I see. They're getting tougher," Ikutsuki said, nodding. "But, it's not all bad news. I called today's meeting because—"

"I'm sorry," Yukari said, cutting the chairman off and startling everyone else. "Before we go on, I'd like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something."

They all looked to Mitsuru, who appeared just as confused as they were. "Me?" she asked.

She nodded. "Since I joined, so many things have happened. I went along with it, without really understanding what was going on. But now I need to know."

Yukari seemed hesitant to ask, but pushed through with it. "I'm gonna ask you straight out: You've been hiding something from us, haven't you, Senpai?"

Mitsuru's eyes tensed up, and Ryuichi could see pain from within as she fought to hold her ground.

"You act like you don't know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus, but they're related to that accident ten years ago, aren't they?" Yukari snapped accusingly.

"What accident?" Junpei asked.

The haughty girl continued. "There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died. It must have been big new back then. You know about it, don't you?"

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru, who calmly answered: "Yes."

Yukari wasn't satisfied just yet. "Luckily, no students were injured, but around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent. Seems like more than just a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Mitsuru asked. Ryuichi knew that she was playing dumb, but not out of cruelty.

"I dug up some old school records and found something interesting," Yukari told Mitsuru. "The students who were absent? They all collapsed suddenly, and had to be hospitalized. Sound familiar? You know, like the girls who bullied Fuuka."

Horrified, the other underclassmen stared at Yukari, then at Mitsuru. Ryuichi and Akihiko squirmed in their seats.

"There has to be an explanation!" Yukari shouted. "What really happened on the day of that accident? The Kirijo Group built our school, so you must know something!"

She fixed her glare at Mitsuru, who showed none of the agony that Ryuichi felt for her. "Tell me the truth!" Yukari demanded, and Mitsuru let out a defeated sigh.

"I wasn't trying to hide anything from you," she said softly. "It just never seemed relevant. But—"

"It's okay," said Ikutsuki. "It's not your fault."

Nodding to the chairman, she let out another sigh."All right. I'll tell you the whole story:

"The Shadows have many mysterious abilities. Some research indicates that they can even affect time and space. We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage? They would be a source of unimaginable power, wouldn't they?"

"What?" Yukari asked uneasily. The other juniors looked just as lost.

Ryuichi braced himself for what he knew was coming next. Mitsuru's sullen eyes dimmed as she recalled the past.

"Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking. He was the group leader of the Kirijo Group, Kouetsu Kirijo—My grandfather."

There were gasps and swears, but Mitsuru kept going. "My grandfather was obsessed with the Shadows. He wanted to harness their power for something extraordinary."

"'Harness their power'?" Fuuka echoed uneasily.

"He assembled a team of scientists, and over several years collected a significant number of Shadows."

"He what? Damn, that's freakin' crazy!" exclaimed Junpei.

"However," Mitsuru said, "ten years ago, during the final stages of the experiment, they lost control of the Shadows' power. Consequently, the nature of the world was altered."

Everyone froze. Fuuka spoke for them.

"You mean—?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Yes—Tartarus and the Dark Hour."

Through everyone's gasps, Mitsuru pushed through with her story.

"By their account, the mass of Shadows they collected split into several large ones that then dispersed. These are the Shadows we've been encountering on nights when the moon is full."

"Is that why they've appeared in different places?" Fuuka asked.

"Wait a minute," said Yukari. "If what you said is true, then why did our school turn into Tartarus?"

She gasped. "Don't tell me—That's where they conducted the experiment?"

Mitsuru gripped her arm tightly now. "Yes."

"Then, those students who were hospitalized—"

"I'm afraid it's just as you're thinking. Port Island must have been an ideal location for them. It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijo Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased. As you guessed, the experiment ten years ago was conducted at Gekkoukan High School."

"Holy shit."

"I don't believe it."

Yukari's cold glare returned. "Does this mean—All we've been doing is cleaning up their mess? You _lied_ to us?"

Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru now dug her long nails into her arm.

"You knew, too, didn't you, Senpai?" Yukari accused Akihiko. "They've just been using us! Or, do you not care as long as you get to fight?"

"That's not true," he answered in a low rasp. He lowered his gaze to the floor. "I have my reasons."

She looked to Ryuichi next. "And what about you, Ryuichi-senpai?" she hissed. "You work for the Kirijo Group, so you're obligated to do whatever they say, isn't that right?"

He glared back at her. "I stand by Mitsuru no matter what Kouetsu Kirijo did in the past," he answered gruffly.  
"Think what you'd like. It was my decision not to share that information," Mitsuru said to Yukari. "I'm sorry. I never intended to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority. As absurd as it may seem, only we—with our Personas—can fight the Shadows."

"How could you—?" Yukari's voice went high, but she didn't complete the thought.

"Besides," Mitsuru said in a low murmur, "some of us were never given a choice."

Her hands shook, along with her voice. "I—"

"Mitsuru," Akihiko said softly. "Don't."

Ryuichi shook his head. "It's okay," he whispered to her, and she looked to have drawn little strength from both of their words.

"Yukari," said Ikutsuki, "it's those in the past who are to blame. And they lost their lives as a result of what they did. We're all in the same boat here; none of us deserve the burden that's been thrust upon us."

"But—" started Yukari, unable to finish.

"It's been ten years since that incident. No one knows why those Shadows suddenly returned," he reminded them all. "But, since they're active, we can find and destroy them. Do you realize what this means?"

He looked around at them all. "What if I told you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?"

"Then, if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear?" Akihiko reasoned.

"Exactly! That's what I was going to tell you earlier! See, it's good news, right?"

"Is that true?" piped up Fuuka.

"There's evidence to support it," he grinned. "Now, our true battle begins."

Yukari shrank on her ottoman, losing all of the strength she had only moments before.

"Regardless of what's happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people," Ikutsuki continued. "The Shadows are gaining strength. We can't afford to just wait for them."

No one spoke. Mitsuru remained stoic despite Yukari's accusations earlier.

Ikutsuki got to his feet. "And there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus. Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within it."

Silence. The heavy atmosphere lingered in the air, leaving no room to celebrate the good news Ikutsuki brought them. The chairman was the first to leave, telling them to keep up the good work on his way out. Yukari briskly left after him, and the others followed suit until only Ryuichi and Mitsuru were left in the room.

"You still intend to stand by me, despite everything that's happened?" Mitsuru asked him.

Looking at her, she appeared to have just survived a terrible battle. The confidence she had earlier was lost on her gaunt face and half-dead eyes. She continued to dig her long nails into her arm, the anguish visible on her visage even under the cover of her bangs.

Ryuichi began to gather the barely-sipped cups of tea onto the tray. "Well, why wouldn't I?" he asked. "You're doing a noble thing, trying to right a wrong from the past."

"But I withheld the real reason why we needed everyone's help," she insisted, averting her gaze. "I knowingly put everyone's lives in harm's way to clean up the sins of the Kirijo Group."

Ryuichi straightened up with a groan. "I get that Yukari probably doesn't like the idea that we didn't tell the whole truth about those experiments, but does that really change anything? You didn't force any of us to join, and we even planned to kick Yukari out of SEES when she struggled to summon her Persona."

He scratched his jaw with a finger. "And if I recall, you were staunch against me becoming your bodyguard back when I first joined SEES."

"I manipulated all of you," she said, her voice now harsh. "That fact still stands."

"You also saved many lives recruiting us," he said quietly, and watched as her pupils shrank.

He peered down at the tray of full cups and clicked his tongue at it, knowing he wouldn't be able to carry it all downstairs without spilling. "If you hadn't recruited Akihiko, he wouldn't have saved Junpei," he continued, pouring some of the tea back into the teapot. "And if you hadn't recruited everyone else, we wouldn't have been able to save Fuuka."

Mitsuru's stare rested on him. He saw her eyes go blank as she stood there, her hand loosening her grip on her elbow. Slowly, she slid her hand down the length of her arm and placed it on the sofa, as if to steady herself.

"No one would have needed saving if that incident hadn't occurred," she said finally.

Ryuichi wanted to say something to her, but decided against it. He remained silent as Mitsuru found strength in her assertion.

"We saved a few people, but how can you compare those few to the many lives lost because of my grandfather?" she asked him.

"By saving even one life, you've already made all the difference in the world for that one person," he told her softly. "You did that for me back in middle school."

She shook her head, mired in her own wretchedness. "How can you still see any good in me after what the Kirijo Group did?"

He exhaled loudly, letting his shoulders drop. "The way I see it, both you and Yukari are looking at you as if you're Kouetsu Kirijo," he explained. "But the thing is, you're not your grandfather. His actions are his, not yours."

"No matter how you look at it, I'm still a Kirijo," she said in a hollow voice. "The onus of my grandfather's actions falls to me because I'm the only one in my family who possesses the power of Persona. It is my duty to right the wrongs of the past, even if I wasn't the one who conducted those experiments."

Ryuichi picked up the tray of empty cups. "Yeah, you're a Kirijo, but that doesn't mean you have to bear the responsibility all by yourself. I'm here, and Akihiko's here, too."

She lowered her face. "And the others?"

"Well, we might've lost Yukari as an ally, but we've still got Minato, Fuuka, and Junpei," he said, sounding more confident than he felt.

"How can you be so sure of that?" She extended herself to her full height with her fists down at her sides. "How do you know we haven't lost everyone after tonight?"

He thought about it for a second, but it was too short a second. "Well, uh, they didn't say they were quitting, did they?"

He saw the disappointment in Mitsuru's eyes. He had been too hasty with his answer and cursed himself for it.

"Thank you, Ryuichi," she said with a deflating voice on her way to the door. "If you would excuse me."

After she left, Ryuichi just stood there, feeling like he had failed her yet again. There was nothing he could do except take the cups downstairs and wash them. He spent the rest of the evening worrying about whether or not the other SEES members would quit. He worried for Mitsuru's sake.

That night, as he lay in bed, Ryuichi remembered back in middle school when Mitsuru revealed to him what had caused the Dark Hour. He had just joined SEES, and he and Akihiko never once blamed Mitsuru for what happened. They were determined to put an end to the Dark Hour, armed with their Personas, their fighting skills, and their reckless sense of youthful invincibility.

The next morning, the dorm felt as grave as it had the previous night, where no one spoke to one another. Ryuichi wasn't sure what to think when he saw Yukari having a meager breakfast of toast with a little butter, where he couldn't figure out if she was planning on leaving SEES or staying. Just the sight of her made him want to skip breakfast altogether, figuring he could make himself something at the restaurant when he went in for work. Instead, he made sure to prepare a coffee cake for Mitsuru to have whenever she decided to have tea—That is, if she could stomach anything.

His father made sure he felt the scorch of his wrath for ditching last-minute yesterday. It didn't stop Toshio when the other workers showed up, or when the customers started coming in; he just wanted to keep lecturing his irresponsible son about being selfish like his sister.

"What's the matter with your sister, anyway?" Toshio snarled over a sizzling batch of hamburger patties. "Why doesn't she want to work here? You know, we let her come back home and live with us for free, and even though she's got a nanny, she doesn't want to do anything to help out! She's not even paying for the nanny, and she thinks she can just—"

Ryuichi nearly asked if his father had tried telling Shizue everything he was yelling at him. He kept his head down and his hands moving, trying hard to block out everything else while he worried about Mitsuru. He considered sending her an email just to check to see if she was doing all right, but when he had it typed out on his phone, he kept telling himself that she just needed some space.

The moment he sent his message, he regretted it. Even so, he wanted to see if she replied, but all through the work day, his father made sure he was kept busy with cooking, checking inventory, and cleaning, all to make up for him skipping out last night. When Ryuichi finally got a chance to check his phone, Mitsuru simple wrote _"I'm fine"_ and nothing more. The time stamp showed him that her response came three hours after he had sent his message.

The following Monday evening, Ryuichi returned to the dorm from a trip to the grocery store where he found everyone gathered in the dining room. Yukari and Fuuka sat at one end of the dining table across from Mitsuru and Akihiko. Minato and Junpei stood behind the two juniors, as if to back them up in case trouble ensued.

Ryuichi felt like he walked right into a field of landmines as he crossed the lounge into the kitchen. He noted the tense stares from his dorm mates following him as he went to put away the groceries, imagining himself just seconds away from getting sniped. No one spoke, only letting the tension grow as thick as the wet summer heat. After Ryuichi put away the groceries, he kept his distance from the group, instead taking a seat by the kitchen counter so he could keep an eye on everyone in case someone sprung an attack.

And then, silence. Ryuichi wasn't sure how the group came to their current seating arrangement, if they had gathered to discuss what had happened last Saturday or if Mitsuru and Yukari tried to have a quiet talk and everyone else just jumped in uninvited. Without a doubt, the source of the tension came from Mitsuru and Yukari, yet neither made an attempt to assuage the dampened mood.

"What's wrong, everyone?" Akihiko asked suddenly. His quiet rasp took everyone by surprise. "Are you guys hungry?"

Yukari cast her gaze down at the table. "N-Not really," she murmured.

The silence was so strong that it threatened to crush them. Ryuichi took out his phone to check the time, accidentally dropping it on the counter with a loud clatter. Everyone but Mitsuru glanced his way briefly before casting their gazes downward again.

"Umm." Fuuka's head swiveled around at everyone at the table. "Y-You know, it's almost summer break. Do you have any plans?"

"I wish I could go to the beach," Junpei answered with a big grin on his face. "Hot sand, cool breeze, babes in bikinis—Man, it sure would be nice! Somewhere in the south, where the water is crystal clear!"

Ryuichi pictured the scene in his head, but didn't care for it much.

Junpei let out a groan. "But first, we have exams to worry about. Ugh, what a drag."

"Now, now. You'll be fine," Fuuka reassured him with a peaceful smile. "But yeah, I'd love to go somewhere famous for its beautiful beaches, like Okinawa."

"Well, it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?"

Everyone turned to look as Ikutsuki came up to the table, smiling.

"Mr. Chairman," Mitsuru gasped. "I didn't realize you were here."

"I happened to be in the area, so I thought I'd drop by and tell you my schedule for next week," he told them with a smile. "Mitsuru, your father will be vacationing in Yakushima during the break."

"He will?"

Ikutsuki nodded. "You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

"Seriously? We're gonna go on a trip?" Junpei exclaimed, looking ready to jump up with joy. When Ikutsuki nodded again, he popped up into the air with both fists raised. "YES! Beach babes, here I come!"

Yukari let out a sigh while grumbling "Men", and Fuuka giggled next to her. Minato had a tiny smirk on his face as Junpei continued celebrating. Ryuichi stayed quiet in his little corner, feeling like he was the only one not excited for the beach.

"How about it, Mitsuru?" Ikutsuki asked.

"But, my father is a busy man," she reasoned, and Ryuichi could hear the distress in her tone. "I don't want to ruin his vacation."

"Haha, don't worry. No father would be upset with a daughter who came all that way to see him," Ikutsuki replied with a chuckle. He looked to the others now. "You've all done a great job. You deserve to relax for a while. We already know when the next operation will be, so it should be fine."

"I don't know," she sighed, and Junpei and Minato both ran around the table to pop up behind her.

"YAKUSHIMA!" Minato shouted, startling Mitsuru.

Junpei was down on his knees. "Senpai! I'm beggin' ya!"

Everyone watched as Mitsuru stared in astonishment at the two. Her frown melted into a smile seconds after their little outburst.

"All right," she agreed. "I guess everyone needs a break now and then. Let's do it."

"Whoo-hoo!" Junpei ran around cheering while Akihiko grinned to himself.

"Hmm, the beach," he said thoughtfully. "I should design a special training regimen."

"Dude, I'm stoked! We're going to the be-each! We're going to the be-each!"

"I have to go buy a swimsuit," Fuuka realized.

Junpei came up behind her. "Hey, don't worry! I got an extra pair you can borrow!"

"Nice try, man," Akihiko said in his low rasp across the table.

"Are you going to swim too, Ikutsuki-san?" Fuuka asked the Chairman.

"I'm afraid I can't," he replied, looking ill at the thought. "I'll turn to dust if I'm exposed to sunlight."

"Whoa, was that a joke?" Junpei blurted out.

"Of course it was," Akihiko groaned.

Ryuichi slinked off to his room without anyone noticing his disappearance. Standing before his mirror, he could imagine all the scars criss-crossing, spotting, denting, and leaving bumps on his skin beneath his many layers of clothes. Even his calves had his scars from his first encounter with a Shadow. Without a doubt, swimming and any other activities that required minimal clothing would be completely out of the question. His would be a vacation best spent fully clothed.

With their break starting next Monday and ending on Thursday, Ryuichi thought about his family schedule. Originally, the nanny was supposed to come in on Mondays and Wednesdays to help watch Megumi, but his family changed their minds after about a week and decided to have Ryuichi come in on Wednesdays yet again in addition to Fridays. Ryuichi didn't mind the change too much at first, but he wished that they had discussed the matter with him instead of ordering him to follow their whims.

Since his family didn't bother to consult him first about his schedule, he called the nanny first to ask if she could work on the Wednesday he would be out of town. She readily agreed to it even before he could offer to pay her a little extra for that day. He then had to call Shizue to let her know about his absence.

"What, did Dad tell you to work at the restaurant instead?" she grumbled.

"More like a trip for my other job," he said, figuring that it was technically true. "I'm going to be out of town for a few days."

"Oh? What for?"

"Mitsuru's going on a little break after exams since we get a few days off. I'll be going with her."

"Aw, so you don't even get to enjoy the break because you'll be working?"

"Kinda?" He eyed himself in his mirror again. "I mean, I like my job, so it's not like it's unpleasant or anything."

"Okay, well, I hope she lets you have a chance to relax. It's _your_ break, too."

He heard his sister coo at Megumi. "I'll give Kimura-san a call to see if she can cover for you on Wednesday," she said to him.

"I already gave her a call and she seemed happy to do it."

"For real? Awesome."

They started saying their good-byes when Shizue added, "Oh, yeah! Hey, you think I can come visit you a the dorm sometime?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you that desperate to get out of the house?"

"Uh, duh! I think the reason why Megs is always crying is because the energy here is so bad. I mean, I don't think I've ever felt at ease here at home."

He couldn't promise anything, but he at least said that he would figure something out, if his schedule permitted. He still hadn't told his family that he quit kendo out of fear that they would seize the extra time he gave himself for themselves. When he managed to break free from their conversation, he had to hurry up and cram every last little bit of information into his brain for the long week of exams ahead.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Mitsuru was true to her word when she said she would help Ryuichi study for exams. She kept his nose deep into his books with one hand while she studied with the other, where Ryuichi would be begging for a break. They would study after school in the library, up on the third floor of the dorm, her room, his room, the command room, the lounge—depending on whatever wasn't too crowded, too noisy, and especially where Ryuichi wouldn't get too distracted.

After school on Wednesday, Ryuichi prepared to head over to help take care of Megumi when Mitsuru stopped him.

"I've already informed your family that you were concerned for your grades and arranged for Kimura-san to come in today in your stead," she told him while he packed his bag.

For the first time in his life, he was actually anguished that he couldn't go to his parents' house, if only for a few hours without cramming schoolwork and lessons into his head. He felt ill when he realized another problem.

"But, I already told them that I couldn't come in next Wednesday because of the break," he uttered, going pale. "They're gonna be furious I'm missing two days!"

"Your mother was understanding of the matter and agreed to having you focus on your studies," Mitsuru said. "And I see no problem, so long as someone is there to help watch over your niece."

It felt like Ryuichi was losing either way. If he went in to help with his niece, he would be losing a whole day of studies. With the nanny substituting for him, he had to deal with another day of Mitsuru's grueling tutelage. And lately, Mitsuru had been hounding him more than usual about his studies, but it was only recently that she became almost merciless. She had been fine the previous week where she would let him take a break or two and learn at his own pace, but after the episode with Yukari's discovery of the Kirijo Group's sins, she was more on edge than usual.

They stopped by the library after school to study, but every table was already occupied. One table was taken by two students with two empty seats across from them, but they were too busy whispering to each other that Mitsuru deemed it too distracting for Ryuichi. She made the decision to just return to the dorm and study there, and all Ryuichi could do was follow obediently, knowing that he did get distracted pretty easily, especially while burnt out.

At the dorm, they found Junpei and Minato studying at the long table on the second floor. Junpei kept asking Minato for help, always popping up from his seat to lean over the table. Whenever Minato helped him, he would loudly express his gratitude, confusion, or panic with various groans, squeaks, and obnoxious yelling.

They tried the third floor where Yukari and Fuuka studied. The second Mitsuru's and Yukari's eyes met, Ryuichi quickly yet gently pushed Mitsuru up the stairs while Fuuka called to Yukari's attention for their studies to make her look away.

Up in the command room, they found Ikutsuki sitting in front of the bank of consoles with some of the screens flashing black and white snow. The static was so loud that Ryuichi had to stick his fingers in his ears.

"Ah, Mitsuru! Ryuichi!" Ikutsuki called to them over the noise. "There seems to be something wrong with the computer!"

"What?" Ryuichi yelled.

"There seems to be something _wrong_ with the _computer_!" he shouted back, exaggerating his lip movements. Ryuichi carefully studied his words as he formed them.

Without saying a word, Mitsuru turned to Ryuichi with a piercing look that he took to mean "We're leaving". As they started for the door, Ikutsuki turned back to the console and began messing with all the buttons, knobs, and switches.

"Don't worry!" he called over his shoulder. "I'll have it fixed in _snow_ time!"

He giggled to himself as he pointed to the static on the screen. "Get it? Snow! Haha!"

Ryuichi barely had time to roll his eyes when Mitsuru dragged him out of the room. With everywhere else full, they agreed to study in Ryuichi's room for the day.

While Mitsuru went to get some of her study materials from her room, he prepared his for another long day of books, notes, and information he was sure would be useless after exams. He turned on the air conditioner and set the temperature a little lower, taking a moment to stand in the rush of refreshingly chilly air. He set his low table atop his blue rug, then went to the kitchen to get fresh tea and the cake he prepared the night before. When everything was ready, he sat down at the low table to rest his back against his bed, grateful for the respite before another study session.

The tea went cold, and the cake slowly staled. Both remained untouched on Ryuichi's desk while the two sat across from each other on the rug, deep into their studies. It had been two hours of them being hunched over the table, where every muscle in Ryuichi's body had cramped up. Even his brain seemed to have developed a cramp or two that wouldn't let him absorb information, where Mitsuru had to repeat herself two or three times for him to understand something for just a few moments, only to lose it seconds later.

Mitsuru sat back from the table with a look that Ryuichi knew all too well. It was a look that his entire family had a tendency to use with him more often than he would like. To see it on Mitsuru's face meant that he was really screwing up.

She got up from the table. "I have another study guide that might help," she said on her way to the door. "I'll go get it. For now, take a break."

When his door shut behind her, Ryuichi stood up and stretched. He had been overcome by the need to play his keyboard, as long as it meant that he could get away from studying, even if only for a few minutes. He just needed something to distract him and give him something fresh to think about.

After a moment's hesitation, he rolled his desk chair over to his keyboard and began to play songs from old video games that he remembered watching his older cousins play. The story for one particular video game was lost to him, but the music ingrained itself in him, became a part of him, and now flowed from his fingertips.

The song was beautiful in its melancholic tone, filled with a joy as distant as the stars when all the sky was nothing but darkness. It started off with just a few simple notes—solitary yet hopeful—that were soon filled up with passion and longing as the phrases repeated. It kept building and building, until all the chords and all the accompaniments dropped out to allow the single melody shine through, suspended and exposed for just a few notes before converging with a harmonious voice likened to bell tolls. The song crescendoed like stars colliding in a celestial war, ending with the final glimmers of starlight falling, weary from battle, and burning out as they fell to their final resting place.

Ryuichi sat back in the chair as he came down from his high. For a moment, he stared blankly at the keyboard, not wanting to take another breath, lest he frighten away the euphoria the song brought him.

A soft applause startled him. He swiveled around to see Mitsuru seated on his bed, smiling in approval.

"When did you get back?" he blurted out, horrified that he had been caught while deep into the song.

"Not as soon as I would have liked," she replied, not moving from her spot. The book she went to retrieve lay next to her, forgotten for the time being. "What song was that? It doesn't sound like anything modern, nor have I heard any classical music quite like that before."

His face grew hot as he turned away in shame. "It's from an old video game," he admitted, nervously touching the keys without playing any notes.

"A video game? I never would have guessed that such a beautiful song would come from a video game, of all places."

He bashfully scratched his scalp and reached for the off switch. "Y-Yeah. Some of the best songs I know came from video games."

"Play another."

He nearly choked on his breath from astonishment. "Huh?"

"Play another," she repeated. "That is, if you don't want to."

After that first song, he definitely wanted to play more. He played a random, relaxing series of notes that he made up on the spot, eventually turning into a cheery melody from a favorite childhood movie. He played through it without a word from Mitsuru, but he could feel her presence the entire time. Even in the coolness of the air conditioned room, perspiration formed on his skin just by having her listen to him play.

"That song was on the CD you made for me," Mitsuru said after the song had ended. "You play it much more beautifully now than what you recorded. You must have been practicing, haven't you?"

The warmth in her voice made him relax just a bit. "Shizue often asks me to play the piano for Megumi, so I got a lot of practice whenever I had to help out," he replied, discovering just how parched he had become. He didn't dare to face her just yet and started a new song.

"Does she?"

"Pretty much every time I'm there. Sometimes she asks for the guitar, other times she has me read to the baby."

"I can understand why." He heard bed springs squeak beneath Mitsuru. "Whenever I needed a moment to relax, I would listen to the CD you made for me."

His fingers fumbled on the keys. "R-Really?"

"Really. Is that so surprising? The intent of your gift was for listening, after all."

Ryuichi kept playing, but softer now, more self-conscious of how the songs came out. "I guess, huh?" he murmured. "I didn't think I did a good enough job on it, with my hand and all."

He finished out the last song before the two returned to their studies. There was a change in the both of them, where Mitsuru wasn't quite so tense when she explained concepts and Ryuichi was able to retain and understand the information better. As he worked on some English grammar quizzes that Mitsuru prepared for him, he noticed how much more at ease she appeared.

"Is there something on my face?" she asked when he held his stare on her for too long.

"No, nothing like that," he replied, squirming from getting caught. "It's just, I guess these past few days have been pretty rough on you, huh?"

It looked like he had guessed right. Mitsuru's pencil finished writing out a word before she set it down. Her frown appeared weighted with the truth of his observation while she fixed her gaze on the table.

"Does it seem petty of me to still be bothered by what happened last week?" she asked.

He shook his head. "It's not petty if she dug up stuff from the past like that," Ryuichi said softly. "The way it looks to me, even from the beginning when she first moved in, she just didn't seem to like you at all without even getting to know you first."

Her sigh breathed a heaviness to the room. "I've been thinking the same thing," she told him, lifting her eyes to his. "At first I dismissed the possibility, but now it seems as if she has a grudge against me."

"A grudge? More like a vendetta." Ryuichi rested his jaw against his fist. "Whatever it is, does she just have something against you, or the whole Kirijo Group?"

"That, I cannot say."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Mitsuru didn't answer right away. "I intend to maintain the peace as best as I can and continue to be civil towards her," was her solution. "I know it's not ideal, but I have nothing against her, and I have the others to consider."

The mood in the dorm remained tense from anxiety over exams and from Yukari's accusations the previous Saturday evening. If Yukari made an appearance, all conversations died. If Mitsuru appeared, the same thing would happen. When the two were in the same room for even just a few seconds, the tension threatened to crush the other residents of the dorm. Some tried to lighten the mood with small talk or jokes, but their attempts always ended in failure. Neither Mitsuru nor Yukari made an attempt to talk to the other, leaving the rest to tiptoe around them the rest of the time.

Despite the drama in the dorm, Ryuichi was at least grateful that Mitsuru was talking to him. He had become the thing that she poured her energy into to ensure that his grades would remain aloft, offering her just enough distraction from Yukari during those few hours a day they spent studying together. He made sure to play piano for her every now and then if they studied in his room so that she would have a few minutes to relax. She never stopped him from doing so.

The following Sunday before exam week, Ryuichi learned that he was supposed to take the day off from work at the restaurant. It was after he had just come out of the shower that he found his phone practically smoking from all the fiery voicemails and scorching emails his father left for him. As he listened to his father's barking voice cursing at him, he quickly dressed and dashed up the stairs to Mitsuru's door to ask about it, taking his phone along with him.

"Your mother was the one who insisted that you take Sunday off from work to study," she told him. "I believe I mentioned this the other day, but I think you were too busy with your flashcards at the time."

"But, but, but..." Ryuichi couldn't process what he just learned. He just stood there dumbstruck, his phone still playing the lengthy messages from his father.

"—how many days now, Ryuichi?" came his father's raging voice. "You're neglecting your duties to your family! You know how much it costs to have Kimura-san come over those extra days? And you're expecting us to pay half when you aren't even coming in to work today? Your lazy ass is costing us big time! When I was your age, I wasn't dicking around like you! I worked two jobs while I was in school to pay for my college tuition—"

Ryuichi quickly deleted the message, only for the next one to start playing. He frantically deleted all the voicemails as sweat poured down his face and collected on his upper lip. Even without the voicemails, he could still hear his father's voice, the grit in his tone like a cheese grater to his back.

"It seems I've put you in a difficult spot," Mitsuru noted of the situation. "I was concerned more for your education but failed to consider your family's needs."

She took out her cell phone and began to dial a number.

"Wait." Ryuichi rubbed his thumb over his phone's number pad before snapping it shut. "If Mom was the one who said I should take today off, then it's not your fault. Besides, Dad always gets a little psychotic when things don't play out his way."

"The least I can do is apologize to your parents for the inconvenience," Mitsuru said, and her phone screen filled with the rest of Ayumi's number. "But, that could mean that you will have to go into work today."

"You don't have to apologize for anything," he told her. "Like you said before, Mom was the one who wanted me to take today off. Dad just needs to learn to trust the other workers with cooking the burger patties."

The guilt stained Mitsuru's face. Ryuichi slipped her phone out of her hand to clear the screen before handing it back.

"Hey." He gave Mitsuru a determined look. "Mom's depending on you to help me score high this time, so you'd better tutor me good."

At first, Mitsuru's bewildered expression made him worry that he upset her more. She surprised him when she returned his challenge with a solid nod.

"After your mother went through the trouble of getting you the day off, we mustn't disappoint her," she agreed.

Ryuichi grinned. "Good! Now, top ten's a good target, but if we're really gonna make Mom proud, I better get the number one spot."

Mitsuru's eyes shot a cold, steeled look at him. "We can aim for number one, but I don't intend to give it to you easily."

Ryuichi could only grin even bigger to hide his fear and unease of what kind of tutoring he was about to receive that day. Only an hour into their study session, Ryuichi was begging Mitsuru to let him go to work at the restaurant.

At the end of exam week, Ikutsuki messaged everyone in SEES to meet him outside the school gates after their final exam. Mitsuru had to leave right away to return to the Kirijo mansion, and Ryuichi had to hurry over to the restaurant, leaving the meet up to the others. On his way back to the dorm, Ryuichi sent a hasty message to Ikutsuki to apologize for not being able to make it.

The moment he arrived at the restaurant, his father bore down on him with a repeat of his complaints and criticisms from the voicemails Ryuichi deleted the week before. Ryuichi could only apologize over and over again while agreeing with his father that he was a lazy idiot who was only wasting Mitsuru's time and efforts in helping him study.

Thankfully, he was so burnt out from all the study sessions with Mitsuru that he could barely absorb anything his father had to say. He found contentment while standing over a hot grill, relieved to be on his feet and keeping his hands busy while letting his mind go blank for a few hours.

When he got back to the dorm late that evening, Akihiko was waiting for him in the lounge with a mixture of mourning and shock on his face. He got up to meet Ryuichi by the back door.

"We might be getting a new member," he said gravely while Ryuichi smoothed back his helmet hair.

"Okay, but you make it sound like a bad thing," Ryuichi pointed out. "Something wrong with the newbie?"

Akihiko wouldn't say until they were inside Ryuichi's room to speak privately. There, the air was thick and wet with summer heat. Ryuichi turned on the air conditioner, but it would take a little while for things to cool down.

"So, what's wrong with the new person?" Ryuichi asked again as he stripped off his vest.

At first, Akihiko hesitated. Whoever it was obviously troubled him to the point where he couldn't speak of the person out in the open. He leaned back against Ryuichi's desk and was about to say something when they heard one of the bathroom doors outside open and shut.

"Do you remember what happened to Shinji two years ago?" Akihiko asked uneasily.

"Yeah. It's not something you just forget, but what does that—"

"The kid. Do you remember him?"

Ryuichi felt something like ice crack in his chest. "You mean, he's—?"

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah. His name is Ken Amada. Ikutsuki's gonna have him move into the dorm for the summer, since he has nowhere else to go. He said it's fine, since he's got the potential."

Ryuichi's heart thudded in his throat. "But, he's only a kid!"

"I know, and nobody likes the idea of having a kid fight alongside us."

"Then why push for it?"

"I guess because we still need more people."

"Says who? Don't tell me Mitsuru agreed to it?"

"She didn't," Akihiko grunted, giving Ryuichi only momentary relief. "Ikutsuki's the one pushing for it because he knows we need more people, even if Ken's only a kid."

Ryuichi sank down onto his bed, unable to comprehend the cruelty of the man who cracked a hundred puns a day. "So, does he remember anything?" he asked in a small voice.

"I don't think so. Ikutsuki told me he only remembers that his mom died in an accident," said Akihiko. "I don't think he remembers any of us from that night. He only knows me as the captain of the boxing team."

"An admirer of yours?"

"You could say that, but I don't feel right having him look up to me after what happened back then."

Everything Akihiko told him made him dread meeting Ken. He practiced in his mind how to speak to the boy, reminding himself not to act suspicious or overly sympathetic for his circumstances. He lost sleep over it, fearing that Ken would remember everything the second he saw him.

The next morning, as Ryuichi prepared to head to work, the front doors opened and in walked a little boy with light, brown hair wearing an orange hoodie vest carrying a duffel bag that was far too large for him. Ryuichi recognized him immediately as the boy Akihiko had told him about.

"You must be Ken Amada," Ryuichi said kindly to him with a welcoming smile. "Hi. I'm Ryuichi Okazaki."

Ken set the bag down on the floor and looked up at him in amazement. "Okazaki-san? The captain of the kendo team?" The boy's face lit up while Ryuichi felt shame clench his heart. "You live here, too? I heard you can take on three guys all by yourself and never get hit!"

"Well, uh, I _was_ the captain, but some circumstances came up and I had to quit kendo," Ryuichi admitted to him. He could see the disappointment on Ken's face.

"That's too bad," Ken said to him. "I'm sure you had your reasons."

Ryuichi couldn't believe the boy's maturity. He was like an old man in a small boy's body with his sage-like understanding. Through their brief chat, it appeared to Ryuichi that Ken might not remember him at all. He had been pleasant to speak with, but his maturity had been alarming to him.

He was so stunned by Ken's response that he almost forgot all about work. During the first few hours of cooking burger patties, Ryuichi found that he didn't know how to talk to the boy. He had been expecting a rambunctious little squirt, but Ken turned out to be the complete opposite, and probably more mature than half the dorm.

"Quit daydreaming!" Toshio came over and wrenched the spatula out of Ryuichi's hand. "If you've got time to daydream, then go cut some fries!"

As he shoved potatoes into the slicer, Ryuichi realized that he just needed to survive a few more hours of work before he could enjoy some time away from his family. He would be on a far off island with no exams to study for, no schedules to keep, no cooking or cleaning, and best of all, no angry family to deal with!

A real vacation. Ryuichi actually smiled at work for once.

 **End of Arc 1**


	39. Chapter 39

**Arc 2  
**

 **Chapter 39**

Riding the ferry to Yakushima was supposed to feel like the first day of summer break with the salty ocean breeze, the scorching sun, and (to Junpei's viewing pleasure) lovely ladies who fought with the wind to keep their skirts from flying up. The ferry itself merrily bobbed up and down as it sped atop the waves to the distant island, carrying with it the inexhaustible chatter of the passengers sharing their plans for what they would do once they reached the island.

Everyone else seemed to be riding the excitement of being on vacation, but near the bow underneath a shady spot, the SEES members sat quietly on top of their luggage without looking directly at one another. They were all dressed for a summer getaway in tank tops, jeans, capris pants, sundresses, and light shirts—all whites, oranges, pinks, blues, and pastels, but their moods were cast in shadow thanks to the opposing energies of Mitsuru and Yukari sitting near each other to share the shade.

Ryuichi got up and smoothed out his light blue button-down shirt, pulled creases from his black jeans, and adjusted his dark sunglasses before stepping out into the sunlight. He couldn't stand another moment of being caught in the sulky crossfire of the two when he already had to deal with a similar annoyance with his family.

He wanted to ask the others if they knew why Yukari continued to help them after revealing the dark actions of the Kirijo Group, but he didn't want to make it sound like he hated her, even though he still didn't feel comfortable being around her. He wanted to ask Mitsuru what she thought, but figured that she might come up with the worst possible reasons to blame herself with as a means of coping with her guilt. And of course, he didn't want to be the one to sour the mood of the trip.

He went to the starboard side of the ship to lean his arms on the railing, staring down at the alluring blue water below. The wind made his shirt billow in the wind, but his navy T-shirt remained securely tucked in to cover any markings on his body. Despite the extra security of wearing a belt, Ryuichi couldn't stop himself from checking to make sure his shirt hadn't flown up to flash anybody. His fear of exposing his scars almost made him forget about the possibility of losing his fedora in the wind.

At least now he felt better after distancing himself from the others, where even the minor annoyances of others talking and laughing didn't hinder the peace of his mind. He still couldn't believe that his family let him go for the week, that he wouldn't have to deal with any of them for four solid days. No burgers, no grease, no smoke, not smelly diapers, no complaints about one another—He was free to do whatever he wanted.

"Yo! Ryuichi-senpai!"

Junpei came bounding up to him with his wallet chain jingling on his jeans. "Beach, babes, and bikinis! There's no better way to celebrate the end of exams, right?"

He threw an arm around Ryuichi's shoulders and let his weight drop on him. "Betcha can't wait to see Mitsuru-senpai in a bikini, huh?"

Ryuichi scowled at Junpei's sweaty arm on the back of his neck. "That's my friend and boss you're talking about."

Akihiko and Minato strode up to them. "Man, things are still pretty tense between those two," Akihiko said, frowning. "Was this even a good idea?"

"Why not?" Junpei removed himself from Ryuichi to lean against the railing while holding onto his cap. "All they need is a little fresh air, hot sand, and some fun splashing around, and they'll cool off eventually."

"I don't think they're as excited about seeing themselves in bikinis as you are," Minato pointed out.

"You don't know that." Junpei glanced over at the girls, and the others did the same. Only Fuuka remained sitting with all their bags. "Huh. You think those two went to talk about stuff, or—?"

Ryuichi spotted Yukari heading towards the stern of the ship while Mitsuru returned to the shady spot to sit on her bag.

"Doesn't look like they talked at all," Ryuichi sighed.

Shrugging, Junpei never lost his smile. "They really oughta loosen up soon," he said. "It's a vacation, for cryin' out loud!"

The others agreed as Fuuka came up to them all. "It looks like it's going to be another hour or so until we get there, according to Mitsuru-senpai," she said as she held down her skirt from the strong winds.

"Hey, Fuuka? Do you know if Yukari's holding up okay?" asked Akihiko.

"I think she was too worried about exams to think about what happened, so I don't really know for sure," Fuuka told them. She turned to Ryuichi. "How about Mitsuru-senpai?"

"Pretty much the same," Ryuichi replied. "Though, I think that was my fault. I wasn't doing too well when we were studying."

Ryuichi tried to flatten his shirt collar down when it slapped against his jaw too many times. "So, I'm gonna sound like a total jerk saying this, but does Yukari still want to be in SEES?"

"That's actually a good question." Akihiko held up a hand to shade his eyes from the sun. "After everything she said, I half-expected her to quit. If she hates what Mitsuru's family did, why's she even here?"

"Sounds like you guys don't want her around," Junpei murmured.

"It's not that we don't want her around," Ryuichi said while trying to avoid sounding exasperated. "It's just—What was she trying to do? Was she trying to get all of us to quit?"

"Maybe she was just trying to show us the truth of what happened back then," Minato suggested with an indifferent shrug.

"Yeah, but she seemed pretty angry about it," Junpei piped up.

"Then, what is it that she hoped to accomplish by putting the truth out there?" Ryuichi asked everyone.

No had any idea what Yukari's intention was, but when she came near the group, Junpei switched the topic to things they should do on the beach. Ryuichi quietly withdrew from the group, not sure if he could handle being around Yukari just yet. He returned to the shady spot where all their bags were, but Mitsuru had gone elsewhere again. It was just as well, since Ryuichi wasn't up for conversation anymore.

He plugged his earbuds into his ears and blasted his music up high over the winds while tapping out a rhythm on his guitar case, figuring he might be able to take a nap after staying up late trying to pack his bag for the trip. When he opened his eyes, the others had gathered back under the shade to sit on their bags, all with sullen looks on their faces save for Junpei, whom Ryuichi could barely hear through his earbuds yelling: "YA! KU! SHI! MAAAA!"

The Kirijo summer home was like a palace made of white stone. The entrance hall was a long block of pure white and lined with vases, tables, lights, columns, chairs, and tropical plants. From a distance, what Ryuichi thought was a long rug spanning the entire length of the hallway was actually a pattern in the tiles. The floor was polished so finely that Ryuichi could see his reflection staring up at him in awe at the entrance alone. Outside, the driver who brought them to the home shooed Akihiko away when he tried to retrieve his bag from the trunk. She informed him that their bags would be taken straight to their rooms.

"Wow," Fuuka gasped as their heads swiveled around the hall.

"It's like we're in an episode of _Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous_ ," Junpei remarked in amazement.

Two maids in the traditional black dresses, white aprons, and frilly headbands approached them and bowed to Mitsuru.

"Welcome back, Ojou-sama," they greeted her.

Ryuichi had never been to the vacation home before, but it never failed to blindside him that this was normal living for Mitsuru. He was almost as awestruck as the others as he looked all around the entrance hall.

One of the maids turned to the rest of the group. "And you must be her schoolmates, correct? Welcome to the Kirijo vacation home. Please, follow me."

Yukari continued to look around uneasily. "Um, is this the right place?"

"Dude. Real. Life. Maids." Junpei emphasized each syllable as he gawked at the two women.

"I knew she was from an important family, but this definitely confirms it," Fuuka said, sounding more like she was thinking aloud.

The two maids started towards the other end of the hall, and everybody followed. A tall, impressive-looking gentleman in a gray suit and an eye patch with a hardened face walked towards them. The two maids paused to bow to him. Ryuichi also bent at the waist to the man he recognized as Mitsuru's father, Takeharu, who said nothing to return their greetings. The other SEES members gasped, staring at her father's frightening facade as his eye swept slowly over each of them. Without a word, he continued past the group.

"It's good to see you," Mitsuru said to him, stopping his advance. Takeharu briefly turned his head towards her, just enough to offer any indication of his acknowledgement of his daughter's presence without looking at her. He started on his way again, and Junpei leaped out of his way, even though he wasn't in his path.

Fuuka looked to Mitsuru. "Was that—?"

"—her father?" Yukari finished for her.

"Dude, talk about scary!" Junpei whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?"

Ryuichi straightened up and glowered at him.

"Don't be stupid," Akihiko told Junpei.

Through it all, Mitsuru chuckled at all the chatter. "We won't be here long, but make yourselves at home," she told them warmly.

"Sweet!" Junpei cast off his fearful look and pumped a fist in the air. "This is gonna rock! Hey, wanna go to the beach? It's right there!"

He ran over to the enormous windows to peer at the white sands and the crystal ocean. "Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!"

"What, already?" a surprised Yukari yelped. "I mean, sure, but let me get changed first!"

"Then I'll see you there! I'm not gonna waste a single minute!"

The maids led them all through the home, passing an enormous reception room with vaulted ceilings and more windows that stretched up to the second floor. They went up a set of stairs that led to three more hallways, going down the one with numerous doors lining both sides. At the end of that hallway was another set of stairs, which the maids explained would lead to the kitchen. Ryuichi's room was at the back on the right side by the rear staircase, and he was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly the maids had brought all their luggage. Mitsuru was taken down another hall to a different part of the house to her room.

"I don't know how she does it," Ryuichi muttered to himself as he unpacked his bag.

Before, the mood had been so dim that it seemed impossible to get any enjoyment out of the trip, but Mitsuru smiling, speaking kindly, and welcoming them into her summer home completely turned everything around. Truly, she was a master of creating a mood and handling difficult social situations. Even Ryuichi felt like he could join in the fun, if it weren't for one small detail.

He purposefully had not bothered to bring a bathing suit with him. He never intended to swim, and had not done so in the past few years. His old bathing suit was far too small for him now, and there was no point in buying a new one when it wouldn't even cover any of the trouble spots on his body.

Outside, Junpei whooped as he went dashing down the hallway.

"Come on, you slow pokes! The beach is waiting!" he shouted on his way.

Ryuichi just sat down on the king-sized bed and sighed. "Not this time," he murmured, figuring he should just stay where the air was cool and dry and get some more sleep. The best he could manage was closing his eyes as he lay in bed and listened to the others open and close their doors while their flip-flops slapped at the marble floor. When he was certain that everyone else had gone, he began to feel himself tense up in anticipation of their emails and phone calls that would soon order him to join them down at the beach.

The first message came. He rolled over in bed and ignored it. Another message. Ignored. After the first few, his phone kept ringing with messages and phone calls, until finally he couldn't stand it any longer.

"You can nap later, Senpai! Get down here and have some fun, you old man!" came Junpei's ecstatic voice through his phone.

The best Ryuichi could do was roll up his pants legs until they were just above his ankles and put on his flip-flops. With no other reason he could think to delay his appearance, he sauntered downstairs and headed down to the beach.

The Kirijo vacation home was nestled near the beach, hidden behind a miniature jungle of tropical trees for privacy. Everywhere was nothing but dense trees, but somewhere beyond the green vastness was a town where the other passengers on the ferry headed. Some of them were already settled on the beach down the hill from the Kirijo mansion, with young women in two-piece bikinis helping each other put on sunscreen, and young men checking out some of the women. An elderly woman in a wide sunhat called over a younger couple and their children to come have lunch. The elderly woman's husband snored beneath a colorful beach umbrella, jolting awake at the mention of food.

Ryuichi stood just within the shade of the trees, gazing out at the splendid sights. The sand was white-hot and immaculately clean, and a single crab scuttled sideways across while Minato watched in amusement. The water shimmered with the summer sun, the brilliant blue like a liquid gem cared for by a master jeweler. The saltiness in the air felt cleaner than the air he breathed back in Iwatodai, and he felt purified as he filled his lungs with an ocean breeze.

There were beach chairs spotting the sands, and Ryuichi found Fuuka and Yukari sitting in a pair of them. Beneath the shade of a wide umbrella, they both applied sunscreen, unaware that Junpei watched them with glee while Akihiko observed in silence. Ryuichi crossed the blazing sand, feeling the sizzling heat just a thin flip-flop away from charring his bare feet as he went to join the guys.

"What took you so long?" Akihiko asked with a thin smile.

Junpei shook himself out of his trance to grin at Ryuichi. "You get lost in there or something?" he joked. "Flirting with the maids?"

"More like getting seduced by the air conditioning," Ryuichi replied with a sigh.

"Not gonna swim?" asked Minato as he stared at Ryuichi's clothes.

"I'm not really a fan of beaches—or swimming," Ryuichi lied. He eyed the tiny Speedo that Akihiko wore with a white T-shirt, and the trunks that both Minato and Junpei wore.

Junpei grabbed Ryuichi by the shoulders and spun him around to look at the two girls. "Isn't the view something?" he whispered excitedly.

Yukari could have easily been a movie star with her pink and blue bikini top over blue board shorts and sunglasses perched on top of her head. Next to her, Fuuka also wore a two-piece swimsuit with a frilly, aqua skirt and matching halter top. She looked so unsure of herself, as if she had never worn something so revealing in public before.

"Oh. My. Gosh."

Everyone looked up to see Junpei's jaw drop as Mitsuru came down the path from the house towards them. She wore a crisp white, two-piece bikini with a red hibiscus pinned to the thin strap of her bikini top. She wrapped a white sarong around her waist and walked with a gentle sway to her hips with every step. Ryuichi couldn't help himself as he stared at her milky white skin and perfect curves. He lowered his gaze and tipped his fedora down to hide how furiously he blushed.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Mitsuru asked them as they all stared on.

Fuuka was the first to approach her. "Wow," she marveled. "Mitsuru-senpai, you're beautiful."

"Yeah." Yukari piped up admiringly. "Your skin is flawless! Did you already put on sunscreen?"

Mitsuru flushed red as the compliments and stares flooded her. "N-No, not yet."

Junpei motioned for the guys to huddle off to the side beyond earshot of the girls. "Akihiko-senpai, level with me," he whispered. "Which one's your type?"

Ryuichi strained to hear while trying to steal glances back at Mitsuru, only to hear Junpei go, "Huh? Really?"

"K-Keep your voice down!" Akihiko urged in a panic.

Junpei was all smiles now. "Maaan, really? No joke?"

He looked to Minato next. "How about you?"

Their leader's gaze rested on Yukari. "Aha! Just as I thought," Junpei said, nodding to himself.

The junior then glanced over to Ryuichi and frowned. "I'd ask, but you're already married."

"M-Married?" Ryuichi hung his head, but didn't bother to argue.

"How about you, Junpei?" Minato asked him.

Before Junpei could answer, Yukari came up to them with mistrust on her face. "What are you guys smirking about?"

"Nothing?" Junpei replied with a shrug while Akihiko held his breath. Minato was as indifferent as ever.

Frowning, she cocked an eyebrow at them all before looking to Ryuichi. "Okaaay," she said suspiciously, and walked away. When they were clear, Junpei sounded the charge to start playing around in the water.

"Whoa! I'm not letting you win that easily!" Akihiko threw his T-shirt back to their chairs and towels and tore after Junpei, leaving Ryuichi stranded. They swore at how hot the sand was, only to swear again from the freezing waters.

"You sure you're not gonna swim, Senpai?" Minato asked him again.

"I'm just ready to dive into bed," Ryuichi said with a yawn. "I was up late last night packing and I'm paying for it now."

"Senpai, where's your bathing suit?" Yukari called to Ryuichi. "Don't tell me you're the shy type!"

He smiled weakly at her. "Wait, you are?" asked Yukari in disbelief. "A fit guy like you?"

He grinned painfully. "I'm just not a fan of swimming, is all," he said bashfully.

"Why? Did something happen?"

Both Fuuka and Mitsuru listened in. He could tell by the look on Mitsuru's face that she knew something was up.

Ryuichi just sat down on one of the vacant chairs and covered his eyes with his hat. "Swimming just isn't my thing, is all," he ended up telling them. "Go have fun. I'm just gonna take a nap for now."

"You can just stay in the shallow parts," Fuuka suggested. "I'm not a strong swimmer, so I'm just going to stay near the shore. We can go together."

Mitsuru seemed to like the idea. "Would that be all right with you?" she asked him.

He was touched that they wanted him to join them, but wasn't sure why Yukari was suddenly being friendly with him.

Fuuka dug into her bag for a brand new deflated beach ball. "We can play with this," she offered, showing the others.

Ryuichi motioned for it. "Here. I'll blow it up for you."

"Does that mean you'll join us?" Yukari asked.

He couldn't understand why it was so important to them that he join in the fun, but appreciated their persistence.

"I'll make sure that he joins," Mitsuru said to the other girls. "Go ahead and we'll catch up."

Fuuka and Yukari smiled. Whenever Mitsuru promised something, she delivered, and Ryuichi knew that all too well.

He got started on blowing up the beach ball. Mitsuru sat down on the chair next to him, observing as he drew in plenty of air before gently filling the toy.

"I didn't realize how badly that event affected you," she said to him.

"How would you feel if you woke up to Himamori-sensei giving you a wake up kiss after nearly drowning?" he muttered bitterly.

The memory made him shudder as he relived the trauma: His mustachioed PE teacher's face hovered over his, and Mitsuru knelt on Ryuichi's other side watching while their classmates all clustered tightly around them. All bore witness to the horrific moment, all except Ryuichi, who was unconscious during the act. At the time, he could only wish that Mitsuru had let him drown instead of making him suffer the humiliation.

Mitsuru hooked her hand onto her arm. "If it helps, I was the one who performed CPR on you that day," she admitted, blushing.

Ryuichi blew too hard into the beach ball and made a noise like air being released out of a balloon. "Y-You?" he yelped dumbly as his heart raced faster than his mind. "You did it? That was you?"

With a flick of her head, her bangs covered her face. "I thought you knew."

"No way! I thought everyone kept trying to drown themselves because they were making fun of me!"

Her eyebrows knitted. "How could they make fun of you after you almost drowned?"

He grasped the edge of the chair, frowning with shame. "Like I said, I thought Himamori-sensei did CPR on me. I figured that they were making fun of me for making out with the teacher," he answered, hanging his head.

Ryuichi ground the pads of his fingers into his scalp, knocking his hat off and into the sand. He needed to scrub the memory out of his mind, gradually replacing it with the missing pieces of the truth. It didn't take long to realize the real reason why their classmates kept pretending to drown afterward.

Slowly, Ryuichi exhaled and sat back up. He lowered his hands from his head and let his arms rest on his knees.

"Thank you," he told Mitsuru as he raised his face to smile at her. "I'm sorry if it's two years too late, but thank you."

Mitsuru still held her anguished stare on him. "It wasn't much, really—"

"No, it was. You pulled me out of the pool, you saved my life, and after all that, you made me stick close to you so that our classmates wouldn't bully me."

"All of that could have been avoided if Himamori-sensei had been paying more attention," she countered back. Still, her flushed face didn't quite match her stern tone.

Sighing, Mitsuru stood and dropped her hands to her sides. "Now that we've cleared that up, you really should join us." She gestured to the ocean. "You don't have to change into a bathing suit if you—"

"Gotcha!"

Ryuichi felt strong hands grab his shoulders and pull him backwards. More hands grabbed his legs, and he saw Junpei, Akihiko, and Minato all lift him onto their shoulders.

"H-Hey! Stop!" Ryuichi thrashed in their arms, but they all held him fast.

"To the ocean!" Junpei ordered, and Ryuichi caught a glimpse of his victorious grin.

"Wait! Put me—"

"Not a chance!"

"Akihiko, you di—"

"Just let the magic happen, Senpai—"

"Minato, what the f—"

"—hurry, I'm losing my grip!"

"—Wait! Cell phone! Cell phone!"

He barely tossed his cell phone onto the sand before getting tossed into the sea. Salty water flooded his mouth and nose and burned his eyes, and he came up sputtering and coughing. He could hear Junpei's laughter right above him, Akihiko's dry chuckle, and saw Minato's tiny smirk.

"Senpai, are you all right?" Fuuka called to him.

Ryuichi was still on his knees, chest-deep in the water as he coughed some more. Blinking, he snatched Junpei's ankle underwater and pulled hard.

"Oh, shi—!"

 _Sploosh!_ Junpei disappeared under the water's surface. He scrambled back onto his feet, sputtering and shouting curses that got the others howling with laughter. Ryuichi threw his head back and laughed with them, feeling himself loosen up for the first time since they arrived. He turned back to shore to wave to Mitsuru, who stood on the sand clutching his abandoned cell phone.

"Hey, Mitsuru! You coming or not?" Ryuichi shouted back to her.

He saw Kikuno approach Mitsuru, taking the cell phone and motioning to the others.

Minato snorted. "Maybe we should toss her in, too?"

Akihiko gasped, terror crossing his face. "D-Don't."

Mitsuru soon joined them all, bringing Fuuka's half-inflated beach ball with her. When Ryuichi blew it up, he tossed it to Fuuka, who batted it right into Junpei's face.

"Sorry, Junpei-kun!" The startled girl cried.

He laughed it off. "Good one, Fuuka-chan!" he said, and hit the ball to Yukari next. She tossed it up high to Minato, who smacked it back into Junpei's face.

"Bwak! What the hell!" Junpei rubbed his nose as he scowled at Minato. "That's my money maker!"

Their leader pouted. "But you said 'Good one' to Fuuka earlier."

"Hers was an accident!"

"Mine was, too."

"Shaddup!"

Junpei splashed Minato, but he retorted by splashing back. Soon, everyone ganged up on both of them with their combined splashes becoming a deluge that soaked them both. When they pleaded for mercy, Mitsuru tapped Ryuichi on the shoulder and held out a tube of sunscreen to him.

"From Kikuno," she said, and Ryuichi hurried to shore to smear on the sunscreen before diving back into the fun.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

That evening, long after everyone had showered and eaten a dinner prepared by a team of masterful chefs, Takeharu Kirijo requested to see the SEES members in the reception room. Without a doubt, the meeting was related to the Dark Hour, but for what exactly, nobody knew. If Mitsuru had any idea of what they were being called for, she said nothing of it.

The reception room had ceiling fans high above them, swirling about the warm, moist air. It looked to be a living room set in the middle of a jungle, with an enormous flat screen TV on the wall and tile pathways leading through the jungle area to other parts of the mansion. Opposite the TV was a large painting of a beach on a dreary day, muted with hues of blues, grays, and earthy tones. There were little fountains about, filling the room with their soft murmurs of water running. Lush, tropical plants filled the area surrounding three yellow sofas that created a U-shape around a blue and gold coffee table. Carpet padded everyone's footsteps as they entered the room, finding that Takeharu was already seated at the sofa in the middle. Mitsuru took a seat next to him, and Ryuichi shared a couch with Yukari and Minato on the left while Akihiko, Fuuka, and Junpei filled the one on the right. All around him, Ryuichi saw stares of unease that would barely touch on the much more frightening elder Kirijo.

"From what I understand, Mitsuru has already given you the short version," Takeharu said, astonishing everyone with his low, soothing voice. "Well, it's true. We adults are to blame. If I could've atoned for it with my life, I would have done so. Now, I have no choice but to rely on you."

Mitsuru lowered her gaze. Ryuichi knew she wanted to protest his offering up his own life, but obediently kept quiet.

"What my father wanted to create with those monsters' power was a time manipulation device," Takeharu explained, as if they had inquired about it just then.

"That's what he was trying to do?" asked Mitsuru.

Her father nodded. "Imagine if you could control the flow of time—eliminate events before they could occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

"Damn. That's insane," Junpei whispered.

"However," Takeharu continued, "under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal. In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that."

Takeharu appeared fatigued from the weight of his words. "It's only natural that you want to know the truth, and it's my duty to tell you," he said, and as if on cue, the lights snapped off and the gigantic flat screen TV on the wall turned on, showing nothing but static.

"What's this?" asked Akihiko.

"This is the only existing footage of the accident, recorded by a scientist who was at the scene," Takeharu informed them all.

The picture was all static, but they could hear the distant sounds of frantic cries, glass shattering that rattled their nerves, and deathly explosions. A woman's shriek made Ryuichi shudder, picturing the devastating scene as the noises continued.

"I pray that this recording reaches safe hands," came a man's woeful and desperate voice.

With wide eyes, Yukari leaned forward, straining to listen more. "That voice," she gasped.

"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea," the voice continued to say. Gradually, the static cleared to show a forlorn man with short, brown hair. His dark eyes shone with the acceptance of someone who was about to die.

"This experiment should have never even been conceived. I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster. But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price."

"The entire world?" whispered Fuuka.

"Please, listen carefully," the man begged. The image flickered. "The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them!"

The man's sigh crackled with static. "I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success. And so, I didn't raise any objections. It is all my fault."

It was then that Yukari jumped to her feet, her eyes fixated on the screen. "Dad?"

Everyone looked to her, alarmed.

"You mean, that was—?" gasped Fuuka, and the TV shut off. The lights came back on, and Yukari's eyes began to fill with tears. Mitsuru looked to Takeharu, her arm locked in her tight grasp.

"Father?" she asked, sounding unsure of herself.

Without hesitation, Takeharu said, "His name was Eiichiro Takeba. He was the head researcher at the time, and a very talented man.

"But, we are the ones who are responsible," he told them again. "We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo Group is to blame for his death."

"I-I can't believe it," Mitsuru uttered, awestruck by the revelation.

"So, that means my dad caused it all?" Yukari kept her eyes down on the rug. "The Dark Hour, Tartarus, the people who died in that incident—It was all his fault?"  
"Y-You okay?" Akihiko asked her.

Yukari shot an accusing glare to Mitsuru. "So, _that's_ why you were hiding this? Because you felt sorry for me? Is that it?"

Her voice rose in fury, and Mitsuru shrunk into herself. "No, Takeba, I—"

"I don't want your pity!" Yukari screeched, and bolted from the room.

Mitsuru stood up, her body lurching forward to follow, but she remained rooted to the spot. Ryuichi and the others sat rigid in their seats, all staring at the doors Yukari had gone through. They all exchanged worried glances, no one knowing what to do.

"Um, shouldn't someone go after her?" Fuuka suggested timidly.

Sighing, Mitsuru looked to Minato. "Please, go after her."

With a nod, Minato left the room as Mitsuru thanked him. Takeharu got up from the couch and looked to all the stunned faces around him, while his own expression remained cold and aloof, as if the information he had just shared had no impact on him. His words from before echoed in Ryuichi's mind as the only indications that he was sincerely apologetic for what had happened, but was fraught with the knowledge that all the words he could offer could never bring back Yukari's father, nor undo the sins of the Kirijo Group.

"As Ikutsuki told you before, the defeat of the twelve Shadows should bring about the end of the Dark Hour," Takeharu reminded them. "I ask that you continue to use your powers to eradicate them."

He took out a slim, gold case from his pocket and took out a cigarette. Without another word, he started for the same doors Yukari used, and when he turned to shut the doors after him, Ryuichi caught sight of Takeharu's face. The man remained stoic, but something in his fatigued eye held the weight of too many lives lost and the guilt of allowing a bunch of teenagers to do the work that the Kirijo Group alone should do to rectify all that had happened in the past.

He left the group dumbstruck and uncertain of what to do next. No one made any attempt to lighten the mood, and even Junpei remained sitting forward with his head down, just as subdued as the rest of them.

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru, unable to bring himself to ask her if she was okay. Pain shone on her face clearer than her father's, though she remained poised and attempted to hide behind a stoic expression.

"It's getting late and they haven't returned," Mitsuru said after a long while, making everyone look up. "Iori, could you go look for them?"

He popped up onto his feet. "Sure thing!" he said with his goofy grin. He looked all too happy to leave as he hurried out.

When he left, the others did, too. Ryuichi stayed behind with Mitsuru, rooted to the couch as she stood there, gripping her arm, not having moved at all. He urged himself to say something to her, to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, that they can right the wrongs of the past, but the words wouldn't come together. He fumbled around for the right thing to say, how to say it, trying to put on a natural smile that didn't look like he had his face smashed in. Mitsuru left without saying a word, with just her fading footsteps to keep Ryuichi company.

That night, Ryuichi lay in bed, thinking about Yukari and what it must have been like for her to learn about her father's actions. He thought about his own father, knowing that the man was far from perfect and was often more destructive than helpful, but at least he was still alive. The more he thought about it, the more he came to the conclusion that he should be grateful that his whole family was still there, instead of just having memories of them. He was grateful that Shizue came home and turned her life around to care for her daughter, and grateful that his parents were kind enough to let her live with them and help raise Megumi.

He let out a conflicted sigh. How could he complain about his family when others no longer had theirs?

The next morning, he skipped breakfast after having filled himself up on guilt for ditching his family two weeks in a row. He wandered the halls with his head down and his hands in his pockets, and whenever he crossed paths with a maid, they would try to steer him to the kitchen for breakfast. He would head that way, but once they left him he went off on his own again.

The summer home had its own little music room with a grand piano, a few cozy couches, and a table that could sit three people comfortably for tea. The curtains had been tied open with cords ending in golden tassels to let the summer sunlight brighten up the room, but along with the sun came broiling, suffocating heat. It didn't matter much to Ryuichi as he sat down at the piano and began to pound out battle themes from the old video games he inherited from an older cousin. From the chirps of the high notes to the boom of the lower registers, he let out all his frustrations, not bothering to go back if he missed notes. The more he played, the more he felt himself breathe again. His body loosened up, and his music gradually came down from its furious high to a mellow purr.

"You've improved."

Ryuichi jolted with fear when he heard Takeharu's voice behind him. Twisting slowly around on the bench, he saw Mitsuru's father sitting on one of the couches, holding an unlit cigarette between his fingers. Panicked, Ryuichi stood up so fast he nearly knocked the piano bench over before straightening up to bow to his boss.

"My apologies!" he said hastily. "I didn't know you were there."

He motioned for Ryuichi to continue playing as he lit the cigarette. A rigid Ryuichi planted himself back down on the piano bench and began to play something on the spot, pleading with his right hand to not screw up. He stiffened up even more when Mitsuru's father stood behind him, blowing smoke away from him.

"What are your thoughts on last night?" Takeharu asked him. "You looked just as shocked as the others."

He paused for a moment to give it some thought, recalling just about everything he had on his mind late last night. "I've actually been thinking about what it must be like for Yukari to learn about her father's involvement with the Shadows," he replied honestly. "I don't know how I would've reacted if I had been her."

"It made you think about your own father?"

"Yes, sir. My dad's not exactly the easiest person to get along with, but after last night, I'm just grateful that I still have him and the rest of my family."

"Even though they've caused you so much grief?"

Ryuichi's playing paused for just a couple of beats as he thought about it. He had a feeling that Mitsuru would tell her father a few things about him that he didn't want to share.

"Family comes first," he murmured in dutiful misery. "Isn't that how it's supposed to be?"

"Usually." Takeharu stepped away, blowing more smoke away from the young bodyguard. "I suspect that Mitsuru follows the same principle, the way she pushes herself to keep doing things on her own. She's determined rid our family of this blight caused by my father, even though it's not her responsibility."

"She's doing it for you, then?"

"Precisely."

Ryuichi traced the CEO's footsteps as they wandered to his left, paused, then crossed behind him to the right. "I heard from Mitsuru that you tend to do the same thing for your family," Takeharu said after a long exhale. "You would drive yourself into the ground to the point where you had to quit your extracurricular activities and struggled in your studies. She said your problem was that you would never say no to them. Why is that?"

"I guess, because it's less painful to just go along with whatever they need," he answered in a small voice. "At least Mitsuru Ojou-sama's intent is noble. I'm just selfish."

"I don't know about that. You could have easily hired a caretaker or refused to work at your family's restaurant to continue with your life. I think your problem is that you aren't selfish enough."

"'Not selfish enough'?" The young bodyguard abandoned the song to turn around and stare at Takeharu in confusion.

"That's your weakness, Ryuichi." Takeharu's words pierced through his chest. "It's not so much that you aren't selfish enough, it's that you don't care enough about yourself. How can you expect me to entrust my daughter's safety to someone who doesn't value himself?"

His voice remained calm, and it was that calm that made the truth hurt worse. Without raising his voice, Takeharu Kirijo had revealed something about Ryuichi that even he knew of but had refused to acknowledge about himself.

"I still need you to ensure Mitsuru's safety," Takeharu told him as he returned to the piano, where an ashtray welcomed his spent cigarette. Smoke rose upwards like tendrils as the final embers died out. "You're a good bodyguard, but you could be even better if you get out of that mindset that you matter less than everyone else.

"Keep in mind, Ryuichi: you're no good to anyone if you're dead."

Takeharu left. Ryuichi sat there at the piano with his hands gripping the bench, staring blankly at the black and white keys while his mind tried to process everything that his boss had said. He couldn't bring himself to believe Takeharu's words, telling himself that even someone like Mitsuru's father could be wrong about things. He knew that if he even let himself become even the slightest bit selfish, his family and the restaurant workers would be the ones to pay for it. Takeharu Kirijo couldn't understand his situation, nor his family. He couldn't possibly understand that he can't simply snap his fingers and have someone take care of his issues for him.

He barely left the music room when he received a phone call from Mitsuru.

"The Chairman says that an anti-Shadow weapon has escaped the lab and is now roaming the island," she said urgently. "Prepare for battle."

"Wait, where are you?" he asked, but she had already hung up. "Anti-Shadow weapon? She wants us to face something built to take down Shadows? Is she nuts?"

His stomach let out a gloomy growl. "Sorry, but food's gonna have to wait," he told it, and raced up the stairs to his room.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Ryuichi must have run all over the island in search of the weapon. Not once did he run into anyone in SEES, but he left some people in shock at the sight of him wearing two swords on his back and his Evoker on his hip. He managed to contact Mitsuru again, who told him that they were on the mountain behind the mansion. She couldn't pinpoint her location exactly for him, and he was left to find her and the others himself.

The search ended at a great Jyomon tree where everyone found Minato being embraced by a tall girl with short, blonde hair. She wore a light blue dress and a metal headband that seemed to be attached to large headphones over her ears. She spoke with a robotic voice, jerky and slow, enunciating parts of words that didn't need emphasis. In front of everyone, the girl practically pledged her undying love for Minato, who claimed that that was the first time he had ever met her. Ikutsuki showed up in time to take the girl back to the lab elsewhere on the island.

That evening after dinner, everyone met Ikutsuki in the sauna-like reception room to discuss the events of that morning. Everyone just stood around, not wanting to sit on leather sofas where heat and sweat would stew them alive.

"I apologize for all the trouble," Ikutsuki said to everyone. "Everything is under control now."

"So, what happened to capturing the tank?" Fuuka asked him.

Ryuichi blinked. A tank, he thought. Was that what they were looking for?

Ikutsuki beamed at her. "Oh, that's been taken care of." He turned towards the door. "Come here, Aigis."

"Coming."

In walked the tall girl, this time without her dress. Ryuichi gasped with all the others when she entered, seeing that her limbs were connected to her body with metal frameworks. Even more striking than her westernized look was the fact that she had no feet—her legs ended in pegs on the ground. She moved smoothly like a human would, and stopped next to Ikutsuki.

"This is Aigis," the Chairman introduced her to them all. "As you can see, she's a 'mechanical maiden'."

The girl nodded to everyone. "I am Aigis," she echoed in that hollow, robotic voice that spoke in jerky syllables. "My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."

"No way. It's like she's alive," Yukari uttered in surprise.

"This is unbelievable." Akihiko studied Aigis' shoulders.

Junpei blushed. "She's so cute, but she's a robot," he murmured to himself.

While everyone's eyes were on Aigis, Ikutsuki gave them the rundown of what she was and how she came to be.

"Anti-Shadow weapons were created ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows. Aigis was the last to be made, and she's the only one that still remains today."

Mitsuru stared at Aigis with hardened eyes. "An anti-Shadow weapon—Does that mean she—?"

Aigis turned her head to look at Mitsuru with her blank stare. "Yes. I am capable of operating the Persona 'Palladion'."

Everyone expressed their amazement in gasps and murmurs as Ikutsuki added, "She suffered major damage in combat and has remained in the lab ever since. It's still unclear as to why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning.

"Well, I hope you will all get along," he told them. Fuuka was the first to approach Aigis, admiring everything about her.

"An anti-Shadow weapon with a will of her own," she whispered in awe. "This is amazing!"

Yukari shifted her stance. "Um, by the way," she began, eyeing Aigis, "when I saw you earlier, it seemed like you knew him."

She gestured to Minato, and Aigis nodded. "Yes, it is very important for me to be by his side," she answered.

Ryuichi cringed. Was that how he sounded when he told people that he was dedicated to protecting Mitsuru?

Ikutsuki examined Aigis, touching various parts of her. "Hmm. Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning," he murmured. "Or maybe she's still half asleep. This is quite interesting."

He murmured to himself for a little while longer while the others grew uncomfortable with his examination. "Well, I can ponder this later," he said after a few long moments. He then turned to everyone. "Oh, I forgot to tell you all: You can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There's a tennis court, a pool table, even a karaoke machine. Would you care to hear me sing?" he joked. Nobody laughed.

They did, however, take advantage of some of the amenities the home had to offer after a quick prod from Mitsuru. Ryuichi ended up shooting pool with the guys while the girls went to the spa. The pool table was in a room with a small bar in the corner and colorful glass bottles behind the counter against the wall. A large flat screen TV played a concert of a popular Japanese pop group dressed in poofy skirts and singing in high, cutesy voices. The room had the faint scent of cigarette smoke hanging in the air, just apparent enough that it didn't choke the boys, as if the worst of the stench had been scrubbed off every surface of the room before their arrival.

"Let's make it interesting," Junpei announced as they racked the balls. "Loser has to jump into the ocean in the nude!"

"Hell no!" the other three guys chorused.

"Isn't that a game you should play with the girls?" Ryuichi grumbled while rubbing chalk on the end of his cue stick.

"If I did that, then _I'd_ be the one who'd have to jump," Junpei griped with a shudder.

"You would've deserved it," sneered Akihiko.

Ryuichi volunteered himself to play the next game. Yawning, he was ready to pass out from running all over the mountainside all day without breakfast or lunch. The maids had been generous at dinner, where two of them were ready to refill his plate the moment he finished eating a single morsel. Their kindness left him with a stomach that bulged slightly over his belt and the strong desire to take a nap.

"Oh, yeah. Weren't you guys 'babe hunting' today?" asked Ryuichi sleepily. "How'd that go?"

He was met with bitter laughter and ill faces. "That bad, huh?"

Junpei pumped a fist, blazing with determination. "There's still tomorrow!" he cheered. "Tomorrow, we'll employ our secret weapon: Ryuichi-senpai!"

Ryuichi nearly choked on air. "Why am _I_ the secret weapon?"

"Because you're comfy around girls," Akihiko pointed out. "You don't get all shy or anything."

"And girls aren't freaked out by you," added Junpei as he watched Minato select his cue stick. "So, you gonna teach us how to get girls?"

He felt cornered, seeing the desperation and longing on their faces. "Guys? I've never even had a girlfriend before."

"What about Shiori?" Akihiko shot.

"We weren't even dating! She made a mistake!"

Minato clicked his tongue while shaking his head. "He's even turning girls down," he murmured woefully.

"A true professional," Junpei said with a sigh. "Such skills wasted on a guy who's already married to the scariest girl of all."

"We're not married!"

Ryuichi never saw a gloomier bunch before. Akihiko hung his head while Junpei used his cue stick to support his weight. Minato languidly approached the pool table to break, but couldn't sink any of the balls.

"Guys?" Ryuichi said to the others, but they all sighed in sorrowful unison.

The door creaked open. All at once, the four turned to see Aigis enter the room with her blank stare going straight to Minato. Ryuichi noticed that, despite her legs ending without any feet, she was able to remain balanced without any extra effort.

"Hey, Aigis!" Junpei called to her, perking right up. "Wanna play pool? Do you know how to play?"

She instantly gravitated to Minato. "What is 'pool'?" she asked.

Explaining the game of pool in a simplistic form proved to be a challenge for the four boys, but they were more than happy to try. They taught her the rules and showed her the proper way to shoot, with Junpei leaning over the table to model the motions.

"Here," Ryuichi said, racking the balls again. "Let her break."

Minato had her stand on the opposite end of the pool table from the balls. They all watched as she imitated Junpei's example, leaning forward on the table with the cue stick aimed at the cue ball.

 _CRACK!_ The cue ball shot off the table. They ducked, and the ball smashed a lamp before lodging itself into the wall.

Junpei gingerly poked his head out from under the table. "Um, maybe we weren't clear enough?" he squeaked.

When the maids came running and saw the damages, the four guys bowed and apologized while Aigis stood there, oblivious of the destruction she had dealt while still holding the cue stick. They all offered to pay for everything, but when it was clear that Aigis was the one who wrecked the room, it was determined that the Kirijo Group would cover the costs, as it was their property that caused the damages.

"Why don't we do something that won't almost get us killed?" Akihiko suggested as they left the room.

"Something that we can't break," Junpei agreed.

Tennis resulted in the guys fleeing while holding their rackets over their loins after Aigis nailed Junpei in the groin with machingun-like serves. Bowling became demolition with Aigis hurling bowling balls like cannonballs into the ceiling. When Minato suggested they all play a quiet game of darts, the others were quick to shout their disapproval with colorful language for emphasis.

After they had run out of ideas for activities that wouldn't kill them, the girls mercifully invited the boys and Aigis to join them for some karaoke. Their spirits lifted, agreeing that there was no way they could die a violent death with music, no matter how badly any of them sang. Junpei led the way with a lighter bounce in his trot, and the others followed while fighting back tears of relief.

From what Ryuichi could see, the tension between Yukari and Mitsuru appeared to have softened up. It wasn't unbearable for the others to be around them when the two were in the same room, and Yukari even seemed to enjoy herself whenever it was her turn with the mic. Ryuichi was able to appreciate Yukari's rendition of the timeless classic "Forever Love Time" as performed by the famous American singer, Britney Winston, who starred in the award winning movie with a title that Ryuichi couldn't recall.

After Yukari's turn, she offered the microphone to Mitsuru, smiling. Mitsuru waved her off, but after some prodding from the others, she reluctantly asked for the song book.

"Cool! We get to see the musical might of Mitsuru-senpai!" Junpei whispered excitedly to the other guys.

"I think you might be a bit disappointed, Iori," Mitsuru said, her voice lacking confidence as she entered the number for her song.

She surprised Ryuichi when she chose a song that he recorded for her birthday CD. He immediately recognized the intro for a duet called "I Know Him Best" from a musical about a love triangle reflected in the game of Checkers. He had recorded both vocal parts using his saxophone, and now was confused as to why she chose to sing the song solo.

Mitsuru had a simple voice, soothing but slightly constricted by her nerves at first. As the song progressed, she began to get comfortable with her own singing, where her voice became warmer and warmer with every note. Ryuichi sang along the harmony parts softly to himself, as he had done with everyone else, but when Junpei thrust the second microphone into his face, he had no choice but to sing along. The others cheered and had a good laugh when he had to sing about why the male love interest should be with him instead of Mitsuru.

"Ryuichi-senpai, is there something you're not telling us?" Junpei asked slyly between giggles.

The others snickered as Ryuichi's face grew hot. "I'm gonna go punch a boulder now," he muttered, and handed the microphone to Minato.

"I thought it was really good," Fuuka told him, beaming. "You two sounded amazing!"

Mitsuru grew flustered from her praises. "I have to say, I think Ryuichi's addition made the song much more enjoyable," she said, smiling. "Thank you, Ryuichi."

Minato looked to Junpei and Akihiko. "I think that's how he gets girls," he told them, and Ryuichi winced when both Junpei and Akihiko seemed to take Minato seriously and began discussing which songs would attract girls best.

No matter their vocal abilities, they had fun singing late into the night, stopping just before the Dark Hour. As exhausted as he was, Ryuichi still wanted to sing a few more songs, feeling energized just from the few hours of karaoke with everyone. Up in his room, he took out his guitar and sat outside on the balcony, strumming the strings as he thought about what song to play. He sang pop songs from the sixties, songs from the funky seventies, power ballads from the eighties, and songs from nineties boy bands.

The Dark Hour made him cut short one of the songs. The only light came from the rancid moon that shone brightly amid the stars, and all the trees became silhouettes against the cancerous green sky. Ryuichi peered down at the ground, searching for any Shadows that might have appeared. He took out his Evoker, but when he saw none, he tucked it away again.

He relaxed for the moment. If any Shadows showed up, he at least had the advantage of being high up beyond their reach. Tentatively, he lightly strummed the start of a new song, humming as he listened for movement among the trees and grass. He could only hear the wind and the waves crashing onto the shore. The second song he murmured to himself, and by "I Promise You This" he was belting out some of the lyrics. He startled himself when he realized how loud he had become and stopped, his skin prickling with embarrassment.

One more. He thought about which song he wanted to end the night on, knowing it had to be a quiet one. Instantly, a song stood out to him, one he used to imagine he would serenade whoever his future girlfriend would be. A slower, gentler version of "Her Own Way" floated up and away from the balcony, drifting high above the trees and over the ocean until it became lost in the wind.

The next morning, everyone planned to play on the beach for as long as possible, as it was their last day at Yakushima. After a rushed breakfast, everyone hurried up to their rooms to change into their bathing suits. Ryuichi took his time eating breakfast, regretting that he didn't bring swim trunks. He contemplated just wearing his regular clothes again, but wearing wet clothes that refused to dry out tended to rub against his skin in a most unpleasant way. He didn't think he could survive another day of it.

He returned to his room, preparing for just a day of standing ankle-deep in the water while he watched everyone else play. He thought about how much fun he had the first day, thinking that it might be worth the heavy clothes and the chafed skin.

Someone knocked. He opened it to see a maid holding a pair of blue and white swim trunks out to him.

"Ojou-sama hoped that you might fully enjoy the splendor of the beach if you had the right swimwear," she said to him. "She had this selected for you."

"For me?" He took the trunks and noticed that the legs were long enough to go past his knees, ending right at the scars on his calves. "Wow. Thank you."

The maid bowed. "It is Ojou-sama who is deserving of your thanks. Please enjoy the rest of your time here."

After she left, Ryuichi changed into the trunks. He checked himself in the mirror, seeing that they didn't quite cover the scars on his calves. He didn't mind too much, as he was certain that everyone had already seen them when he rolled up his pants legs before.

When he took off his shirt, he cringed at the radiation-like glow of his pale body. If the scars weren't enough of a reason to wear a shirt, he surely didn't want to blind anyone. He put on a navy blue, short-sleeved T-shirt, noting the scars on his arms that weren't covered. Shrugging them off, he grabbed his towel and his sunglasses and almost proudly went to join the others at the beach.

"Hey! Ryuichi-senpai!"

Yukari was the one who called out to him first. Everyone turned to see him coming down the path towards them, and Ryuichi felt himself blush with embarrassment from their smiles.

"Took you long enough to join the party." Junpei stepped out of the way to let Ryuichi set his towel down on one of the beach chairs with the others.

"How come you didn't wear that last time?" Akihiko asked of his trunks.

Ryuichi smiled sheepishly. "Well, I actually just got it this morning," he admitted.

He looked around to everyone else. "Hey, does anyone have any sunscreen I can borrow?"

"Oh! I do!" Fuuka passed him a tube. He rubbed the sunscreen into his arms, legs, face, and neck, thanking her as he returned the tube.

"What about the rest of you?" Minato asked.

"I wasn't planning on taking off my shirt," was all he said, smiling.

"A fit guy like you, not showing off the goods?" Junpei poked Ryuichi's abs.

"If he wants to wear a shirt, just let him," Mitsuru said to Junpei.

"Are you done?" Ryuichi glowered at Junpei's prodding finger until it retreated.

Everyone wanted to start with a game of chicken. They all looked to Aigis first, concerned that her circuits might get fried if she got wet. She confirmed that she would be fine and went into the water with no problems. The others quickly followed, wading out until they were about knee-deep while they figured out who would go first.

"You ready to win this, Fuuka-chan?" Junpei held a hand up to high-five her.

She gave a shy nod. "Y-Yeah!" she exclaimed, surprising everyone with her loud cheer as she returned Junpei's high-five.

"All right, so Minato's with Yuka-tan," Junpei said to everyone. "Mitsuru-senpai, you're with Akihiko-senpai, and Ryuichi-senpai, you go with Aigis."

Aigis stared right at Ryuichi with bright, blue eyes that seemed to scan his body. "What are the rules?" she asked them all.

Yukari took on the task of explaining the game to her. "Okay, so everybody has a partner, and one person lets the other sit on their shoulders. The person on top has to try to knock the other riders into the water. Whoever is left standing wins."

"Here! Like this!"

Junpei knelt down to let Fuuka climb onto his shoulders. With a bit of difficulty, she managed to get on. Ryuichi imitated Junpei to let Aigis try, shivering as the freezing water made contact with the more delicate parts of him. When Aigis tried to climb onto his shoulders, Ryuichi face-planted under the water and into the mud. He flailed and thrashed, trying to free himself from her crushing weight when finally she lifted off and four strong hands yanked him back to the surface. He came up coughing and gasping, swallowing salty water and sputtering it back up again. Everyone kept asking if he was all right, to which he just kept coughing and nodding.

Mitsuru stooped to get his sunglasses from underwater for him. "Perhaps you should be a rider instead," she said, handing the sunglasses back.

"It wouldn't be fair," he sputtered, wiping water out of his eyes. "But I guess it's the same if Aigis managed to ride, too, huh?"

He had no problems refereeing instead of joining. They decided that the three teams would just attack all at once, but Fuuka was left out when Mitsuru and Yukari decided to take on each other first. The two clashed, grabbing each others' hands, trying to twist the other left or right. As the two fought, Junpei and Fuuka came up on either side of them and, with all her might, shoved the other girls off-balance. Ryuichi held his arms up to guard against the splash as everyone but the lone team fell.

"We did it!"

Fuuka and Junpei were declared the winners. Junpei tried to high-five Fuuka again, but she was too busy apologizing to the others while they all coughed up water.

They did splashing wars, played around with a beach ball, buried Junpei in the sand and artfully made him into a mermaid. Some maids brought out picnic baskets and coolers filled with rice balls, sandwiches, fried chicken, cubed fruit, apple slices cut into bunny shapes, rolled omelets, pickled vegetables, light salads, and when they just about finished everything, they brought out shaved ice and cold drinks. Junpei had the brilliantly idiotic idea of having a shaved ice eating contest that Minato and Akihiko both agreed to join. Ryuichi hesitated, already thinking about the massive headache he was going to get if he tried.

Reluctantly, Ryuichi joined the contest and regretted it the moment he was hit with the piercing pain of brain freeze. The girls laughed as they snapped photos of the boys squishing their faces, grimacing, yelling, and Junpei even tried holding his mouth wide open to let the sun warm him up. By sheer will, Ryuichi shoveled the last of his shaved ice into his mouth and won. The girls and maids applauded and gave him a cup of hot tea to warm up while they showed him the pictures they took. Ryuichi nearly spat out his tea when he saw a photo of his lips looking bright red from the shaved ice's syrup and appearing puckered to smooch an agonized Akihiko.

After the hefty lunch, they all decided to take a short break from all the games. Everyone split off, Yukari and Fuuka walking along the beach, Aigis following Minato back to the house, and Junpei and Akihiko trying to go "babe hunting" again after the apparent fiasco that was yesterday. Only Ryuichi and Mitsuru remained at the beach chairs, Mitsuru relaxing with a book while Ryuichi sipped the ice water a maid brought for him.

"Oh yeah. Thanks for the trunks," Ryuichi said to her.

"I'm glad to see you use them," she replied, closing her book. "It must have been difficult, trying to swim while fully clothed."

"It wasn't too bad, but this definitely makes it easier to move."

He smiled at her, but she didn't return it.

"For the past few years, I thought that you were traumatized from almost drowning in the school pool," she said to him. "The real reason why you avoid swimming every time has to do with your scars, correct?"

It was like someone hammered a stake through his back. "That's what happens when I get reckless," he said, bitter that he let her figure it out.

"No; that's what happens when _I_ get reckless and _you_ have to compensate for my shortcomings."

She looked disgusted, not at him, but at herself. "I didn't realize just how many scars you've accumulated over the years," she said, barely moving her lips at all.

Their last full moon operation flashed into his mind. "And not a single one your fault," he told her firmly. "I didn't do enough to keep myself safe, but I got better these past few years, so it's not as bad anymore."

Mitsuru didn't look convinced. "You wouldn't have gotten those scars if you weren't my bodyguard."

"I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't saved me, either."

"I can say the same for you."

He was getting frustrated now. "Look, you can say that all you want, but I don't blame you even the slightest. I have these scars because I wasn't careful. They're scars on me, sure, but they could have been so much worse if they hit you instead."

"So you say, but it tells me that even I need to become less reckless so that you don't end up getting hurt more," she said, her cold gaze meeting his. "I used to think that my father was too worried about me when he hired you to be my bodyguard. After you almost lost your arm, I realized then that I was wrong, that I was too reckless. I see now that even after that realization, I'm still not strong enough that you still have to protect me."

"Well, our line of work kind of has us fighting against things that aren't human, so odds are, we're gonna get hurt."

"But you shouldn't have to get hurt for me, or at all, for that matter. No one should."

Ryuichi sensed the stubbornness in her that he knew so well. "Then, we'll strive to become stronger so that no one has to get hurt," he said, determined to ease her concerns.

Mitsuru's frown never left her face. "But, those scars—"

He looked down at the scar that formed a ring around his right arm, then thought about all the others. "The important thing is I can use chopsticks and write with my right hand again," he told her, smiling again.

She still looked troubled. Seeing this, Ryuichi lifted his shirt over his pale abs to show her some of the scars there.

"It's actually not as bad as you think," he reassured her. "See? They look kinda badass, if you ask me."

"Then why do you cover them up?"

"Well, I can't just go around telling people that I fight Shadows at night."

Ryuichi lowered his shirt. "Plus, if I didn't wear it, you'd keep blaming yourself for my failures," he added. "And I don't want anyone blaming you for what's on my body, either.

"But really, it's all because I was careless, okay? Also, I'm sorry if I blinded you just now with how pale I am."

He managed to get her to crack a tiny, wry smile. "All right," she finally said. "Honestly, you sound more like you're concerned about your lack of sun than you are of your scars."

"Scars don't blind people, if I recall. You could probably stick me on a lighthouse and I'll guide ships along the coast."

For the moment, Mitsuru appeared to let go of her concerns of Ryuichi endangering himself for her. The others soon rejoined after Junpei and Akihiko struck out yet again on attracting any girls. Minato didn't appear too happy with being followed to the bathroom by Aigis, and Yukari and Fuuka returned grumbling about sleazy guys trying to hit on them when they walked along the beach. Junpei was quick to put on his shining knight facade to avenge the two, but one look at the two college-aged guys and their thicker builds made him back down without a fight.

Akihiko shed his T-shirt and warmed up so he could work out by swimming against the ocean waves. Fuuka and Minato started crafting a sandcastle that was more like a sculpture with intricately-formed towers. Junpei was out in the water splashing Yukari as she floated by in an inner tube. Mitsuru wound up trying to explain to Aigis about fun on the beach and the benefits of recreational activities, all of which Aigis would reword in her own understanding and conclude with, "I comprehend".

That night, after dinner, they all headed back down to the beach where some of the maids built a bonfire for them to enjoy. Chairs were gathered around the bonfire, and a bag of fireworks and sparklers was supplied. There were long, string-like sparklers that they raced to see whose would burn out first, sparklers on sticks that they wielded like wizards having a magic duel, and fireworks that they shot up into the sky for colorful bursts that cast the sands in blues, greens, reds, pinks, and golds.

Despite their dinner, the maids brought out more snacks and desserts for them to have around the bonfire. Junpei speared two hotdogs onto a two-pronged fork to let them roast over the flames. Akihiko refused to be outdone and cooked three hotdogs. The others roasted one marshmallow or hotdog at a time, and Aigis looked on while Minato tried to explain the aesthetic of cooking the food over an open fire.

The maids were quick with buns and condiments. They were ready with ketchup and mustard, and upon special request, also had mayonnaise, relish, and diced onions. They offered more hotdogs and marshmallows, but the only one who agreed to more was Akihiko, who had only taken two bites from his first hotdog.

"Okay, I've got one," Junpei said to everyone. "If we were all trapped in Tartarus, and we all got separated, who would you rescue first?"

"It kind of depends on who we come across first, doesn't it?" Fuuka asked him.

"That's true," he agreed, and took another bite of his hotdog while he pondered the idea.

Mitsuru blew out the flames on her charred marshmallow. "How about this: If we were all in the same area and we were ambushed by Shadows, who would we save first?"

"Fuuka," Minato said without hesitation.

Junpei uttered an excitable noise with a mischievous grin while everyone else stared in awe at their leader's straightforward answer. Fuuka blushed as Minato shrugged and nibbled on his hotdog.

"She can scan their weaknesses so we can save everyone more efficiently," he told them.

Somehow, his answer appeared to disappoint some and appealed to others. Yukari especially seemed somewhat dejected.

"How about you, Yuka-tan?" Junpei asked. "Who would you save first?"

She finished chewing her food before answering. "Probably Minato-kun, since he can switch Personas."

"I see," Mitsuru said thoughtfully. "That gives him the advantage in combating Shadows with different strengths and weaknesses. I would have to agree with that decision, and afterward I would save Yamagishi to scan for weaknesses. Combine their abilities and the odds of a successful rescue increase drastically."

Ryuichi finished his hotdog and a maid offered some water and a towel to wash his hands. "Okay, then how about a new scenario without Shadows?" he suggested. "If we were on a boat, and the boat sank, and you had the one flotation device to save one other person, who would you save?"

They all glanced around at the others, as if trying to create pacts with one another for the hypothetical scenario.

"I would save Minato-san," Aigis announced. "It is my duty to ensure his safety."

Junpei gawked at her. "Um, wouldn't you sink straight to the bottom?"

"How about you, Ryuichi?" Akihiko asked him. "If you couldn't pick Mitsuru, who would you save first?"

Ryuichi made a face. "Why can't I pick Mitsuru?"

"Because she can fly," Minato answered for him.

Mitsuru was taken aback. "W-What? I can fly?"

Ryuichi pictured Mitsuru hovering over the ocean and peering down at their drowning companions. "Uh, if she can fly, then can't she save us?"

"Nope!" Junpei looked too happy about the new developments. "Her flying ability can only carry her own weight. That means you still have to pick one person to save, so pick your favorite person!"

Junpei eagerly jabbed a thumb into his own chest and mouthed "Me!" at him. Ryuichi looked around to all the others, finding that he couldn't just save one and ditch the rest to drown.

"Okay? Then, how big is the floatation device?" he asked instead.

"What do you mean? You said you can only fit one other person!"

"Yeah, but if they're not sitting on it, can't more people hold onto it and float with it?"

"That's cheating!"

Fuuka appeared deep in thought, having forgotten about the flaming marshmallow on her stick. "If we only have to hold onto the flotation device, is it possible we can all survive by swimming together to the nearest island?"

"If I can fly, I can search for an island nearby," Mitsuru added, and everyone seemed to like the idea.

"This is getting too weird," Yukari sighed, and finished off the last bite of her hotdog.

When the conversation died down, Ryuichi took up his guitar and began to play a song. Those whose mouths weren't stuffed with food hummed or sang along, clapping in rhythm as he played and sang. Minato and Junpei handed everyone lit sparklers to wave while they swayed in the bonfire light in beat with the music, bathed in the warm glow of the flames.

As they sang, embers from the bonfire flew up towards the sky, refusing to relinquish their gentle lights to the battering winds. They disappeared against the brilliant royal blue of the night sky, lost among the slew of stars that twinkled far beyond their reach. Other embers swirled closer to the group, dancing along to the music with the lit sparklers, smoldering with delight before burning out. Like the SEES team, the embers' time on Yakushima drew to a close in a blazing display.

The fun ended before anyone was ready. The next day, they spent the morning packing their things and preparing for the boat ride back to the mainland. Ryuichi took one last walk along the water's edge, finally getting his chance to admire the peace and the beauty without having someone splashing or yelling nearby.

It was still early enough in the day that the sand was still warm enough to not burn his feet. He stood where the water lapped at his ankles, letting the waves wash over his feet. As the water receded, the sand beneath his toes crumbled away and back out into the ocean. He squeezed his toes, trying to clutch at the edge of the sea to relish in the sensation for as long as he could.

The time to leave came too soon. Junpei said his tearful farewell and left promises to return to the island. Everyone thanked the maids, Takeharu, and Mitsuru for their hospitality, along with some apologies for intruding on Takeharu during his vacation.

Aigis came along with them, as she was to join SEES and live with them at the dorm. During the ride back, she had to wear the blue dress they first saw her in to cover up all the machinery that showed in her joints.

"I guess that means we have another room to clean when we get back, huh?" Yukari said to Mitsuru and Fuuka as the ferry blew its horn.

"Two new members," Akihiko murmured to Ryuichi.

For a moment, Ryuichi had to think about who the other new member was when he remembered Ken.

" _If_ he joins," Ryuichi corrected him, and he hoped that Ken wouldn't have to suffer with them.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

"Captain! Will we see you during the training camp next week?"

It was lunchtime at school the day after they had just returned from their vacation, and Ryuichi barely had a chance to get up from his desk when half the kendo team swarmed him, begging him to train them for their upcoming competition. Ryuichi looked around at all their desperate faces, already feeling the guilt from having to smash their hopes yet again. He could see it in their eyes that they knew what his answer would be.

"I'm sorry," he said to them all. "My parents are expecting me to help at home and at the restaurant."

"But it's just for one week!"

"Tell them we need to hold on to our number one rank!"

"They'll understand, won't they?"

Ryuichi sidled between them to step outside of the group. He turned around and bowed to them all. "My apologies," he said, bending low at the waist. "I wish you all good luck."

He placed a hand on Kenta's shoulder and squeezed. "Lead them to victory," he said firmly. "You can do it."

"But we need you to go up against Mamoru Hayase," Kenta blubbered.

"Let Minato do it," Ryuichi told him. "I hear he's kicking ass, if you're not confident."

They weren't done yet. Ryuichi had to drift like a cloud surrounded by half the team all the way downstairs just to check his exam results while they continued to beg him to come back, either for training or for the competition. The more they begged, the more Ryuichi worried that they weren't doing so well in practice.

There was already a crowd of students around the exam result boards just outside the faculty office. Ryuichi had to pop up on his toes to see over his teammates and the other students. One girl went away in tears after seeing her result. A guy ran back to his friends to celebrate scoring near the top ten. Ryuichi's own worries of how he did blocked out the kendo team's pleas as he searched frantically for his name. His eyes located Mitsuru's name in its rightful place at the top of the list again, making him smile. A few spots down, he saw his name at number seven.

"And I was so sure I'd get higher than that," he muttered to himself, smiling bitterly at the result. It only took him a few seconds to shrug it off and go, "Oh, well! I'm in the top ten, so that's a good way to start break."

"Just one week, Captain!"

"Or you can just fight Hayase!"

"Captain, we need you!"

"We already lost Kazushi because of his knee!"

"Please?"

Ryuichi glowered at them all. "What the matter with all of you?" he bellowed, making them all flinch. "How can you all be on the number one ranked kendo team in the region if all you do is rely on me? _I_ didn't make us number one! We're strong because everyone worked hard to become the best! If you're worried about Hayase, then stop wasting time and train until you're sure that every single one of you can beat him!"

They all stared guiltily with their mouths open. Ryuichi instantly worried that he had been too harsh, but he held his hardened glare on them. He couldn't believe that this was the same team he was training with only a few weeks ago.

One of the second-years swallowed hard. "But—"

"NOW!"

They all bowed, shouted their apologies, and fled down the hallway towards the gym. Ryuichi exhaled loudly through his nostrils, heartbroken from what his once proud team had become. Hunching slightly with his hands deep in his pockets, Ryuichi stopped by the little store to get some curry bread and a drink before heading back upstairs to his classroom.

He caught Mitsuru on her way back from the Student Council Room. Just as he waved to her, some girls from the fencing team swarmed her to congratulate her on her exam score.

"Would you like to eat lunch with us?" one of the girls asked her.

Mitsuru's eye met Ryuichi's, but he just shrugged.

"Very well," she told the girls, and Ryuichi went back to his desk to eat his pitiful meal.

He had to wait until after school to congratulate Mitsuru and thank her for all her help. After the final bell rang, Ryuichi packed up his bag and waited for Mitsuru to finish packing hers. The boy sitting next to Mitsuru took a second to congratulate her on her top score. Some of their other classmates did the same on their way out. Finally, Mitsuru stood and tucked in her chair.

"Congratulations on scoring seventh," she told Ryuichi before he could even open his mouth. "So, how shall we celebrate your victory?"

He was so stunned that he made an odd quacking noise. "Um, hold on!" He blurted out, and quickly remembered what he was trying to say. "First off, congratulations on scoring the highest once again. Second, thank you for helping me study, and third, that's my line!"

Chuckling, she started for the door first. "It's nice to say it to you once in awhile, especially when you've earned it."

Ryuichi's face started to hurt from smiling so much. "The trip to Yakushima was plenty, so I don't really need to celebrate," he told her as he opened the door. "We should be celebrating you more. If you get number one the rest of the year, you'll have an unbroken record for your entire school career. That's definitely something worth celebrating!"

Mitsuru stopped halfway through the threshold. Standing in front of her was a frightened girl whose knees looked ready to buckle at the sight of Mitsuru. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and her long bangs covered her eyes completely.

Ryuichi blinked. His initial thought was that she was one of The Lost.

"M-Mitsuru-senpai!" the girl cried out. "Wh-What time i-is the, the fencing team tr-training camp?"

"All week next week, starting from nine in the morning," Mitsuru told the girl. "We will go until five every day. Be sure to bring a lunch and some water."

The girl bowed and thanked her before running off. Ryuichi watched the girl go, worried that she might be up to something.

"A fan of yours?" he asked Mitsuru.

"No. She's actually on the team," she said, stepping aside to let him through the door. "She's shy, but she's talented."

He tried recalling who the girl was, unable to recognize her because of her bangs.

Mitsuru closed the door behind him. "Shall we go?"

He gave up trying to remember the girl. "Oh, sure," he replied, and the two headed down the rear staircase together.

"I was thinking that we should celebrate your improvement from the last exams," Mitsuru insisted as they squeezed in with some of the other students on the stairwell. "I can have Kikuno prepare a meal of your choosing. Or would you rather do something else?"

Some of the students around them took notice of Mitsuru and began congratulating her. She took the time to thank them, giving Ryuichi a chance to think about Mitsuru's offer. All the way to the shoe lockers, students greeted Mitsuru. Those who were more familiar with her through clubs or sports chatted a little with her. Ryuichi slipped away to change his shoes, and when he finished, he waited for Mitsuru by the front doors.

"I'm going to have to take a rain check on that meal," he told her apologetically on their way out. "I'm gonna be pretty busy, and you've got your training camp, too."

"The training camp is only for a week," she said, smoothing her skirt as they walked. "Are you working every day?"

Summer sunlight threatened to scorch his exposed skin. "They want me to help with Megumi three times a week and work an additional day at the restaurant."

"That leaves you with one day off."

"Yeah," he sighed, hunching over. "Just one glorious day a week to work on my summer homework."

He caught her frowning, either at him or his family. "Did you try negotiating with them?" she asked. "If not an additional day off, then perhaps you can work evenings only, or mornings and afternoons."

"I didn't even get to negotiate anything," he admitted miserably. "They just kind of decided that for themselves. They knew summer break was coming and they wanted more help."

"So, what day do you have off?"

"Tuesday, since that's when the restaurant's closed."

He shook his head, feeling his irritation smolder within him. "I'm planning on negotiating to have a few more days off," he murmured, if only to not upset her further.

Mitsuru's expressed stayed stony, and he feared he was setting her up for disappointment. "As it is summer break, I think you deserve to have more time to yourself," she told him. "You've worked very hard these past few months, so they should at least give you a chance to study and have some time to rest and enjoy yourself."

The idea sounded nice, where he could imagine himself sleeping in a little extra, playing video games, practicing his instruments, and getting a few solid hours of studying done without interruption. He actually wanted to put some of that extra time towards his job as Mitsuru's butler and even considered visiting the kendo team during practice. But, it was a passing fantasy that his mind wouldn't let him delve into for very long.

He wouldn't mind settling for working half days instead of the entire day, both for the restaurant and helping with Megumi. But first, he had to talk to Shizue about the possibility of her working at the restaurant, so that he wouldn't have to work so many days.

At his parents' house, Ryuichi ran his idea by Shizue to see what she would think.

"No."

"Why not?"

His older sister paced the room, her every step charged with fury from Ryuichi's suggestion. "Because Mom and Dad are psychotic, that's why!" she yelled at him. "You worked with them for years! You know how insane they get when things don't work out their way! Why else do you think Dad's got you working there again? Because no one else wants to work there!"

"He's pissed because you don't want to give it a chance."

"Well, too bad! You can't pay me enough to work there when I already have to deal with Mom here at home!"

So far, phase one of his plan was failing. Ryuichi rocked a screaming Megumi in his arms, trying to calm her down.

"It's really not that bad," he tried telling his sister. "Dad was just frustrated that no one was getting orders right, especially when he wasn't getting enough sleep. He's better now. I've already helped the workers with assembling the food, so you just have to follow the print-outs and everything'll be fine."

She dropped onto the couch like a stone. "I just wanna get my own place so I don't have to deal with them anymore," she moaned.

Ryuichi inched closer to her. "Well, you can do that if only you had some way to generate enough cash to—Oh! Would you—"

"Would you stop?" She turned her head so fast that her ponytail flew over her shoulder. "I'm already applying to a bunch of other jobs."

"And, how's that going?"

She put her face down on the couch's arm. "No one wants to hire me."

"Why not?"

"Because all the damn high school students took all the jobs already!"

Ryuichi was pretty sure that wasn't the only reason why she wasn't getting hired. "Then, just work at Dad's place," he pointed out. "You'll get experience, and with that, you'll be able to get other jobs."

"Can't I just work as a maid for Mitsuru-san like you do?" she grumbled.

He hoped not. "Do you know how to clean toilets?"

"What? No! You actually do that for her?"

He nodded. "I vacuum, scrub the bathtub, dust, unclog drains, buy groceries, make tea and snacks—you know, all the standard stuff."

He managed to cover Megumi's innocent ears right before his sister dropped an f-bomb. "But see, that's why I need to negotiate with Mom and Dad to give me another day off: I need to be able to fulfill my duties as Mitsuru's butler," he said. "I need this job or else I can't afford the nanny or all those diapers. I get paid more cleaning toilets than I do flipping burgers."

He gasped. "Don't tell Mom that I clean bathrooms," he begged.

Shizue sat up with a grunt. "And I thought that all you did was make sandwiches and keep the gropers away from her."

He narrowed his eyes at her, still bouncing Megumi in his arms. "That's because that's usually all the time I've had to do for her," he muttered.

"But, isn't that kinda awkward? She's your friend and long-time crush, and she's making you clean her room."

"She's actually very clean, so most of the cleaning I do is for the dorm," he explained, silently thanking Kikuno for taking care of most of the cleaning for Mitsuru's room. "It was just more convenient to have a live-in butler.

" _And_ I don't feel that way about her anymore," he added pointedly.

He also brought up that he needed to keep his days to watch Megumi at only twice a week, offering to ask the nanny to take over that additional day.

"I've got college entrance exams coming up, and I need time to study," he reminded her. "You need money so you can move out. If you take even just one of my work days at the restaurant, we'd both benefit."

"I'm not gonna be able to afford an apartment on just a day's wages," Shizue grumbled at him. "Some of us aren't butlers."

Ryuichi was ready to quit everything. His sister understandably didn't want to work for their parents, their father didn't want to hire anyone else since Ryuichi knew how to prepare and cook the food, and he still needed to study for his entrance exams. He would've been fine if he could just go back to his old schedule of two days a week each for Megumi and the restaurant, but knowing his family, they wanted him doing both full-time, no compromise. Having Shizue work at the restaurant would benefit everyone, but to his knowledge, only those who were desperate or completely oblivious would willingly agree to work for someone who verbally abuses them for meager pay.

...Or they were hopelessly related to the owner.

He had to try at least one more angle: "If you think about it, Mom and Dad are still gonna yell at you no matter what you do, so you might as well get paid for it, right?"

Shizue just sat there, flaring her nostrils without saying anything. He could see she was thinking about working at the restaurant for the sake of money. On his end, he kept quiet, but tried very hard to telepathically tell her that she should just suck it up and work with their parents, even if she hated it. Hell, he does it, so why was he being so lenient with her?

She never made any indication that she would or wouldn't try working for their dad, but now Ryuichi had to worry about how to deal with his parents. His goal was to get his schedule back down to two days at the restaurant, and two days helping Megumi, so he would have three days to work as a butler, rest, and study. If not, he planned on taking Mitsuru's advice to only work half-day shifts, so that he wasn't out all day long and left half-dead for the Shadows.

Ryuichi was cooking up some fried rice for dinner when Shizue came up behind him and said something. He barely heard her over the fan and the wok clanking against the stovetop while he mixed the fried rice.

"Okay, so if I tell Mom and Dad that I wanna work at the restaurant, then I need someone to watch Megumi while I'm at work!" she told him. "And we can't afford to pay the nanny to work more days!"

"What if you and Mom trade places?" he said loudly over his shoulder. "You work, and Mom takes care of Megumi for the day!"

"That could work! Oh, and I won't have to deal with them at the same time!"

"And you get paid for it!"

"Yeah! Maybe it won't be so bad!"

Their parents didn't see things as positively as their children. When they returned home, Ryuichi and Shizue were eager to share the news, but Toshio and Ayumi frowned through it all. It wasn't from fatigue, either.

"So you're replacing your brother _and_ mother?" Toshio asked Shizue.

"Well, no," Shizue said quickly while Ryuichi brought their parents some of the leftovers from dinner. "See, I'm just taking some of the days that Ryuichi works."

"So what, Ryuichi watches Megumi?"

"No, he can only watch her twice a week because he's got his other job and college entrance exams to think about."

"It's summer! School's out! He's got plenty of time to worry about exams!"

Ryuichi could tell they were already losing. "I still have my job as Mitsuru's butler and bodyguard to fulfill, and I can't do that if I only get one day off a week," he told them all. "If Shizue works some of my days at the restaurant, then—"

"So you're quitting?" Ayumi accused him. "You know how busy we get during the summer, and you're just going to abandon us?"

"That's why you have to hire someone else at the restaurant," Ryuichi explained as he motioned to his sister. "And while you're at it, teach Shizue everything about running the restaurant. Teach her how to prepare the meats, serve customers, and all that stuff. And also, it's not abandoning the restaurant if I already had another job that I'm abandoning _for_ the restaurant. You just need to hire another person to help out."

Toshio shook a finger at him. "Now you're just quitting," he shot at him. "Everything is finally going so smoothly, and you have to go and ruin it. That vacation made you lazy!"

"I'm not lazy if I already have a lot of other things to do!" Ryuichi boomed at them. All his outburst did was make everyone raise their voices louder, shouting, arguing, where no one heard the words of anyone else they did not want to hear from.

"—I didn't raise an ungrateful—"

"—we're not trying to—"

"—was going so well until you—"

"—if you would just—"

Upstairs, Megumi began screaming. Ryuichi heard her while the others continued to bicker, not having noticed at all. He hurried upstairs to check on her, realizing just how loud they were when their shouts were almost the same volume as when he was standing with them in the family room.

"Hey, Megs," he cooed to his niece as he bent over her crib to pick her up. "I'm sorry we were too loud. Mommy's just trying to negotiate a few things with Grandma and Grandpa, and well, you know how they get."

He brought Megumi downstairs, figuring she wouldn't get any sleep even if she was in the furthest corner of the house. The others quieted down and glared at him as he sat back down on the couch, trying to calm the baby down with a hushed voice and gentle bounces. He could see the irritation on his family's faces, as if offended that he would dare bring the baby to them to interrupt their discussions.

"Here. Gimme," Shizue said as she took Megumi from him. "It's okay, Megumi. It's okay."

She carried Megumi back upstairs, making no progress in soothing Megumi's cries. Ryuichi looked back to his parents, feeling his chest tighten with every beat of his heart.

"Okay, so, Shizue wanted to try working at the restaurant," Ryuichi said calmly in a shaky voice to them. "I think it would be good for her to learn how to make the different dry rubs and marinades, so that there's more of us who know how to make everything."

"And you expect us to trust her with that?" grunted Toshio. "She can start working the line like everybody else."

"You still don't trust her?" Ryuichi asked. To see his parents not even forgive their golden child for what she had done in the past made him question if their parents loved the restaurant more than their kids.

"You know what she did," Toshio snarled. He crossed his arms over his chest as if holding back his fury. "Back when she was in high school, we caught her telling some boy from school the ingredients for making our burgers. I stopped her before she could tell him everything, but she already told him most of it."

Ayumi's expression darkened. "You know how important these recipes are, Ryuichi," she said to their son. "We can't risk letting anyone learn them."

Ryuichi felt strangely hollow after hearing the story, even after having witnessed it first-hand years ago. His mother had a point about the dangers of others learning their recipes, especially now that Toshio's was already losing customers since Shizue's return.

"Okay, forget about teaching her how to mix everything," Ryuichi reluctantly agreed with them. "But at least let her work at the restaurant. Let her cover two of my days so I'll still come help on Saturdays and Sundays. I'll watch Megumi on Wednesdays and Fridays, but I absolutely need Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays off so I can work my other jobs and study for my exams. I'll even pay the nanny if she can come in extra days, but I really need those days off."

He could see that they weren't going to budge, but he waited for their answer. The two looked at each other, and he expected them to flat out say "No" in unison, but their silence kept going.

"If not those days off, then can I at least work only half days?" he offered. "I'll work four hours in the morning and early afternoon, so it's like I'm just splitting the time throughout the day. That way, Shizue can cover the rest of the days and still be home with Megumi for half the day."

Toshio rubbed his stubbled chin as Ayumi yawned. Ryuichi fought back the urge to imitate her, but failed to keep his face set.

"Can you do nights instead?" Toshio asked him. "That way you can help me mix the meat and the dry rubs."

Ryuichi blinked. "If I do nights, then I only work three days a week."

"From five to ten."

"Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays?"

"I need you there all day Sundays."

"Then I only work two full days, Sundays and Saturdays."

"It's summer, for cryin' out loud!"

"Yeah, but I still have to help with Megumi," Ryuichi reminded his parents. As if to help his argument, Megumi let out a shrill scream. "Like I said before, I'm dedicating two days to the restaurant, two to Megumi, two to being Mitsuru's bodyguard and butler, and one to myself so I can study."

"Then drop the butler job!"

"I can't. I need that job so I can pay for all of Megumi's stuff."

"We pay you enough!"

Ryuichi clenched his fists so he wouldn't yell. "I don't even have enough to get myself a meal with whatever's left over," he told them. "Besides, who's gonna pay for Shizue's tuition?"

" _We_ will! Just like before!" Toshio bellowed.

Ryuichi thought he had dealt them a devastating blow, but it looked to him like his father was oblivious to his own restaurant's financial struggle. It was no secret to anyone that the past few months of Toshio's gradually worsening attitude chased away customers, even if the man himself didn't see himself as the problem. They were barely making enough to pay their bills, let alone cover the costs of anything else.

Ryuichi had flashbacks to the years when Shizue worked the restaurant when she was in high school, where she and their parents often argued even during business hours. The restaurant almost closed down because of it, and it was only when Shizue finally went off to college that the yelling stopped and the customers slowly returned.

"I'm concerned that things will go back to how they were before, when your sister worked with us," Ayumi said in a tiny voice to the others, as if she had read Ryuichi's mind. "Toshio, please, be patient with her. With all the help Ryuichi's given us, she might do better this time."

"I don't know how she can screw up an order if Ryuichi put those pictures up," Toshio grumbled. To his son, he said, "I want you there all day Sundays and half-day Saturdays and Thursdays, got it?"

Ryuichi's mind blanked for a second. "Would that be evenings for Saturdays and Thursdays?"

"Yeah. Five to ten."

He remembered too late that now he still had to dedicate two days to watching Megumi, giving him only two days to be a butler and a college hopeful. "If I'm doing the extra day, then I can only watch Megumi once a week," he said, immediately remorseful for saying anything.

"You ungrateful—"

Ayumi squeezed Toshio's arm to make him stop. "Do you really need two extra days to clean for Mitsuru?" she asked Ryuichi with a skeptical tone.

"Not just to clean," he told her, not wanting them to know that someone else cleaned her room. "I still have to escort her around as her bodyguard in addition to my butler duties."

His mother nodded. Ryuichi wished he could have gotten off with just two days working the restaurant instead of splitting his time, but he wasn't about to push his parents for more. They already weren't happy with having to compromise with their son, but he knew that what they really wanted was for him to just work at the restaurant all the time.

It was the best he could do. At least his mother allowed him to have his three days off, depending on just how "off" he truly was. They wouldn't let him return to the dorm until he helped Megumi get back to sleep, and by the time he left the neighborhood, the Dark Hour had begun.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

"Ow, ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Keep it down!"

"You'll wake Ken-kun up if you don't shut it!"

A night in Tartarus resulted in almost everyone having minor injuries, with Junpei's sprained ankle being the worst of them all. Ryuichi and Akihiko got under Junpei's arms to help him up the stairs when his injured foot hooked onto one of the steps.

"Lift your leg!" hissed Akihiko, and Junpei complied with a few swears.

"Shut it," Ryuichi snapped at them both. "Ken-kun's door is right there."

Two guys holding up a third was almost impossible for quiet movement. Junpei's labored hop on one leg with every step forced the other two to try to hold him up higher to cushion the blow. Ryuichi grabbed onto Junpei's belt for leverage with unpleasant results.

"N-No! I'm getting a wedgie!" Junpei yelped.

"Then step lighter!" Ryuichi spat.

They managed to get him to his room without Ken coming out to investigate. Junpei's room looked like someone had ransacked the place, leaving video games, comic books, dirty clothes, and plenty of dust strewn over every surface. Ryuichi stepped over rumpled jeans and a fallen stack of manga to set Junpei down on his unkempt bed.

"Whew! It's good to be alive!" Junpei whooped. The others shushed him, and he lowered his voice to an excited whisper. "Man, if Minato didn't summon two Personas at the same time, I don't know what—"

Akihiko turned and left with a quick wave while Junpei retold the battle he had just survived. Tired as he was, Ryuichi nodded along while tending to Junpei's ankle. He had to peel off Junpei's shoe and sock to examine the injury, finding that his ankle had swollen to the size of a grapefruit. It took a second for the stench to slap Ryuichi across the face, but he made a hasty excuse to hurry downstairs to get some bandages and ice.

He held his breath nearly the entire duration of wrapping Junpei's ankle while listening to Junpei's third iteration of Minato summoning two Personas simultaneously. When he finished, he bid Junpei a yawning "Good night" and hurried off to wash his hands in scalding water.

It was the Saturday night after Ryuichi's first half day of work, and he felt more alert than when he went to Tartarus with the others after a full day of both work and school. However, despite having spent only a few hours at the restaurant, he still felt as rundown as though he had spent a whole day with his family. The addition of Shizue working alongside them resulted in Ryuichi spending much of closing time listening to both their parents complaining about their daughter's failures of the workday after she had gone home ahead of them. Strangely enough, Ryuichi found himself occasionally coming to his sister's defense, which his parents both quickly broke through with more of their complaints and anger-charged arguments. With their current state of fury, all arguments on Ryuichi's part were rendered useless.

On the following Monday morning, Ryuichi saw some of the SEES members off to their clubs or sports training camps at school, wishing he could also go back to kendo and be captain again. He missed seeing his teammates improve, helping them hone their techniques, and sometimes even just messing around with them. He missed reviewing their trouble spots with fellow captain Shiori, where they would suggest to each other what worked for them, or try to better understand why their teams were struggling with something.

But alas, those days were gone, and now he must go to the store to buy several cleaning products to get started on cleaning the dorm.

Ryuichi stood in the lounge all by himself as he let his head loll back and tongue flop out at one realization: There were five floors to clean. Granted, he didn't have to clean any of the bedrooms, nor the bathrooms, as the other residents were supposed to keep those clean themselves, but five floors of dusting, vacuuming, polishing, and whatever else was needed almost made him wish he could quit his butler job and yell at the other residents to clean whatever they messed up.

But, it was his job, and after barking so much about him needing it to ensure that his sister had enough money for both her baby and for school ( _if_ she decided on going back to finish her degree), he would need to suck it up and actually do more than vacuum Mitsuru's room.

Outside in the murderous summer heat, Ryuichi kept running his list of cleaning products in his head on his way to the store. He made it two blocks before spotting the first Lost of the day, with pale skin, hollow eyes, and a gaping mouth—all characteristics of those afflicted with Apathy Syndrome. It was a sign to him that they would have to take down the next big Shadow soon.

He passed by a few more, and one remained just under the awning of the supermarket, staring up into the sun. Ryuichi never understood why the Lost on the streets were never taken to the hospital, or if they ate, drank, or slept, or why no one ever seemed to claim them. For the twenty minutes he was in the store, he forgot all about them until he came back out and saw them still standing where he left them.

When he returned to the dorm, he found Ken sitting on the couch in the lounge all by himself, watching the news. The boy stared at Ryuichi as he approached and stood up.

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," he greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Ken-kun," Ryuichi said, smiling back. "Did you have breakfast already?"

"Kind of." Ken's smile disappeared. "Sanada-san gave me some of his instant noodles."

The boy's stomach growled, making Ryuichi pity him. "Ken-kun, would you like something a little more filling?"

Ken watched as Ryuichi took leftover rice, some spare ingredients, and some eggs, and turned them into omurice. His bright brown eyes lit up in amazement when Ryuichi set the omelet on top of the mound of rice, then slice it open so the edges fell around the mound, revealing the moist insides.

"Wow." Ken placed his hands together, said "Itadakimasu," and dug right in. "This is really good! I didn't know you could cook, Okazaki-san!"

"Just simple stuff," he said humbly as he began washing the pot and pan he used. "I work at my dad's restaurant, but when I was younger, I learned by watching him and mom cook."

Ken gobbled up the meal with a joy on his face that allowed Ryuichi to see him, not as the frightened little boy from two years ago, but just as a kid happy to have a home-cooked meal in his belly. After he thanked him, he told Ryuichi that he was heading out. To where, Ryuichi didn't know, but he had to hurry and get to work cleaning the dorm.

By evening, he managed to get the kitchen sparkling, dusted and vacuumed the first, second, and third floors, and changed some of the burnt out bulbs. He thought about cleaning the fourth floor next, but wasn't sure if he wanted to haul his cleaning supplies up there just yet. He could always work on it either tomorrow or Thursday morning, but he knew for sure that he would have to clean the whole dorm little by little each week for upkeep.

The fourth floor would have to wait, as Ryuichi needed to prepare Mitsuru's tea. For a snack, he prepared a Castella cake, light and simple, and somehow managed to get everything on the lounge table just seconds before Mitsuru's return.

"Welcome home," Ryuichi said, bowing to her. "May I take your bag?"

Mitsuru gave him an odd look. "Okay, what did you do?" she asked, darkening her tone.

He straightened up. "The usual: read Junpei's comics, jumped on Yukari's bed, and hid kittens in your room," he joked. "But really, I just did some cleaning. Bag?"

She let him take her gym bag and fencing epees as the two went upstairs to her room.

"Do the hallway lights seem brighter to you?" she asked, looking around.

"I cleaned them," he told her proudly. "Basically, the first through third floors are clean, so lower your expectations for the fourth floor."

"All by yourself?" Her face was aghast. "Ryuichi, everyone in the dorm is supposed to pitch in and help clean. You're only in charge of dusting and vacuuming _my_ room."

He shrugged bashfully. "Well, I figured since I missed so many days of not doing my job, I should make up for it," he replied. "Besides, the dorm was getting kinda gross. I found this really cool odor eliminating spray—"

She let out an exasperated noise. "Ryuichi, your enthusiasm for your work is admirable, but from now on, your only concern as far as your job as a butler goes is to prepare tea for me," she told him firmly. "Kikuno and the maid staff will cover cleaning my room."

He couldn't wipe off his confused smile. "So, I'm basically fired for doing too much?"

"No, that's not it." Mitsuru paused to unlock her door. "I know you have a lot that you have to do already with your family and the restaurant, so I'm just trying to make sure that you don't end up burning yourself out."

"But, I already negotiated a schedule that works," he told her, dropping his smile finally. "I only work the restaurant half-days on Thursdays and Saturdays, full days on Sundays, and I watch Megumi on Fridays."

"Then you can use the other days to study and rest," she said, reaching for her bag.

He pulled it away. "Please, Mitsuru. I need this job." He begged with his eyes, staring deeply into hers with desperation. "I'll clean the kitchen and do the vacuuming and everyone else can do the other stuff, but I really need this."

She didn't blink, returning his pleading stare with her hardened one. "Does this have to do with your family?" she asked. He nodded. "All right. We'll discuss this after I've freshened up."

He thanked her over and over as she took her things. As she closed the door, she had a look in her eye that seemed... annoyed? With him? Crap.

All he could do was head back downstairs, keep the tea hot, and wait for her to join him. He sat down on the couch, his first respite of the day, and almost instantly conked right out.

A ringing woke him up. He sat up with a sharp intake of air, panicking slightly as he searched for whatever caused the noise. It took him some fumbling in his pocket for his cell phone as it kept screaming at him until he finally answered it.

"H-Hello?" he said in a raspy voice.

"Son, I think I have to fire your sister."

"What?" He got up and frantically paced the room. "No, Dad, you _have_ to give her a chance! She's only worked there for two days!"

"Oh, believe me, I would've fired her on the first day."

"Why? What'd she do?"

"I sent her to clean the toilets and she wouldn't do it! I told her to change the oil in the fryers and she spilled oil everywhere! And she has the nerve to demand that I teach her how to make our meat when she can't even—"

"Dad? Dad, calm down." Ryuichi kept his voice steady while he raked his fingers through his hair. "Okay, look, she's probably just nervous because it's her first few days on the job and because she's never left Megumi alone with the nanny before. I know it's hard, but remember when I accidentally burnt all the brisket? You gave me a second chance, and then a third when I accidentally flooded the women's toilets. Just give her a few more chances, okay?"

His father hesitated, making a few grunts like he was trying to push out the right words. "I guess your mom would kill me if I fired her straight away," he grumbled, but his words helped Ryuichi breathe easier. "I'm planning on having her work on Thursday, so you'll be in charge of her."

He wasn't looking forward to it. "Okay, sure."

"And this Sunday, you'll be in charge of the restaurant all day."

"Huh? Where're you gonna be?"

"Home," his father grunted in disgust. "Your mom's having some friends over from out of town and she wants me to help cook."

Ryuichi found some consolation in getting to work without his father all day Sunday.

"I'm having Shizue work Sunday, too, so you'd better train her good! Maybe you'll have better luck than me!"

He made a surprised squawking noise at his father. "Wait, if she's working on Sunday while you and Mom are entertaining friends, then who's taking care of Megumi?"

"Your sister's only half-day, so after her shift, she'll come home and take care of her."

Toshio barely took a breath. "I also need you to come in earlier on Thursday, since your sister's shift starts before yours."

Ryuichi felt like smashing his head against the wall. "What time?"

"Three."

"Three? But—"

"Just be there, okay?"

His father hung up before he could argue. With a sigh, Ryuichi snapped his phone shut and pocketed it on his way back to the sofa when he spotted Mitsuru sitting in her usual chair, sipping tea as serenely as though she was in a quiet garden.

Ryuichi quietly sat back down on the couch he had just vacated, bent forward and wishing he had looked around first before answering the phone. Mitsuru said nothing as he laced his fingers between his knees, looking as if she was waiting for him to speak first.

"Um, how long was I out?" he ended up asking her.

"I've only just come downstairs about fifteen minutes ago," she answered as she set her teacup down on the table. "You were already asleep by then."

"Uh-huh." He leaned back to rest his head on the back of the couch.

He told her about the negotiations he had with his parents last Friday, explaining how his new schedule was supposed to work with Shizue's addition to the restaurant. He then filled Mitsuru in on his conversation with his father from just a few minutes ago, feeling his hopes for his sister working with their parents drain away.

"Dad needs me to work a few extra hours this Thursday so I can teach Shizue," Ryuichi said in a sinking voice. "And on Sunday, I'm in charge because both my parents are having company over for the day."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Yeah, because I don't know if Shizue will actually listen to me."

Mitsuru looked at him in earnest, prompting him for an explanation.

"Well, I'm the youngest in the family, after all," Ryuichi said as he sank lower into the couch. "Nobody wants to take advice from someone younger than them. Even with the restaurant failing, Mom and Dad don't wanna hear my suggestions. I barely got Dad to be okay with me putting up pictures to help the workers assemble burgers correctly."

"Why is the restaurant failing?" Mitsuru asked.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Where do I even start?"

It took Ryuichi a moment to pick a point to begin the lengthy tale. He started with how Shizue used to clash with their parents back in high school, where there was constant yelling between them during work hours. He talked about how Shizue told some classmate most of their father's burger recipe and how that incident lost all their parents' trust for their daughter.

"We almost lost the restaurant back then because they drove away customers with all their fights," Ryuichi said, exhaling slowly. "After Shizue left for college, it took our parents forever to rebuild the restaurant's reputation and gain back their customers. They were still pissed at Shizue, but at least they kept their rage a lot quieter than before.

"But, now that Shizue's back and with a baby, it's causing more problems: Megumi cries most of the night, so no one gets much sleep. Dad and Shizue already don't get along, so now that they're both in bad moods for lacking sleep and for having to work together, the workers get the brunt of Dad's wrath, and our customers can't enjoy their meals because of Dad yelling at everyone."

Ryuichi sat higher up on the couch and smoothed out his shirt. "It's so obvious that we're not doing as well as we used to," he sighed. "We still get a decent amount of customers coming in, but the lines don't go out the door anymore. I saw reviews online that say it 'used to be a good place until the owner starts yelling at his staff' and that they'd only come back if his attitude changes.

"But, now that Shizue's working at the restaurant, I can only imagine that things are about to get worse," he realized, deflating in his seat. He cursed himself silently for naively thinking that his plan would work.

Mitsuru sat quietly, looking like she was contemplating what he had just disclosed to her. He hated that he had to trouble her with his problems that should be easy to figure out on his own, but he hoped that she had another solution that he might not have considered.

"I hate to say this, but at this rate, the restaurant will fail if your family continues in this manner," she said after some time. "I'm sorry, but I don't think having your sister work in close proximity with your parents, especially with your father, was a good idea."

Ryuichi leaned back once more while folding his hands on his stomach. He blew out another agonized sigh. "I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have pushed to have Shizue work at the restaurant."

"Why did you?"

"Because I wanted time away from my family, Shizue wanted a job so she could try to move out of our parents' house, and Mom and Dad needed more help at the restaurant. I figured that everyone would benefit if she helped out, but I guess I had too much hope for my family to get along."

He blinked, wishing he could go back to his old schedule where his sister and parents had less contact with one another.

"Do you wish your family would get along better?" Mitsuru asked him.

"Who wouldn't?" Ryuichi sank even lower until he was almost lying down on the couch. "But, is it bad that part of me thinks that we were all better off when we were apart?"

Mitsuru poured a cup of tea for Ryuichi. "Do you feel bad for thinking it, or because it's true?"

He stared at the cup but didn't take it. "Both."

With a groan, he sat up and started to cut some of the Castella cake for them. "Anyway, that's it: the business is tanking, my family can't stand each other, and I'm trying to work three jobs so that my sister's baby has clean diapers to use," he muttered. He then smiled at her. "So, how was practice?"

"Practice was fine," she said curtly, not looking happy with his sudden topic change. "As for your job as my butler, you already do more than enough preparing tea for me daily. I will allow you to clean the kitchen every now and then, but as for everything else, please allow the rest of us living here do our share to keep our home clean."

Ryuichi took her words to mean that he was more of a simple cook than a butler, but if that was what she wanted, then he could do nothing about it. He wasn't sure anymore what he was, if he was a butler, a line cook, a sandwich craftsman, or anything else.

"Sorry that you have to keep accommodating me," he said to her.

"No need to apologize," she told him as she poured herself some more tea. "Just let me know if you need anything."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

On Wednesday night, with half the team exhausted from their sports practices, no one had the energy to go to Tartarus that week.

Except Akihiko, that is. When no one else wanted to go, he went out to go on patrol around the city by himself, not at all worn out by his own training camp with the boxing team. As always, he slammed the door on his way out, startling Ryuichi awake from his deep sleep. He cursed him as he rolled onto his other side, already dreaming of paying Akihiko back by slamming doors while he tried to sleep when he heard Fuuka's voice calling him directly in his mind. Alarmed, Ryuichi scrambled to sit up, only to roll right off the bed.

Cranky and still half-asleep, Ryuichi got dressed before dragging himself up the stairs to join the others. In his groggy state, he barely grasped that a Shadow was wandering around outside of Tartarus, and that Akihiko requested that they all come to Naganaki Shrine.

"Ryuichi, bring the first aid kit," Mitsuru instructed after the transmission with Akihiko ended.

Yawning, he obeyed and tried not to trip on his way back downstairs. When they stepped out into the warm, sticky night, he cursed Akihiko under his breath for making him leave the comfort of his air conditioned room all because he wanted to punch a Shadow in the kidney. When they arrived at Naganaki Shrine, the sight before them wiped away his irritation.

It wasn't Akihiko who was hurt. They found him at the bottom of the steps to the shrine, standing over an albino Shiba Inu who had a large gash on his side. The dog lay in a pool of his own blood, but didn't whimper in pain. Instead, he sat up a bit and wagged his tail when Fuuka raced over to him.

"Koro-chan! Are you okay, Koro-chan?" She knelt by his head while Yukari and Ryuichi went to examine the dog's wound.

Mitsuru stayed back to give them room to work. "You know this dog?" she asked Fuuka.

"Yeah." Yukari peered into the dog's bright, red eyes. "Everyone around here does. We have to help him!"

"First, we must stop the bleeding," Mitsuru instructed just as Ryuichi pressed some gauze over the wound.

"Man, he's one tough fighter," Akihiko told the others about the dog. "He defeated that Shadow all by himself."

"Wait, does that mean that this dog's a Persona-user?" Junpei asked in awe.

Aigis stared at the wounded dog. "He says, 'This is a place of peace, so I protected it'."

Fuuka looked to a pair of bouquets and candles that had been placed by the side of the shrine. "Those flowers—They must be for the priest who died in the accident."

Yukari gently pet the brave dog. "So, he really was guarding this place," she said, and the dog licked her hand appreciatively.

Junpei eyed Aigis. "Uh, Aigis? Don't tell me you can translate dog language, too."

"Canines do not have their own language," she explained. "However, speech is not the only means of communication."

"This fella really is a rare breed," Akihiko remarked with pride.

"Confirmed," Aigis replied, the inflection in her voice sounding like an automatic response from a computer.

"He's not the only one," Junpei murmured, glancing towards Aigis.

The dog rested his head on Fuuka's lap while Ryuichi finished up bandaging the wound.

"I've stopped the bleeding, but he'll need to be taken to the vet," he told everyone as he wiped his hands clean on a towel.

"All right, let's report to the Chairman so we can conclude this mission," Mitsuru announced. "As for a vet, it may be midnight, but I believe I can arrange for one."

Yukari scratched the dog behind the ears. "Good job, boy," she crooned. "You're one amazing dog."

Ryuichi learned afterward that the dog's name was Koromaru and once belonged to an old priest who was struck by a car and killed. According to the others, Koromaru would still walk the same route he used to take with his owner every single day, even after his owner's passing. He remembered seeing Koromaru and the old priest a number of times, but never knew their names.

A few days after discovering Koromaru, it seemed as though half the SEES members had sports competitions to attend on the Sunday after their training camps. To show his support, Ryuichi prepared them all a better breakfast than instant noodles could ever provide: Grilled salmon, pickled vegetables, salad, miso soup, and (for those who were still hungry) fried eggs. He made sure to give everyone plenty of rice, offering to refill their bowls whenever they were almost empty.

"Senpai, aren't you coming to watch the kendo competition today?" Minato asked him over breakfast.

"I wish I could, but I've got work," he told him apologetically. "You're the one who's gonna fight Hayase, right? Good luck!"

After chatting a bit with Minato, Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru was already by the front doors with Kikuno, who handed over her gym bag and fencing gear. Ryuichi briskly walked over to see her off.

"Good luck today and be safe, Ojou-sama," Kikuno said, bowing to her.

"Kick ass today, Mitsuru," Ryuichi told her with a big grin.

Kikuno elbowed him in the chest for his brash greeting. "Uh, I mean, good luck and stay safe, Ojou-sama," he quickly corrected himself with a bow.

Mitsuru cracked a tiny smile before holding her face plain. "Will I be seeing you at the competition later? Though, both the fencing and kendo competitions take place at the same time, so—"

Ryuichi smiled through his sorrow. "Unfortunately, I can't make either," he replied, and thought he saw some disappointment in her eye. "Dad put me in charge of the restaurant today, so I'm sorry I can't cheer you on."

"It's quite all right," she told him. "Everyone at the restaurant is depending on you, so let us both do our best today."

Nodding, Ryuichi got the door for her. "Tell me all about it later, okay?"

"Of course," she agreed. "I'll be going now."

Mitsuru went on her way with some of the others towards Gekkoukan High. Ryuichi could hear their chatter about their nerves, their rivals, and their excitement fading off before closing the door after them.

"Ryuichi-san," Kikuno said to him on their way to clean up the dining table, "while I appreciate that Ojou-sama has found a good friend in you, please remember that she is from a prestigious family and deserves our respect."

He turned around and bowed to her. "My sincerest apologies, Kikuno-san," he said humbly, trying not to smirk. "I was only _ass_ -king her to do her best today."

Kikuno stacked some plates together. "There's no need to be so cheeky, Ryuichi-san," she replied, and her smile seemed to brighten as they worked together to clean up.

Once they finished washing all the dishes, it was time for Ryuichi to head over to the restaurant. It was another day with him in charge of his sister, but now he was also in charge of the rest of the staff. The previous Thursday, things were a little difficult for him when it came to teaching Shizue, but he forced himself to just move on from it and hope that everything was going to be better this time around.

At the restaurant, Ryuichi was the first to arrive. He came in two hours prior to the restaurant opening so that the different meats would have time to cook low and slow in smokers and in the oven. Usually, his father was the one who came early to do the job, and he was sure the man was squirming at the thought of someone else handling the task, even if it was his own son.

The other workers started coming in about an hour after Ryuichi arrived so they could set up for the day. At ten, the restaurant opened, and customers filed in and formed a line at the counter. Ryuichi could hear one of the customers complaining about the bad ambiance of the restaurant until his friend pointed out that the "rude owner" wasn't even in that day.

"I need another Sunrise Sammy and a large fry!" Ryuichi called to the kitchen.

"I have it here!" a usually meek worker shouted as she finished stacking the burger and passing it to him.

"Thank you! Good hustle!"

Ryuichi set the order on the counter to have its number called and claimed. When he looked around at the floor, he realized that Shizue wasn't there. He checked the office, but she wasn't there, either.

"Hey, has anyone seen Shizue?" he asked the others. None of them had.

"Ryuichi-san! We need more pulled pork!" someone shouted over to him.

"I'm on it!"

He pulled the large pan of pork shoulder from the oven and set to work shredding it. Steam rose up into his face, and he could already imagine the succulent, slightly sweet meat melting on his tongue. As he worked, a familiar blur rushed into the kitchen with rapid apologies.

"Sorry I'm late, Little Bro!" Shizue sped towards the back, slipping past Ryuichi. "Had a little spat with the 'rents!"

He made a face. "The 'rents'?"

She searched for her time card and punched in. "Yeah! Mom and Dad!"

He shook his head. "Anyway, hurry up and get started on dicing up some onions."

She frowned at him while tying on her apron. "Dicing onions again? Why not just shove those things through the fry-slicer?"

"Because, well, because the onion gets cut different!"

"How different? It's the same thing!"

"The fry slicer cuts bigger than what the onions need to be."

Rolling her eyes, Shizue headed to the pantry to get some onions to cut. Ryuichi could already tell that it was going to be a long workday, mostly thanks to his sister.

When he finished with the pulled pork, he checked up on the ribs and brought in a full rack to have someone cut and serve. While he went to put another rack of ribs in the smoker, a worker came to let him know that Shizue accidentally cut herself and bled over the onions. He hurried over to help treat her cut and then gave her a finger glove so she could keep working.

"Throw all this out and wash everything before starting again," he instructed his sister. He then explained that she needed to clean the sink after washing the knife and cutting board.

"Seriously? I have to do all that?"

"Yeah. It's to prevent contamination." He started closing up the first aid kit. "Since we handle our meat all day, we have to make sure that we clean every surface we touch, including the taps, so make sure to clean those too when you clean the sink."

She snickered. "'Handle your meat'?"

His face burned with embarrassment. "Ingredients!" he blasted. "I meant ingredients!"

But Shizue was already shaking with laughter as she cleaned up her station.

At least she was in a better mood than before, Ryuichi thought to himself as he observed his sister dicing onions. A particularly pungent onion got Shizue sniffling and made tears cascade down her face, but despite all her complaints, she filled a container with the diced onions before asking Ryuichi what she should do next.

"Well, how about I show you how to cook the burger patties?" he offered.

The other workers gave him a warning look, but Ryuichi didn't care when he saw the delight on his sister's face. She hurried off to clean herself up from the onions for her new, forbidden lesson.

"Try to keep them in even rows to maximize how many can be put on the grill," he said, showing her how to lay the burger patties down properly. He then set a flat, metal weight like a rectangular iron down on one of the patties. "This keeps them from puffing up in the middle, so make sure to use these."

He gestured to the sizzling meat. "Also, _do not_ press down on them," he advised. "That'll just squeeze out the juices and make them dry."

"How do I know when they're ready?"

"The juices will look clear."

Shizue squinted at him. "Wait, are you sure about all this? I thought Dad presses on the burgers while they're cooking."

" _He_ does, but that dries them out."

"Then, how does he know when they're done cooking? How did he teach you about the juices?"

Ryuichi frowned, remembering how miserable he was during his father's cooking lessons growing up. "He didn't. He just yelled at me until I got it 'right'," he told her with a grimace.

It was Shizue's turn. Ryuichi let her watch over three patties while he nursed six so that she would be able to compare when they looked done. Over the next hour, she became comfortable with the grill, able to cover numerous burger patties all on her own. Ryuichi then showed her how to make the caramelized onions, using the ones she cut before.

She was learning fast and performing well. Ryuichi grew proud of his sister as he watched her work, where she was eager to do the main cooking. It was when he sent her to wipe down tabletops or clean the bathroom that she started acting up again. His delight quickly dissipated when she refused to clean up a mess someone had made in the women's toilet.

"It's part of the job," Ryuichi insisted.

"Then how come you don't have to clean?" she shot at him. "I mean, you're supposed to be a professional bathroom cleaner, right?"

"Because I have to watch over everyone here in the kitchen and make sure that every order goes out correctly," Ryuichi said in a calm voice.

"So why doesn't Dad let me do that? Why does he only trust you with his food?"

"I don't know," he lied, looking away from her. He could tell that she didn't believe him even before he finished talking, but he couldn't risk upsetting her at work.

"It's because I'm the bad one, isn't it?" Her words stabbed him with a pronged tongue. "He still hasn't forgiven me for what I did years ago, huh?"

The other workers stopped to watch. Ryuichi stood there, stunned into silence, unsure of what to say. He knew the truth, but it wasn't his place to discuss it, yet his sister wanted the answer right there where everyone could hear.

He pushed a cleaning cloth into her hand. "Wipe down the tables," he ordered instead, and after asking someone else to clean the mess in the bathroom, he went to check on the smokers.

Shizue finished her shift in the early afternoon to take care of Megumi before their mom's friends came over, making plans to take her shopping for the afternoon so her daughter wouldn't trouble their parents' guests. Work went smoother without her, but after his argument with his sister, Ryuichi could feel a tension among the workers, who spent the rest of the afternoon and evening working with their heads down and barely uttering a word to one another.

After closing for the day, Ryuichi hung back after all the workers had finished cleaning and gone home so he could start working on the next batch of meats in the privacy his father demanded. He made the spice rubs and mixed the hamburger meat as he had done for years, and when everything was done, he put them away in the refrigerator to be cooked the next day.

He returned home with enough food for everyone at the dorm. All the burgers and sandwiches were cold by the time he finished preparing the next day's meats, and everyone had already eaten dinner hours ago. He ended up tucking all the food into the dorm's refrigerator for everyone to find the next day, taking an extra few moments to hastily scribble his dorm mates' names onto the wrappers.

When he went to bed, he expected to get to sleep the second his head touched the pillow, only for him to continue dwelling on whether or not his sister hated him for not telling her the obvious truth.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

On the night of the next full moon, the SEES team headed out to the harbor north of Iwatodai, just beyond some empty neighborhoods. Fuuka's search led them to an abandoned military facility, the two gigantic metal doors propped open with a stopper. The team checked first if the stopper was securely in place, three of the guys shoving against the door while the fourth wedged the stopper further under it. When they were sure it wouldn't shut on them, they went inside.

The full moon's light illuminated several feet inside the facility. It looked to be an underground bunker carved into solid stone, with steel beams keeping it from caving in, boxes of rusted ammunition, and dusty computers that had died off long ago.

"The target should be around here," Fuuka reported to the others as they explored the entrance.

They took only a few steps inside, squinting in the darkness.

"Well done," an oily voice said grandly behind them.

Startled, the team whirled around to see a pair of young men swagger up to the entrance towards them. The taller of the two wore no shirt, showing off a pale, emaciated body with purple and red tattoos all up and down his bony arms. His yellow eyes seemed to glow in the darkness as he swept his cold gaze across the SEES members. The light from the full moon illuminated his long, wavy, blonde hair, and his handsome face was slightly rugged with the need for a shave. He stood tall and confident, despite being outnumbered, and thumbed the massive revolver he had tucked down the front of his faded jeans.

Next to him was a man with short, blue hair and thick glasses with a slight orange tinge to the lenses. He wore a bold, green jacket with black belts that held his detached sleeves together. Everyone eyed the grenade he tossed up and down in his left hand, his other one carrying an aluminum case.

The moment Ryuichi saw the two, he instinctively stood himself in front of Mitsuru with his sword drawn.

"This is the first time we've met in person," the shirtless man said. It was his oily voice that they heard before.

"Who are these guys?" Fuuka gasped. "Lucia didn't sense a thing till now!"

"My name is Takaya," the shirtless man told them, looking pleased with Fuuka's alarmed reaction. He gestured to the other man next. "This is Jin. We are known to some as Strega. We've been keeping an eye on you. From what we hear, you've undertaken a 'righteous' battle to save the world."

His voice taunted them now, sarcastic and hollow. "But, we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream."

When Takaya reached for his revolver, Ryuichi readied his Evoker, squaring his shoulders to block Mitsuru better.

"You've gained new allies, yet this land still crawls with sin," Takaya spat. "Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always."

He motioned with a delicate gesture towards the bastardized tower in the distance.

"But, why the hell would you wanna stop us?" Junpei demanded.

Jin answered this time. "Simple: If the Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. And we can't let that happen now, can we?"

"Power?" Mitsuru repeated from behind Ryuichi. "Don't tell me you're Persona-users as well!"

"Why don't you use that pretty little head of yours for a change?" sighed Takaya, and Ryuichi gripped his Evoker tighter, swallowing the urge to pull the trigger prematurely. "Only a select few wield the power of a Persona. And the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours alone to explore, just like the Tower of Demise."

" _That's_ your reason?" screeched Yukari. "Are you crazy? There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

Takaya's dry laugh was like paper rubbing against paper. "What difference does it make? There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly. No one can predict the future, anyway.

"But, that is all beside the point. Surely you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has given you."

The SEES group whispered among themselves. Ryuichi's eyes went blank for a moment as he loosened his numbing grip on his Evoker.

"You think I like this?" Yukari hissed at the strange men.

"Is it not so?" Takaya asked. "How about the rest of you? Do you also wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?"

The SEES members muttered their reactions.

"I don't enjoy this one single bit," Fuuka murmured.

Jin took a few steps towards them. "You've each got your own reason for fighting," he told them all. "'Justice' is only an excuse. And that makes you all hypocrites! So I say, to hell with you!"

The two men turned and left, but Jin paused just outside the doors and kicked the stopper.

"Have fun in there!" he taunted, and the doors banged shut. The SEES members were engulfed in darkness as Akihiko ran to the doors a few steps too late.

"Dammit!" He pounded his fist against the doors, but they didn't budge.

Ryuichi summoned Ajax. His Persona's white-blue glow lit up the space, the others wincing slightly from the sudden light. He joined Akihiko at the entrance, the pair examining the doors to try to open them up again.

"We will be all right," Aigis said to them. "Rather than wasting our energy, I suggest we deal with the Shadow first."

"You're right," Yukari agreed. "If we lose our cool, then they win."

Fuuka spun around to look to the rear of the facility. There was a tunnel in the back, where Ajax's light couldn't cut through the darkness. "The Shadow's moving! I think it's noticed us!"

"All right, let's concentrate on our original goal," Mitsuru said, snapping the team back into perspective. "Everyone, prepare for battle."

Minato looked around at every bright, determined face staring at him, calculating who to choose. He paused on each person for a few seconds before moving to the next. "Let's go with Akihiko-senpai, Aigis, and Mitsuru-senpai," he announced.

"Uh, one problem with that," Ryuichi started to say, but Mitsuru stopped him.

"As long as we're trapped here, no one is coming in, and no one is going out," she said. "For now, stay here with the others."

"And what about our target?" he protested. "We don't know how strong it might be."

"I'm confident in everyone's abilities and in our support's guidance," Mitsuru reassured him as she looked at her teammates. "What we need is someone to protect Yamagishi and lead Takeba and Iori."

Junpei started bouncing on his toes with his hand high in the air. "Oh! Hey, Ryuichi-senpai, if you really wanna go with Mitsuru-senpai, I'll make sure that both Fuuka-chan and Yuka-tan are safe. You can count on me!"

Ryuichi shot Minato a look as if to ask if he was serious about the team arrangements. Minato only shrugged.

"Fine," Ryuichi reluctantly agreed through a clenched jaw. "I'll stay, so be safe, all of you."

Next to him, Junpei wilted with disappointment. "Man. And for once, I thought I might get a chance to prove myself as a leader."

All Ryuichi could do was watch Minato take his team down the tunnel. Mitsuru didn't glance back as she disappeared into the darkness with the others, but shortly after they descended deeper into the cavern, he heard glass shattering and saw a bright light emit from inside the tunnel. The light gradually faded as they all hurried further away from the entrance.

Fuuka fired her Evoker once to summon Lucia. Her Persona's light lit up the cavern, her globe-like body surrounding Fuuka in a protective shell. She began navigating for the other team, informing them that the Shadow they were looking for was heading deeper into the tunnel.

The other three had nothing to do for the moment. Ryuichi turned his attention back to the heavy doors, searching for something that might open them from the inside. Junpei tested the doors by tapping them, kicking them, and attempted to pry them open with his fingertips. Frustrated, he slipped his katana's blade between the doors and wiggled it left and right to force them open.

Yukari trotted over to observe. "You're gonna snap it in two," she told him.

At that, he tugged on his sword. "It's stuck!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "What did you expect?"

She and Ryuichi tried helping him get his sword out by pushing or pulling on the doors, hoping that the movements might loosen up on the blade. The two underclassmen bickered while trying to find the best way to free Junpei's blade, finding no solution.

"You just _had_ to go and stick it someplace weird!"

"Well _excuuuse_ me for trying to find a way outta here!"

"By snapping your sword in two?"

"Shut up!"

Ryuichi backed away as their bickering grew more heated. "Hey, guys?" he called out to them, but neither would let up. Turning to Fuuka, he started to say "Can you believe these two?" when he saw two Shadows emerge from the tunnel their friends had just gone down.

"Just a little further," he heard Fuuka tell the others. She appeared to be too focused on guiding them to not notice the two Shadows creeping up on her.

"Shadows!" Ryuichi hollered, and unsheathed his longer katana.

The two Shadows had spiked, club arms coming out of their upper bodies and several legs that made up the spokes of wheels. Ajax appeared before Lucia just as the nearest Shadow bashed its club into his shield. Ryuichi dropped to one knee when the other Shadow swept its clubbed arm overhead, but when he slashed at it, his katana only left a tiny scratch on its side.

"They're resistant to normal attacks!" Fuuka's voice came clear into his mind, letting him know that it wasn't going to be an easy battle.

Yukari fired an arrow at the other Shadow. "Junpei!" she growled, "Get it together!"

"M-My sword's still stuck!" he yelped. His foot was braced against the door while he yanked on his blade again.

Ryuichi dashed to him and pressed his own katana to Junpei's chest. " _Don't_ break it!" he snarled, and had Ajax deflect any strikes aimed at Fuuka.

"Concentrate on elemental attacks!" he ordered, boosting their defenses. "Keep moving and keep them away from Fuuka!"

Fire and wind roared as they engulfed the Shadows. Ajax braced himself against attacks, twisting left, right, left, right like a boxer guarding, side-stepping around Lucia's glass body. Ryuichi's Persona bashed forward, the Shadow backing off when mighty winds popped it off its many feet. Hermes rushed it but was quickly batted down. On the other side of the cavern, Junpei clutched at his face, swearing.

Winds tore at the other Shadow. Yukari hit it again with another Garula spell, then another before casting Diarama on Junpei. Ryuichi cast Magarula on both, watching them quake from the blasts.

"What are these things weak against?" Yukari shouted to Fuuka.

"Gimme a second," she replied. Another clubbed arm swung right at the glass window of her Persona's body, but was blocked by Ajax.

Yukari got mowed down. She didn't even get to scream as the Shadow wheeled around for another attack. At the last second, she launched herself out of the way.

"These things are fast!" she panted. She clutched at a growing bruise on her leg.

"You okay?" Ryuichi called to her.

"Yeah!"

Flames burst on the other Shadow's face. "Any minute now, Fuuka-chan!" Junpei shouted at their support.

"Sorry! Just a—No! Someone help Mitsuru-senpai!"

Ryuichi's heart stopped. "What happened? Is she—"

He dodged another swing. As he stepped back, his foot got caught between some rocks. He tugged, twisted, wrenched—The Shadow swung at him again, and he push hard against his trapped foot, hurling himself to the ground. Ryuichi cried out when he felt a series of pops in his ankle as his foot twisted free. The spiked club sailed overhead, just tearing his sleeve.

"Is Mitsuru okay?" he yelled at Fuuka, ignoring his injuries.

"She's fine! Use lightning attacks!"

Ryuichi rolled left. The club smashed the ground next to him. Ajax appeared with the sound of glass shattering and shielded Ryuichi from the assault. Junpei came to his rescue and hurled a Zio Gem at his enemy. Lightning crackled and sizzled onto the Shadow, and it slumped over.

"All right!" Junpei cheered. The other Shadow turned to him. He fumbled for another lightning gem in his pocket as the Shadow rammed into him.

"Junpei!" Yukari sent Io shield him as Ajax zoomed across the cavern to help. Ryuichi threw a Zionga Gem at the enemy, striking it down with a burst of lightning. The Shadow's chest heaved, but it didn't get back up.

"Let's go!" Ryuichi commanded the others, and the three Personas descended on the Shadows in a cloud of dust. Metal grated metal in a series of bangs and clashes, where the three teenagers could feel every blow their Personas dealt. Ryuichi hobbled over to the two juniors to help Junpei to his feet, almost getting pulled off-balance from his weight. When the dust cleared, any traces of black smoke had gone, and their Personas with it.

Junpei sported a bloody nose that left dark red droplets on his uniform shirt. He flashed the others a grin.

"Who's the man?" he boasted as he thrust Ryuichi's sword in the air.

Ryuichi snatched it back and sheathed it. "Are you two okay?" he asked them.

Yukari showed him the scratches on her palm. "Like tripping in a sandbox," she said with a weak smile. She then cupped her hand over the bruise on her leg and winced.

They all sat down on the rocks near Lucia to treat their injuries. Ryuichi gave Junpei some tissues to stuff up his nostrils for the bleeding before turning to spray disinfectant on Yukari's scratched palm.

She sucked on her teeth. "Is your arm okay?"

"It only tore my sleeve," he said gruffly, reaching for the bandages next. "Junpei, how're you doing over there?"

He flashed him a thumbs up while holding onto the tissues in his nose. "Couldn't be better," he said with a nasal chuckle.

When Yukari's hand was wrapped, she flexed her fingers a few times and thanked Ryuichi.

"Good job, you guys," he said to them. "And good work, Fuuka. Thanks for all your help."

Fuuka was too busy guiding the other team to respond, informing them of weaknesses, who was in trouble, and what tricks their newest full moon enemy used. Ryuichi listened for any news on Mitsuru, preparing to run if she was in trouble. He tested his ankle, feeling the sharp twinges with even the slightest movements.

"Hey, who do you think those guys were?" Yukari asked.

Junpei snorted. "I dunno who they are, but they're gonna pay," he snarled, the intensity of his words dulled by his nasal voice.

"You did it!" Fuuka cheered. "Good work, everyone!"

At the announcement of their teammates' victory, Ryuichi tried warming up his ankle by lowering his heel to the ground repeatedly. Slowly, he put a little weight on his bad ankle, hoping he wouldn't limp so badly once the others arrived. When he remembered how far of a trek it had been from the dorm, he knew he couldn't hide it for the entire walk back. He could already feel his swollen ankle stretching his sock and his shoe beginning to constrict.

The others returned with a few minor scrapes and bruises themselves, but nothing too serious. Akihiko had a scab forming on his lower lip, Minato's wrist was swollen, Aigis had a few scuffs on her metal body, and Mitsuru had a small burn on her forearm, where parts of her sleeve were singed over the raw patch of her skin. Lucia disappeared, freeing Fuuka from her support duties for the night, and in her Persona's place, Ajax appeared to provide them all with light.

Ryuichi was ready with the burn medicine for Mitsuru. "Here," he said to her as he squeezed some of the ointment onto a clean cotton swab.

Her eyes widened at the sight of his disheveled state. "What happened here?" she asked, seeing the battered Yukari and Junpei behind him.

"You guys missed a few Shadows on your way down, so we took 'em out," Junpei boasted triumphantly.

While Ryuichi took care of Mitsuru's injury, she contacted Ikutsuki to inform him of their victory.

"This is Mitsuru," they heard her say into her radio. "We've neutralized the target."

"Good work," they all heard Ikutsuki say. "You may return—"

"Wait. There's more: Our mission was interrupted by an uninvited guest. He's most likely a Persona-user."

"A Persona-user?"

"And he wasn't alone. They appeared quietly during the Dark Hour and seemed to be aware of our activities."

"Hmm." There was a moment of nothing but static. "Did they say anything that might give us a clue?"

"Come to think of it, they said they're called 'Strega'."

The others began whispering about their mysterious company from earlier. Mitsuru held up a hand to silence them all, causing Ryuichi to smear ointment on her sleeve.

"'Strega'?" They could hear Ikutsuki hum to himself, deep in thought. "I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you," she said to him. "I have one final thing to report: I regret to inform you that we fell right into Strega's trap and now we're locked inside here."

"Ah, I see."

Ryuichi and the other SEES members lowered their heads in shame.

"Since the threat has been eliminated, I'll send someone over as soon as I can."

"I'm sorry. We'll be waiting."

Junpei snickered to himself. "How cool would it be if Ikutsuki-san sent a limo to get us?" he asked the others.

Fuuka gasped in delight. "I've never ridden in one before."

"Me, neither!"

"Do they really have a TV and that little refrigerator?"

"The one I saw on TV did!"

Yukari looked around to them all as they chattered excitedly about their rescue. "Strega, huh? Who are they?"

"I've never heard of them before," Mitsuru said to her. "What's strange is that we couldn't detect their presence when we first entered this place."

"It's true," Fuuka piped up, visibly upset. "I couldn't sense them at all."

"It's not your fault," Minato told her, but she shook her head.

Ryuichi tied off the bandages around Mitsuru's arm. "That's the best I can do for now," he told her. "It shouldn't scar, but—"

"It's fine, Ryuichi. Thank you." She touched a hand to her injury as she looked to the others. "They also said that they've been observing us for some time now. They knew what we were doing, yet they didn't try to stop us before."

Akihiko scowled. "Probably because they're no match for us in a fight."

"Except the one called Jin was playing catch with a grenade," Ryuichi pointed out. "If they really wanted us dead, he could've easily tossed it at us."

The conversation continued. Ryuichi tended to Minato's swollen wrist before doing his best to walk the few steps to a crate full of rusted ammunition without giving any indication that he had injured his ankle.

Minutes later, the conversation tapered off as the SEES members gradually gave in to fatigue. Ryuichi could hardly keep his eyes open as he flipped open his cell phone. The screen remained dark, indicating that the Dark Hour was still active. He soon gave up, feeling his eyelids flutter as sleep tried to claim him.

He mustn't sleep. If Strega came back and attacked, or if any Shadows showed up, they would be in danger. He sucked in a deep breath and got back up, taking a moment to gingerly lower his weight onto his bad ankle and let it get used to the pain.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

He lowered his heel to the ground. "My foot fell asleep," he lied as he turned away from Mitsuru. "It's doing that pins and needles thing."

Yawning, Mitsuru sat down on the crate he had just vacated and took a seat herself. "It doesn't look like we're going anywhere for awhile, so you might as well just have a seat," she said to him.

Seeing her yawn made him do the same as he sat back down next to her. He fought to stay awake each time he felt his head lower and bob back up out of his slumber. It was only when he felt something touch his arm that he became alert again.

"I was just checking your arm," Mitsuru said as she touched the tear on his sleeve.

He stuck his fingers through the tear, finding only smooth skin underneath. "No wound, but I'll have to ask Kikuno-san for a new jacket again."

Ryuichi looked around to the others. Beneath Penthesilea's light, he saw that most of them sat on rocks or crates, either nodding off or already asleep. Junpei slept with his head back and mouth wide open, filling the cavern with his grating snores. Aigis stood guard near the tunnel in the rear, but her eyes kept shifting over to Minato, who kept nodding off to sleep. Yukari and Fuuka shared an old crate, both fast asleep while huddled together. Standing near the heavy doors, Akihiko leaned back against the wall with his arms cross over his chest, his eyelids drooping heavily.

At last, their savior arrived and opened the heavy doors for them. Junpei eagerly snatched his sword up from the ground, giving the blade a little smooch until he spotted the bend in the steel. As everyone eagerly rushed past Kikuno to get to the awaiting limousine, Ryuichi hobbled after them. Mitsuru stood by her maid at the entrance, and when Ryuichi passed them both, he heard Mitsuru tell her, "Help Ryuichi with his foot when we get back. It's the worst case of 'pins and needles' I've ever seen."

"Of course, Ojou-sama," Kikuno replied, and Ryuichi had no choice but to let Mitsuru and her maid help him to the limo.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Ryuichi's mother and sister weren't too pleased to see him hobble up to the front door on crutches. When they asked about his ankle, Ryuichi told them the little story that he and Mitsuru fabricated about how he injured himself. The story involved him accompanying Mitsuru on a shopping trip when a groper tried to touch her. At the mention of the groper, both his sister and mother turned hostile, demanding to know if Ryuichi caught him. Ryuichi lied and said that he got away by running across the street without waiting for the crosswalk. He told them that he tried to pursue him, but when he was nearly hit by a car, he stepped back wrong onto the curb and rolled his ankle.

It was a wild story that even he couldn't believe, especially the part about Mitsuru wanting to go shopping, but it was enough for Shizue and Ayumi to believe him. The story was mostly Mitsuru's idea, wanting him to start highlighting the fact that he was indeed a bodyguard, even if the stories were lies to cover up the real way he got injured.

"So he got away," Shizue said with disapproval. "Who knows how many other girls will get felt up by that creep until he's caught."

"You have to try harder next time," Ayumi added, shaking his shoulder. "How could you let him harm Mitsuru-san like that?"

"I didn't," Ryuichi snarled as they finally let him step through the front door. "I grabbed him before he could even touch her."

"All right! Good going, Ryu-chan!" Shizue patted his other shoulder. "Score one for the bodyguard!"

Ayumi hadn't budged from her frown. "I don't like that you're putting yourself in danger like that, Ryuichi," she murmured darkly.

"Mom, relax! It was just a groper, not the yakuza!" Shizue protested on Ryuichi's behalf. "You really think they'd let him take on something big like that?"

Ryuichi's eye twitched as he cracked an ironic smile. "Yeah," he agreed half-heartedly. "So, Mom? Ready to head out?"

He hoped that his mother would dismiss the subject for now while she went to gather her things for work. When she was ready, it was clear she still had plenty to say, but said nothing of it as she kissed her granddaughter and embraced Shizue before departing.

Even on his bad ankle, he walked his mother out to the bus stop, where he had to listen to her complain about Toshio and Shizue yet again. He mostly grunted an "Uh-huh" or a "He did what?" to make her think he was still interested, and it seemed to be enough for her. They arrived early at the bus stop, giving Ryuichi a chance to sit at the bench there while his mother continued her rants.

"That reminds me: Did you bring it?" she asked midway through another complaint.

He pulled out a small, thick envelope from his pocket. "Here," he said. "Same amount?"

"Yeah, still the same," she replied, taking the envelope from him. "Thank you for doing this, Ryuichi. I'm sorry we have to ask you for your help like this."

"I don't mind helping, Mom," he told her, watching as she tucked the envelope away into her purse. "The thing is, if Dad doesn't change the way he is, I don't know if I can keep helping."

"What do you think we should do, then?" She clamped her arm around her purse protectively.

He scratched his sweaty temple with a finger. "Well, the problem with Dad is that he's way too hard on Shizue, so something there's gotta change."

"Like what? Like your sister shouldn't work there anymore?"

Her voice rose above the cicadas buzzing all around them. Ryuichi took out his handkerchief to wipe sweat from his face while keeping a hand on his crutches, trying to find any excuse to delay his answer. He put on his sunglasses next, wishing he had brought his fedora for extra protection from the sun. The entire time, Ayumi kept quiet, staring at him as she waited for him to tell her what was on his mind.

"Shizue's doing a lot better at the restaurant, but it's obvious that Dad still hasn't forgiven her for giving away his recipes," Ryuichi said, feeling like he had said the same thing so many times over already. He kept his voice low enough so that the cicadas would cover his voice from any passersby. "Except, she can be kind of a pain when she doesn't want to do certain stuff at work."

His eyes flickered to his woebegone mother. "How bad is it on days I'm not there?" he asked her. "Are they at least civil enough to get through the day?"

"They argue almost every day, and over the smallest things." She took out a small plastic bag with a damp handkerchief inside to dab at the back of her neck. "They argue less at home, since they just keep away from each other most of the time."

She let out a sigh that seemed to carry some of her years out of her being. "Don't tell anyone this, but I've been thinking for a while now that having her move back in with us was a bad idea."

Ryuichi cocked his head at his mother. "Do you not like having her around, either?" he asked tentatively.

Her face contorted. "She's my daughter and I love her very much, but that attitude of hers has to change. She's so much like your father that it's only natural they'd be enemies."

He wanted to ask why only Shizue had to change her bad attitude while Toshio got to keep his, but instead asked: "So, why not just have her move into her own apartment?"

"You think I trust her to live alone with a baby? She can't even take care of herself!"

His mother raised a good point. "Well, she's learned how to cook simple stuff for herself," he said in a weak murmur.

"Cooking is one thing, but can you imagine her trying to work, pay the bills, raise a baby, and take care of herself? At least with you, I know that you're responsible."

He tried not to look too pleased with his mother's comment about him. "I guess you're right," he agreed. "But, what happens now? As long as Dad and Shizue have to live and work together, the restaurant's going to suffer the most."

The bus turned onto their street. Ayumi stood up from the bench and gave her son a look of quiet desperation that broke his heart.

"Unless you can let her move into the dorm with you, then I can't think of anything else," she said, already looking exhausted from their talk.

After a quick hug, Ryuichi watched his mother get on the bus and waved to her as they drove off. He thought about what she had said, feeling like his ribs had all been cracked and shoved inward to stab his heart when he saw a glimpse of how much she had been holding back. Her anger seemed to have been more of a mask that she wore to cover up her fears and worries for her family and their livelihood, and also her helplessness in doing anything to fix their troubles.

After a day of singing, playing, and reading to little Megumi, Ryuichi took the bus home. Somehow, he managed to smile while caring for his niece, hiding the worries of his mother that he bore unto himself. Shizue didn't seem to suspect a thing, or at least she didn't ask him about anything their parents might be saying about her.

Ryuichi's mother's words resounded in his mind the entire day through to the evening. When he returned to the dorm that night, he still heard Ayumi's voice in his head as he looked through his stack of mail that Kikuno left for him behind the front desk. He brought his mail to his room, stopping when he pulled up an envelope that stood out to him: It was the mortgage on the small house he bought just last year.

He sat down on his bed and stared at the envelope. He hadn't told anyone about the house, not even Mitsuru, as he wanted it to be his own private getaway. It was after he nearly lost his arm that he got to thinking about what would happen if he sustained an injury that prevented him from working as a bodyguard. For that reason, along with wanting a place to himself, he made the decision to buy the house. Most of his earnings from his work as Mitsuru's bodyguard went into remodeling that house, so that he would at least have a place to live if he couldn't work anymore.

But now, the house seemed to have a new purpose that he was reluctant to use it for. Ryuichi turned on the air conditioning before sitting at his desk to look through his bills, trying to decide if letting Shizue live in his house would offer a solution for his family's problems.

He still hadn't made his decision when Monday rolled around. Mitsuru had warned him before about signing all the SEES members up for the week-long session of summer school. The reason she gave while everyone fell into despair from the news was for the sake of their grades, where she was concerned that their nightly excursions through Tartarus might hinder their studies. She assured everyone that she would also attend the summer classes, but no one saw the point of her joining them. Even Ryuichi found it ridiculous for her to take the classes, seeing as she was academically advanced far beyond everyone in their entire school.

He was back in his school desk all too soon. Ryuichi wasn't surprised to see that there were only five students total in their class, including Mitsuru and himself. Worse still, the classrooms weren't air conditioned, leaving them all to stew in their sweat and the broiling heat. Ryuichi had to set a few tissues down for his hand to rest on so he wouldn't smear sweat on his notes when he wrote something down.

That same week, Koromaru had recovered from his injuries and, to everyone's amazement, was able to summon his Persona, Cerberus, with ease. The new boy at the dorm, Ken, also proved to be able to summon his Persona, Nemesis, something that everyone in SEES appeared to be opposed to. It was bad enough that they were fighting Shadows at all, and now to let a child join their ranks was too absurd. The seniors were the most against letting Ken join, but according to Ikutsuki, Ken was the one who asked to help put an end to the Dark Hour.

On Tuesday after class, Ryuichi saw Mitsuru to the awaiting car outside the school gates. She was to see her grandmother who was visiting at the Kirijo mansion just to see her beloved granddaughter.

"Tell her I apologize for what happened to your arm," Ryuichi said as he held the car door open for Mitsuru. He eyed the small burn mark above her wrist, feeling his stomach twist with panic and guilt.

"I've already told you that what happened was not your fault," Mitsuru reminded him. "I ordered you to stay with the other group, and I think that may have been more beneficial that way."

He couldn't take his eyes off the tiny mar on her skin. "I should've pushed more to go with you," he insisted.

Mitsuru slid into the seat. "I don't blame you for what happened, so I hope you would stop blaming yourself," she said, and her tone told him that the discussion was over.

He closed the door and stood there for a few seconds to watch the car pull away, then headed home to the dorm for his motorcycle to go see the house he had not been to in many months.

When Ryuichi first bought the house, it was a small, one-story building that had been trashed by people who broke into it to have a party. Because of that, Ryuichi was able to get it at a far lower price than it originally was, along with the freedom to remodel it the way he preferred.

When he first bought the house, he decided to hire a team to have the whole place gutted and redone. He had them put insulation in the walls, rewired it and had the plumbing replaced as needed. The rotting wood floors and moldy tatami mats were replaced with new hardwood flooring, save for the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet, which had new tiles put in. Additionally, he had a second floor constructed to become his master suite.

That afternoon when he entered the house, the first thing he noticed was how hot and moist the air was inside. Tugging on his collar, he peered into the long hallway before him, the only light coming from the front window next to the entrance and the ones by the staircase. He removed his shoes in the genkan, remembering that he hadn't bought any slippers to use in the house yet. The small shoe closet on his right was completely bare, save for the one spider that made its home in the corner. On his left was the staircase leading upstairs, and beneath it was the toilet.

He completely redid the water closet, having new tiles put in and an electronic toilet installed. The sink was built into the toilet tank, and a retractable bidet was in the bowl, which was activated by a little panel of buttons on the wall. Upon closer inspection, Ryuichi saw a button that warmed the toilet seat for comfort in the winter.

At the end of the hallway at the back of the house was the laundry room attached to the bathroom. He also had them retiled, and added an air vent that allowed him to dry his laundry indoors. He had a brand new washing machine installed that even he had not used before, and a new sink where he could hand-wash any delicates he might have someday.

The bathroom was one of his favorite projects of the house. He had a detachable showerhead installed, more for the convenience of cleaning than anything else. The tub was electronic, where he had a panel in the laundry room and in the living room that allowed him to fill the bathtub with his ideal amount of water at the perfect temperature. He didn't have to fill it manually or test the water by hand at all.

On the left side of the house, a short, narrow hallway led to the two bedrooms there. Only one of the bedrooms had a bed with the plastic still covering the mattress, but both rooms were identical with their small, cozy sizes and their brand new air conditioners. He originally considered turning them into a single large room, but when he decided to have the master suite built upstairs, he decided to keep them separate.

Across the main hall on the right side of the house was the kitchen and living room. They used to be two separate rooms, but when he saw how tiny and closed off they were, he had the wall between them knocked down to make them one large room. Ryuichi slid open the door to admire how spacious it was, remembering how claustrophobic the old design had been.

The kitchen was at the front of the house, with an island topped with a granite slab to establish some separation from the living room. Two stools stood in front of the island, where he imagined himself having breakfast every morning. As for kitchenware, he had the basic stainless steel refrigerator, some pots and pans, a stove with four burners and a fish grill, and a microwave oven large enough for him to roast a whole chicken. He had a stainless steel double bowl sink added after he saw that someone had thrown up in the old one before he officially received the keys to the house.

One notable detail in the kitchen that seemed out of place was the extra door. That door was another addition he made that led out into the attached single car garage. When he bought the place, there was an open space next to his house where a tattered awning used to be. He suspected that it originally housed a single car and had the garage built in its place. At present, his motorcycle was the sole occupant of the garage, surrounded by empty space that Ryuichi knew would be good for storage.

Back inside the house, he looked to the space opposite the kitchen to the living room. He had cheap, light blue curtains covering the windows that he kept closed to protect the large flat screen TV that hung on the adjacent wall. A blue, faux leather sectional sofa filled up most of the room, sharing it with the square coffee table in front of the TV. He settled on the sofa for a moment, grimacing right away at how quickly it trapped heat.

"Should've gone with something that can breathe," he groaned, and got up right away.

He went around behind the couch to the sliding glass door. It led out to a puny yard, with a brand new deck that filled up most of the space left over from the addition of the garage. There wasn't much room to dry laundry there, but at least he could sit on the deck and play his guitar while letting his bare feet brush against the small patch of lush grass.

After closing up the sliding doors, he went upstairs to the master suite. This room he kept locked all the time to protect, as it was his absolute favorite of all the rooms in the entire house. He took the shiniest key from his key ring and unlocked the door, feeling like he was intruding on someone else's home.

When he entered, the first thing he saw was the sliding door leading out to the balcony above the garage. For the moment, he strode past the door to the balcony to see his king-sized bed that balanced softness and firmness to perfectly cushion his body so he fell asleep in seconds. Across from the bed on the opposing wall was another flat screen TV, one that could rival Mitsuru's in her room in the dorm. It stood atop his empty dresser with plans to be mounted on the wall whenever he had a chance.

The master bathroom was one of the projects that ate up a good chunk of his budget. He went for the large walk-in closet, and next to it was a little water closet with the same kind of electronic toilet as the one downstairs. He had porcelain tiles installed with touches of grays and whites all throughout the bathroom floor. Double sinks with plenty of counter space occupied the space against the wall, and a large mirror spanned the length of the vanity. Opposite the sinks was the shower, which also had a detachable showerhead in addition to a second showerhead coming out from the ceiling. The bathtub was at the far end of the bathroom, and he had chosen one with jets in it to spoil himself a bit. He was quite proud of how well everything turned out.

After a brief stop at the toilet, he went out to the balcony to admire the view of the neighborhood. All the houses were tightly packed within stone walls, with just enough space in the front and back for a small yard or garden. Some houses had a simple awning on the side or in front where they had a little car squeezed in between the house and the wall. One or two houses had a garage built into the front of the house, but judging from the sizes of the houses, the garages looked to take up too much of the living space.

He stood there with his elbows resting on the balustrade, thinking hard about what he should do with the house. If he let his sister live in it, then everyone would know about it and their parents would unleash more of their wrath upon him for whatever reasons they could come up with. Worse still, he didn't know if Shizue would revert to her old tendencies of partying, where he may have given her a place to let loose again. He knew that even he still had his doubts about whether or not his sister had truly changed her ways, but he wanted to give her a chance to prove herself and get away from their parents.

But, was it worth risking the one place he had been so careful to hide from everyone?

"What the hell should I do?" he sighed, holding his head in his hands.

It would benefit everyone. That was the thought he kept in the back of his mind, one that had been drilled into his head for much of his life. He was certain that creating some distance between his sister and their parents would be best for both parties, where their parents could get more sleep and Shizue wouldn't be hounded as much. But, even if Shizue had that distance, she would still need a nanny, and odds were she would still wake up often to tend to Megumi. Her lack of sleep could still bring out the current discord within their family and the restaurant.

"What about a live-in nanny?" he asked himself, taking notice of how idiotic his ideas were starting to sound.

He needed a second opinion. At the moment, there were only two people he felt he could trust in talking about what to do with his house, and one of them was currently having tea with her grandmother. The other person found out about his house only because she unexpectedly came in to change his bandages while he was browsing house listings one day, but she wasn't the one he wanted to consult for the matter.

Ryuichi let his vision slide out of focus, allowing his mind to fuzz over for a few seconds so he could get away from his stress-charged thoughts. His ears filled with the droning buzz of thousands of cicadas all over the neighborhood, blocking out his worries for a brief respite. He went back inside the house, and when he shut the door, all the shrieks and buzzes of the cicadas cut off almost completely. It sounded to him like someone had shoved cotton in his ears, the sudden quiet so overwhelming that he could hear a faint, tinny whine. Exhaling, he took a moment to congratulate himself for splurging a little on the kind of doors and windows that drastically muted outside noises.

He wasn't ready to give up his home yet. He never spent a single night in the house before, even after it was finished with renovations, and he wasn't sure he wanted to let his sister be the first to do so.

On Thursday during break between subjects, Ryuichi headed to the toilet when he overheard two guys talking about the summer festival coming up on Sunday.

"I mean, I wanna ask her, but you think she'll say yes?" the timid guy asked his friend.

"She's gotta!" his friend exclaimed. "Come on, man! You gotta try!"

"Yeah, but she was into that other guy before, remember?"

"So what? I heard he wasn't into her."

"How do you know that?"

"They were only going out for like, a week, and even then, I heard that he didn't even know they were going out!"

"For real? What a dumbass!"

"Yeah! Hey, how about this: ask her out and tell her to bring a bunch of her friends and we'll bring ours so it's more of a group thing."

"Hey, yeah! Shiori-senpai can't say no if it's a group!"

Ryuichi tensed up. He quickly finished his business, washed his hands, and left before the two guys could see him. He was back in his seat before Mitsuru even noticed that he had gone.

He had forgotten all about the festival at Naganaki Shrine. There were flyers and banners around town trying to draw in crowds, but with the number of the Lost increasing with each day, some people seemed put off by the idea of venturing out at night. Ryuichi wanted to go, figuring the Lost were harmless, but with work in the way, he would have to skip it that year.

At work that same day, he arrived at the restaurant to the sounds of Shizue and Toshio arguing again. Everyone could hear them from out back where all the smokers were, their voices carrying into the restaurant and causing all the patrons looked up from their food to stare in the direction of all the bickering.

"No, you told me that we didn't need to order more brisket!" Shizue yelled at their father.

"I said we didn't need _one_ more, so that means you still needed to order the two!" Toshio shouted back. "Now we're short!"

"Then next time, _you_ need to just say how many you need, not how many you _don't_ need!"

"You need to learn to listen!"

"Oh, like you're of the authority to say that!"

"I'm your father and _you_ need to do as I say!"

"Why? Because you can't handle that your shitty restaurant's failing so you have to take it out on me?"

"At least I'm not the dipshit who went and got herself pregnant!" he bellowed, and Shizue shut up.

"Dad!" Ryuichi boomed over the both of them, and the two looked over to him. Shizue couldn't meet Ryuichi's gaze, but her eyes glazed over like she was fighting to hold back her tears.

"What is it, Ryuichi?" Toshio growled, still glaring at his daughter.

"People can hear everything," Ryuichi said calmly. "Even the people who already paid for their orders are leaving without them because they don't like what they're hearing."

"Yeah, well, Dad's the one spewing shit about me," Shizue sniffled. "I was talking about the business and he fucking went _there_."

"Because all our problems are because of y—"

"Stop," Ryuichi said in a firm voice. "Okay, both of you just go home now and talk it out there. I'll take over from here."

"But she—"

"Dad, I got it."

Toshio glowered at him, then turned to Shizue. "You go home first," he told her. "I have to let your brother know what needs to be fixed."

Ryuichi didn't want to work with his father any more than his sister did, but like his father said, he needed to know where the mistakes were made so he could correct them. Shizue grabbed her things from the back office and headed to the bus stop while Toshio led Ryuichi through all the missing inventory while ranting about his sister. Ryuichi had to constantly remind him that there were customers who could hear him, and that if he kept bothering them with complaints about Shizue, he would drive them all away.

They perused the ledger to see what mistakes Shizue made. Ryuichi learned that it was more than just the wrong number of briskets, but also wrong ingredients, wrong amounts of ingredients, not enough pork shoulder, incorrect fat percentage in the ground beef, and so on. When Ryuichi saw that she ordered scented soaps instead of the plain ones they always got, he noticed that the scented kind cost significantly more.

"Okay, so she made a few mistakes," Ryuichi said, surprised that he was able to contain his own irritation. "Did you look over the orders before she called them in?"

His father looked strangely uncomfortable. "Well, I told her what to order, so I thought she had written everything down just as I said."

"Dad!"

"I trusted her!" Toshio roared. "She wants to be trusted, but she screws up the smallest tasks I give her!"

"She's still learning," Ryuichi reminded him. "As for the soap, I guess she just figured that she was helping to make the place a little more aesthetically pleasing."

"Forget aesthetics! This is a restaurant! The aesthetic is supposed to be American, not pretty flowers or fruity smells!"

Toshio refused to return home until closing time. Ryuichi didn't push him to leave, figuring that he and Shizue needed more time away from each other. Instead, Toshio hung around, ranting and swearing, directing all his frustrations onto Ryuichi, who withdrew into his other worries regarding his house throughout his father's tirade.

"All right, Dad," Ryuichi said, showing his father the ledger while Toshio prepared the few hunks of meat they still had. "I made the adjustments, so Mom can just order the correct stuff tomorrow. We'll have to see if we can return the other stuff, but until then, we'll have to cut into the next day's batch of meats before we can make up for the losses. Other than that, everything else should be fine."

Toshio scowled. "If it weren't for your sister, you wouldn't have had to waste time doing that," he snarled. "All she's good for is cooking, and even with that, she's prone to undercooking stuff."

"She's still new, Dad," Ryuichi moaned again. "But next time, if you're gonna let her take inventory, you've gotta look everything over yourself after she's done it. She's not gonna get it right the first time."

"Yeah, well, it's not hard what I asked her to do."

Ryuichi rolled his eyes at his father's reluctance to admit he was wrong.

"Maybe you've been teaching her wrong," Toshio suggested, and Ryuichi slammed the ledger down on the counter.

"Seriously, Dad?" Ryuichi yelled, his frustrations bursting out of him. " _I'm_ the problem? _I'm_ the reason why Shizue's not working out? Is that what you really think?"

Toshio began squishing the ground beef like he was strangling it. "It's the only explanation I can see," he told his son. "She always says 'Ryu-chan does it like this' or 'Ryu-chan taught me that' and it looks to me like I can't trust you to run this place properly. I can't have you sending out bad food until you've learned the right way."

"What's wrong with how I cook?" Ryuichi demanded. The hairs on his back were like needles driving themselves into his skin.

"Your burgers are undercooked."

"They're not undercooked! I've seen the reviews online, and people like that my burgers are juicy! They never said—"

"They're not up to the Toshio standard, son." Toshio went back to vigorously mixing the meat. "They're okay, but they're not as good as they could be. You'll get there someday."

He wasn't good enough. Ryuichi thought about all the reviews he read, how people would say that the best days to go to Toshio's would be the days that he worked, and how the SEES group would devour everything he made, but if his father said that his food was no good, he usually knew he had to listen. This time, he called bull shit.

Toshio washed his hands and clapped one to Ryuichi's shoulder. "I'll teach you everything you need to know," he told his son. "See? You said that you remembered everything when you worked here a few years ago, but you forgot everything. I can't teach you Saturday or Sunday, but I can't have you putting out the wrong stuff, either."

Ryuichi was still expected to show up on Saturday and Sunday for work, but he wouldn't be on the grill until he learned the "proper" way to cook burgers. Instead, his father asked him to take care of everything else: cutting potatoes, frying food, constructing the burgers, and of course, cleaning up. Everything he thought he knew was wrong, according to his father, and so the compliments from the reviewers saying that the food was better on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, must also be wrong.

"It's no wonder we weren't doing so well!" Toshio said after they closed up the restaurant. "I knew I should've made sure that you knew what you were doing before putting you to work!"

His father didn't know it, but Ryuichi felt a tiny crack in his chest. It was the first time he truly considered quitting his job at the restaurant, after thinking for months that he had a chance to fix it. Now, it no longer seemed possible.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

Saturday was the last day of summer classes, and Ryuichi should have been ecstatic to be done. He sat at his desk with his jaw resting against his fist, drumming his fingers as the teacher passed out their graded tests. He didn't care too much about whether or not he did well on his test, as he was more concerned about the so-called "training" his father was going to give him on Monday.

The man was a self-proclaimed "master of meats", but Ryuichi was certain that he was only going to teach him how to cook the burger patties until they were little more than flavored charcoal. Protesting against his techniques was pointless, as his father would hear none of the drivel from commoners who couldn't possible understand true culinary craftsmanship.

The teacher set his test down in front of him. He blinked and saw the bold red ninety-seven at the top of his paper and felt nothing for it.

"Good work, everyone," their teacher said to the class. "Please enjoy the rest of your summer break."

With the scraping of chairs and some relieved laughter, the others were ready to celebrate their freedom. Mitsuru turned around in her seat while Ryuichi packed up his school bag, keeping his head down.

"As expected, you did very well," he heard her say.

He stuffed the test into his bag. "I still have a hundred years left until I catch up to you," he said with a shrug, spotting the solid one hundred on her test. "So, how should we celebrate this time?"

"We still haven't celebrated the past many successes," she noted as she began to pack her bag. "But, if you want to culminate all of our past successes into one single celebration, might I suggest we do so at the festival tomorrow?"

He gave her an apologetic look. "Ah, sorry, but I've got work," he said, internally writhing and cursing at himself for not being able to go.

Mitsuru stared at his left hand. It was wrapped in bandages. "And I suppose they're going to make you work when your arm's not in top condition?"

"It's just a sprained wrist," he said, getting up from his seat. "I got a little stupid with my workout this morning and my wrist bent all weird."

They both finished packing their bags and left the classroom. Mitsuru was about to get the door for Ryuichi, but he beat her to it. She frowned at him before crossing over the threshold.

"Are you really planning on going to work with a sprained wrist?" she asked him on the stairs.

"I kinda have to," he replied, trying to cover up his misery with a dutiful tone. "I can still use my right hand and Dad wants to teach me the 'correct' way to cook burger patties."

Ryuichi almost ran into Mitsuru when she halted on the landing without warning. Her eyes were wide in disbelief as she looked back to him with knitted eyebrows.

"I'm sorry. Would you care to explain that?"

Ryuichi motioned with his bad hand for her to keep walking. "The other night, Dad complained that I was teaching Shizue the wrong way of cooking burgers and wants to teach me the 'right' way."

She still looked as confused as he was. "I've had your burgers before, and I've found nothing wrong with them," she told him. "How does your father prepare it?"

"Charred and dried out so it's like crumbly shoe leather, but it still sells, I guess."

"'Crumbly shoe leather'?" she echoed in dumbfounded awe.

"Yeah. Dad thinks the char on the edges adds flavor—which technically, it does—but he lets it sit a little too long on the grill and mashes it down while it cooks. He thinks I don't cook it long enough when all he does is squeeze the juices out of it and cook it to death."

"I still don't see what's wrong with your burgers. They've always been perfectly delicious and succulent."

"Well, according to him, they're undercooked."

They separated briefly to change their shoes. Mitsuru was already holding the front door open for Ryuichi long before he was ready.

"Are you certain that you're the one cooking them incorrectly?" Mitsuru asked as she passed through the open door after him. "What do the patrons say?"

"The reviews online say that the best days to go are the days that I happen to work," he answered, hiding his smugness under a bitter tone. "But, Dad doesn't like hearing Shizue say that I taught her to do things a little differently from him."

"Other than cooking the burger patties, what else does he feel the need to correct?"

"I don't know. So far it's just the burgers, so I have no idea what else he's gonna teach me on Monday."

"Monday?"

"Yeah. He doesn't want me cooking the burgers until after he's taught me, and since he's not in on Saturdays and Sundays are usually pretty hectic, he can't teach me until Monday."

"It's just as well," she said, eyeing his bandaged hand again. "I don't think you will be able to help with your wrist like that."

He shrugged. "I still have to go in today."

"But, that doesn't make sense: Saturdays are when you're in charge, yet he won't let you cook the burgers? Who cooks it, then?"

"The workers, or Shizue, I guess, since he already 'corrected' her."

Mitsuru touched a hand to her head as though she was battling a headache. "I'm sorry, but this doesn't make sense to me," she said. "And what about your arm? You won't be able to work with it, will you?"

He shoved his hand into his pocket so she would stop staring at it. "I'll just be in charge of shoving potatoes through the slicer and sticking them in the fryer," he told her. "You only need one arm for that."

They reached the train platform where dozens of people crowded up by the yellow line. Ryuichi managed to squeeze both himself and Mitsuru closer to the front, but the amount of collective body heat joining with the stifling, scorching summer weather made Ryuichi realize what a mistake his move had been.

"I guess I'll just have to take a rain check on that celebration," he said to Mitsuru. "Sorry we gotta delay it again."

"It's no trouble," she replied plainly. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the festival tomorrow? I can call your parents to let them know that you'll be accompanying me to a celebratory event as my bodyguard."

His eyebrows raised in awe. "You, the student council president, are condoning the act of playing hooky in lieu of work?" he asked, playing up his amazement.

She made a face. "Well, if you're going to put it that way, then I revoke my offer."

"Might as well," he sighed in defeat. "Just do me a favor if you go: Have fun for me, okay?"

Somehow, Mitsuru appeared saddened by his request. "All right, but only if you do me a favor as well."

He raised a hand in a half-shrug. "Name it."

"I'd like to have a talk with you about your current situation," she said. "You have Tuesday off, correct? We can talk then."

He shuddered. "You make it sound so ominous," he remarked, feeling the lady next to him squish up against his arm.

"I'm just concerned because you seem to be more troubled than before." Mitsuru pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "And I have a feeling that it's more than just hamburgers that's on your mind."

She was right, as usual, but at least Ryuichi could see that he was given an opportunity to discuss his other concern regarding the house.

"Fine, but if we're talking over tea, you might wanna lower your expectations on the snacks I'll make," he replied.

"We can go somewhere else to talk so that you don't have to make anything."

Ryuichi still had time to prepare tea and snacks for Mitsuru that afternoon before he went to work. They returned to the dorm to find the others crashing in the lounge, all worn out from the dragging week of summer classes that nobody asked for.

"Well, no point in sticking around here all day!" Junpei exclaimed as he popped off the couch. "I've got me a date at the station!"

"A date?" Yukari gave him a funny look.

Minato cocked an eyebrow at him. "A real date? Not like Yakushima?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Junpei cringed. "And it's not really a date, but yeah."

Akihiko finished slurping up his instant noodles. "It's not a date, but a girl's involved?"

While Junpei babbled a bit about some girl, Mitsuru and Ryuichi both headed to their respective rooms. Ryuichi didn't bother to turn on his air conditioner as he changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He stopped by the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks for Mitsuru before heading out to the restaurant and quickly discovered that crafting sandwiches with a sprained wrist was much easier than with a burned hand, especially since it wasn't his right hand this time.

At work, Ryuichi explained to the workers and his sister that Toshio asked him to leave cooking the burgers to the rest of them and to cook it the way his father wanted it. They didn't take it very well.

"Your way is the right way, though!"

"Who cares about what he wants? He murders those patties!"

"Have you seen the reviews? People prefer your way!"

"Forget what Dad said," Shizue told him over the uproar of the others. "I was watching some of the customers eat the burgers he made, and you could tell they weren't enjoying it. Dad's not here to make you do it his way, so you might as well do it your way."

Ryuichi couldn't believe that his own sister was actually supporting him. "Well, like you said, Dad's not here to stop me and he can't prove that I did it wrong," he said slowly, and the others nodded. "Does he still use the security cameras?"

"I don't think so," Shizue answered for everyone. "I went through the office computer and it doesn't look like he uses them at all."

Ryuichi expected nothing less from their computer-illiterate father. "Okay, but even still, I'd rather honor his wishes and stay away from the grill. You guys can cook the burgers since you know how to do it the 'right' way."

The workers' smiles seemed to understand what he meant, but some of them still urged him to also cook with them.

"Sorry," Ryuichi told them, "but if he catches me anywhere near the burgers, he'll kill me."

"If he does kill you, at least you won't have to show up to work tomorrow," Shizue said with a sly grin. The others chuckled at the thought but sounded nervous, like they wished they also had a good excuse to not have to show up to work anymore.

One of the workers was a hulk of a man who clapped Ryuichi hard on the back. Ryuichi thought he shattered some ribs.

"Between you and your father, I consider you to be my boss," he told Ryuichi. "You actually know what you're doing and you care about us."

"You helped us out instead of yelling at us," added the middle-aged woman who struggled the most in the past.

One of the newer members was a girl one year younger than Ryuichi. "Can't you keep being our boss instead?" she asked shyly.

Ryuichi couldn't promise anything and encouraged everyone to get to work. He couldn't break it to them that he didn't want to continue at the restaurant, that he actually hated working there and wanted to quit. But now, with the staff backing his way of cooking the burgers, he felt a bit empowered, but hoped that they wouldn't get caught by his father for not cooking the burgers his way.

The staff were all helpful when he explained that he sprained his wrist and couldn't work as efficiently as usual. They worked together, helping one another, balancing their tasks under Ryuichi's guidance while he stood by the fry station shoving potatoes through the slicer. When they had enough fries, he went to help take orders from customers. His jaw dropped onto the counter when he saw the line leading out the door, just like it used to before Shizue moved back in with their parents.

"So, when did Dad get obsessed with turning the burgers into charcoal?" Ryuichi asked his sister when they went on break. They both had just feasted on half a Tsunami Tsandwich each, shared a basket of fries, and were now slurping up the juices of their melting popsicles that they bought from the nearby convenience store.

"What are you talking about? Dad's always cooked it that way," Shizue told him. "Don't you remember?"

"Not really." He munched on the end of his frozen treat. "Does that mean that I might've screwed Dad over by cooking the meat differently?"

"I think you mean to say 'correctly'."

He helped himself to some fries. Shizue had a video playing on their father's computer that had a laugh track, but she wasn't joining in the humor of the show.

"Hey, Ryu-chan? Since you already have your job with Mitsuru-san, why do you even bother working for a psycho like Dad?"

He chewed through his fries before talking. "I didn't wanna work here in the first place," he told her bluntly. "Mom was worried that Dad wasn't getting enough rest and originally asked me to help out so Dad could take an extra day off per week to catch up on his sleep. Then Dad preferred having me work here, so here I am."

"So, if you hate working here, then why did you decide to stay?"

"Because of Mom and Dad telling me I'm a selfish bastard for not wanting to help the family."

He chomped on his popsicle, too enraged to feel his teeth freeze. He didn't stop eating until the whole frozen treat was devoured.

"The thing is," he began, wiping sweet juices from his lips, "the restaurant's actually tanking, so even with me helping here, Mom still has to ask me to cover a few additional costs. I don't mind helping, but if Dad's not going to change his attitude, I don't see the point of trying to keep the place afloat. The man's convinced that he knows best about the business, but the way he treats everyone and doesn't give two shits about what his family or his customers have to say, I seriously don't know why I don't just quit."

He scarfed down more fries. When he looked over to Shizue, he stopped eating altogether when he noticed her tearing up.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She blinked back tears. "I knew that Megumi was driving us all crazy the way she keeps us all up at night, but I didn't think that it would drive Dad to get this way," she mumbled.

Ryuichi felt his stomach sour with guilt. "He doesn't hate you or Megumi," he told her, regretting saying anything at all. "I think both Mom and Dad are just worried about you because it's not easy raising a child by yourself. And, well, we all know that Dad's baby is the restaurant, and he's struggling with that, too."

"Because Megumi won't let him get enough sleep."

"She's a just a baby. Give her a break."

She shook her head. "I never really hated the restaurant, just the way that Dad ran it," she murmured. "I don't want it to tank, but I can't just make Megumi stop crying all the time."

She picked her head up and typed something on the computer. Ryuichi watched her eyes shift rapidly across the screen while her hand manipulated the mouse.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for cheap apartments," she answered, sniffling as she stared unblinkingly at the screen. "Mom hates me at home, Dad hates me at the restaurant, and everybody hates Megumi, so we should just leave."

"Nobody hates you or Megumi, and you moving out isn't gonna solve anything."

"Mom and Dad will be able to sleep better when there's no baby crying all night."

Her voice became gritty and harsh, and he couldn't blame her. He felt guilt spike in his chest, knowing that he had said too much. He drove his sister to a level too close to desperation that he knew only he could take responsibility for. He needed to make up for it, and he knew the only way how, even though it was killing him inside.

"Maybe you should just give Dad some time to rethink things," he piped up in a squeaky voice. "Dad was pretty pissed with me for not cooking things the way he likes, and you know how crazy he gets about his food."

Shizue let out a frustrated sigh. "Forget it, Ryu-chan. Everyone knows that Dad always liked you better."

His hands clenched into fists of stone. His sister thought that their father liked him better, when both their parents used to tell everyone with ears that their daughter was a genius at the top of her class, captain of the illustrious Gekkoukan High School tennis team, and the pride of the family. She was always the golden child in their eyes, and Ryuichi was just the one who was expected to shine her up after hours.

"My break's over," he muttered as he cleared their mess. He took the last of their fries and gobbled them up, barely tasting any of it.


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

Out of all the places that Ryuichi expected Mitsuru to choose for their talk, he never expected her to request that they try out the local ramen shop, Hagakure. He thought she was insane, considering that the weather was already hot enough to melt his face off, and now she wanted something just as hot to eat. But, it was what she wanted, and he wasn't about to tell his boss that she couldn't have any.

"I've only come here once before with Akihiko, but we didn't order anything," Mitsuru said when they entered the restaurant.

Inside, the lights were kept at a warm, dim level, with the walls, the furniture, and the countertops all various shades of dark wood. As it was still some time before lunch, there were only a few patrons there, one of them a rather stout Gekkoukan High boy in their year who was finishing up a bowl of ramen when the owner set down a fresh one next to his old one.

"Wanna sit at the counter?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru.

"Certainly." They both slid onto the stools near the middle, away from the other customers. There were signs with the menu items for them to choose from, but Ryuichi already knew what he was going to order.

"They all sound wonderful," Mitsuru remarked as she looked back-and-forth across the board. "What would you recommend?"

"I'm probably gonna go for the Hagakure Bowl," he said, keeping his voice low.

She scanned the signs again. "I don't see it anywhere. Are you teasing me?"

When she chuckled, he couldn't help but smile. "It's actually a secret menu item," he explained. "Everything here's good, but there's something about the Hagakure Bowl that just seems to have a little something extra."

"In that case, I'll have one, too."

Ryuichi placed their orders, and the owner disappeared into the kitchen to set to work right away.

"So, how was the festival?" Ryuichi asked her.

"Well, I can honestly say that I had my hands full," Mitsuru said with a fatigued smile. "I went with Aigis, and Kikuno helped us dress up in yukata."

"Nice!"

"It was, and it turns out that Aigis is a curious one."

Mitsuru looked so weary as she told the tale of how she had to explain almost everything to Aigis whenever she asked about the purpose of certain items or games. She asked what the function of masks were, which led to the concept of fun.

Ryuichi wiped sweat off his chin with his shoulder. "Fun, huh? I guess, recreation? Enjoyment?"

"That's almost spot on to what I told her," she agreed. "But she certainly was a handful. We tried the shooting game and she almost destroyed the booth in a hailstorm of bullets."

He snorted, clamping a hand over his face.

"It's not funny," she protested. "Someone could have gotten hurt."

"I know, but it's just so ridiculous," he insisted, still grinning big. "At least you stopped her in time, right?"

She hid her face in embarrassment. "Thankfully, yes, but only after we caused a scene."

It took a few moments for the last few giggles bubbled out of him, but Mitsuru was patient, only shooting him one look of disapproval the entire time.

"Well, good work stopping her from making headline news," he said, managing not to giggle this time. He looked around the restaurant. "So, why'd you pick this place?"

"I've always been curious about this place since I pass it so often," she told him. The intensity on her face slackened.

"Ah, so our talk just happens to be the perfect opportunity for that."

"I knew you wouldn't mind," she said, flashing him a sly smile.

He shrugged. "Well, it's been awhile since I was last here—Since I last did anything fun, actually."

She gave him a questioning look. "I thought you have three days off from your sister and the restaurant."

"I do, but then I end up having to do a lot of cleaning, studying, shopping for groceries, studying, doing laundry—you know, stuff like that. And studying. Or I sprain something and can't really do anything fun."

"How's your wrist, now that you mention it?"

He waved it around like a wet noodle when he felt a wince of a sting. "Okay, not a hundred percent, but it's getting there," he admitted.

Their orders arrived. Ryuichi welcomed the scent of the broth as he snapped apart his wooden chopsticks. He was about to dig into his ramen when he heard Mitsuru whisper to him.

She cupped a hand off to the side of her mouth. "What is the etiquette here?" she whispered nervously to him.

"'Etiquette'?" He had to think about it for a moment while she watched patiently. "For starters, it's best to eat it quickly so the noodles don't get soggy. Then you wanna slurp up the noodles because it does something to maximize the flavor and cools it down."

Mitsuru peered down at her bowl and nodded. "I see. Enjoying it at its peak freshness must show appreciation to the chef," she said slowly. She broke into a big smile as she snapped her chopsticks in two. "Bon appétit! Let's eat!"

Ryuichi raised his chopsticks again. "Itadakimasu," he said after her, and as he bent to take in his first slurp of noodles, he could feel Mitsuru observing him carefully before imitating his motions. Slurping made the ramen all the more satisfying, as if the noisy motion activated hidden flavors.

"Hmm. The taste is quite interesting," Mitsuru mused after her first few bites. "I thought it tasted strange at first, but as I continue to eat, I realized it had a subtle charm to it. It's quite delicious!"

She waved at the owner for his attention. "Pardon me, Chef," she called.

The owner turned around, cocking an eyebrow at her. "'Chef?' You talkin' to me?"

"The ramen tastes absolutely wonderful," she told him, beaming. "It's been awhile since I last complimented the chef. What do you use for bouillon?"

"'Bouillon'? What the hell is that?" he asked uneasily in his raspy bark. "Anyways, if ya want to know the recipe, sorry, I can't tell ya, lady. Without our secret recipe, we'd be outta business."

Ryuichi wasn't sure if he should intervene, but he came to realize that such behavior had to be normal for Mitsuru. Everything from her refined speech to her poise made her stick out from everyone else in the restaurant, where some of the other patrons looked up from their steaming bowls to observe the spectacle.

Mitsuru nodded, looking not at all disappointed with the owner's response. "Well then, if it's a secret, I completely understand. You don't have to tell me."

Mitsuru gestured to her bowl. "Now, this would be considered a meal if one were to eat it with rice, yes? That is very interesting."

The owner scratched his head. "Uh, no, that's not, uh—"

He gave up and walked to the back of the restaurant, leaving Mitsuru to smile, satisfied with her deduction. Ryuichi just sat there, unsure if he should be the one to explain that ramen was already a meal in itself. At the same time, he wondered if dumping some rice into the broth would actually be a good idea to try.

"You could probably make more money if you patented the recipe and sold it," she said, not even noticing that the owner had walked away. She spooned some of the broth to taste, closing her eyes and humming as she delighted in the blend of flavors.

There was something about her obliviousness to common things that Ryuichi found both amusing and somewhat adorable. He knew that she grew up heavily sheltered, where even moving into the dorm didn't grant her total independence from her aristocratic lifestyle. As he observed her savoring her first ever bowl of ramen, it struck Ryuichi that Mitsuru only ate whatever the Kirijo chefs made for her, save for the overindulgent snacks and decadent cakes of blissful culinary corruption he made for her tea.

"Oh, sorry," Mitsuru said, opening her eyes. "My imagination got the best of me."

Ryuichi caught himself staring at her with a smile on his face. "You're fine," he said quickly, and went to shovel more noodles into his face. He ended up choking on the soup and burst out in a fit of coughs. All he could do was snatch up several napkins and stuff them against his face to hide his mess.

"I've been wanting to try ramen for a long time," she told him as she stared down at her bowl, apparently not having noticed him choking. She looked to him and asked, "Does that make me strange?"

Her face fell when she finally saw him. "Are you all right?"

He finally managed to clear his throat and wiped off any broth on his face. "Rogue soup," he sputtered with a bashful smile. "But, it's not all that strange at all that you'd want to try ramen. Your family mostly eats Western stuff, so it's kinda cool that you're interested in something different."

"Oh, good." She sighed with relief. "You're right that our chefs are trained in more Western cuisine than Japanese, so to be able to sample this type of food in this atmosphere is a new experience to me."

She gently broke apart the onsen egg yolk sitting atop her ramen. "I felt extremely awkward coming here alone, so I'm grateful that you agreed to coming here with me."

They didn't do much talking while they ate, aside from a few small comments about how good the food was. In the back of his mind, Ryuichi couldn't stop thinking about the things that Mitsuru wanted to talk about, wanting to just enjoy their brief outing without any interruptions from his family or the dread of having to go into work and face another several hours of being told how crappy his cooking was.

At the end of their meal, Mitsuru started to reach for her wallet, but Ryuichi was quicker. She barely had hers open when Ryuichi already placed a few bills in the little payment basket set before him.

"I should be treating you," she told him with a frown.

"But I owe you a little celebration for all the hard work you put into helping me study," he replied, smiling. "You can treat me next time."

"'Next time'?" Beaming, she put her wallet away. "Yes, let's eat here again sometime."

Outside the restaurant, Ryuichi paused to stretch while Mitsuru let out a satisfied sigh.

"Thank you for the meal," she said, still smiling. "I'm glad I could enjoy my first ramen experience with you."

He felt as though his whole body had been flash-frozen. Even if Mitsuru was only expressing her gratitude for the little outing, it had been too long since someone said they actually enjoyed his company. It made him realize that being shit-talked on an almost daily basis wasn't normal.

"Well, if there's anywhere else you wanna try, I'd be more than happy to take you," he said stiffly, still tingling from her words.

"I'll take you up on that offer." She looked to the train station. "Now that I think about it, we didn't get to have our talk at all."

Ryuichi scratched the back of his neck. "I've got all day if you're free," he told her.

"I have something in the evening, but our chat won't take too long, I don't think. Shall we go somewhere else?"

As they discussed where they would like to go, Ryuichi caught sight of Sakai and his friends coming out from the train station. All five of them stared up at the pair while Ryuichi managed to smile and respond to Mitsuru's suggestions without her taking notice of the impending danger. Ryuichi watched as the largest of Sakai's friends started towards him. To his surprise, Sakai halted his advance. When his back was turned, Ryuichi ushered Mitsuru down the spiral stairs and away from the fivesome.

"That was Sakai just now, wasn't it?" Mitsuru asked him.

"Yeah. You noticed?"

"Only by chance." She studied his face. "Next time, let me know so we can make a hastier escape."

They went straight home to the dorm. During the short walk, Ryuichi kept glancing back over his shoulder in search of Sakai. All the while, he thought about how strange it was of him to stop his friends from bashing his face in, especially when he was usually the one who initiated the chase. He pushed the thought away, focusing more on Mitsuru's safety. Not once did he see even a shred of his five bullies on the way back home.

"Sorry we couldn't enjoy the rest of the outing," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru once they were safe inside the lounge. It was already sweltering inside, and the brisk walk, the slight panic of spotting his bullies, and the hot meal made him feel like he was producing his own steam.

"I'm just grateful that it didn't result in another trip to the hospital," Mitsuru replied, her face relaxing with relief.

"Yeah." He kept seeing flashes of Sakai stopping his friend in his mind.

"Well, now that the present danger has passed, shall we have our talk now?"

Ryuichi prepared some tea and retrieved some of the chilled jelly treats he kept in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. He brought everything upstairs to the command room, finding that Mitsuru had turned on the air conditioner there. She sat in the arm chair furthest from the door, and before her on the coffee table were two of her fencing epees.

"Forgive me for not having our talk in the restaurant," Mitsuru said as he set the tray down on the table. "With so few people in an enclosed space, I thought you might not want to divulge anything too intimate in a place where anyone can listen in."

"That's actually very thoughtful of you," he said, smiling in appreciation, yet somewhat apprehensive about having their talk at all.

Before taking their tea, Mitsuru offered him one of the epees before taking one herself. Ryuichi recalled all the basics that Mitsuru had taught him years before, with one foot forward, body upright, and keeping light on his feet. The stance was a little different from kendo, with his back foot sideways instead of parallel, but he could feel a springiness all throughout both of his legs. The two saluted each other, then dropped into their wide stances to begin sparring.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked with the start of metal scraping and striking.

"I was wondering how you were doing," Mitsuru replied. "It seemed to me that, even after you were able to procure a lighter schedule with your family, it doesn't appear to have alleviated your stress at all. I'm curious if something happened that could be causing more difficulties."

She lunged. Ryuichi broke form and swatted the attack down in a panic.

"How is it that you see me a lot less now and you can still tell when something's wrong?"

"It's precisely because I see you less that I notice these changes in you."

"You see me in the morning for like, five minutes before you head off somewhere."

"Five minutes is all it takes to see that something isn't right."

She struck again. The blunted tip of her blade was like a metal finger jabbing into his chest. Ryuichi rubbed the sore spot, mouthing a quick "Ow!" while Mitsuru straightened up to give him a chance to recover.

"Don't you ever get tired of talking about me?" he grunted with a grimace.

"Don't forget that you promised we would have this talk," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but _if_ you had fun for me at the festival."

"The evening was enjoyable, no doubt, if not filled with a little more excitement than I was anticipating."

They started up again. Ryuichi kept waving his epee wildly to deflect all of Mitsuru's attacks, reacting to as opposed to reading her movements. Her blade was like wildfire in a harsh wind, and almost as impossible to counter. When she jabbed him several times in rapid succession, he lowered his sword in defeat.

"I can't talk and spar at the same time," he murmured in frustration.

Mitsuru tossed her long, red waves back over her shoulder. "That tells me that whatever is troubling you is no small matter," she said, and invited him to sit. She took his sword and set it down with hers while he served the tea.

Everything came shooting out of him like a geyser. As he told her all about what was going on with his family, he realized that many of their problems were the same as before. He talked about how much more time Shizue and their father spent together, and how they clashed more in front of the customers. When he told Mitsuru about how Shizue gave away their father's burger recipe to a classmate, he remembered halfway through that he had already told Mitsuru all about it before.

"I may have said too much to Shizue when we talked about it the other day," he said sorrowfully, keeping his head down and teacup untouched. "Now she's got it in her head that she's the cause of all our family's problems and that I'm Dad's favorite, when in reality she's always been the one they favored more."

"I find it hard to believe that your parents would play favorites," Mitsuru said once he was through.

Ryuichi let out a tired sigh. "Growing up, Mom and Dad would always tell people that Shizue got the highest grades in her class, or that she had a tennis meet coming up and was team captain, or that she saved a bunch of orphans when their orphanage burned down. It was like she could do no wrong, and they always told me to help her out, to be there for her and support her and stuff. I was just kinda there."

He was already getting tired of talking about it all, but Mitsuru implored him to continue. "It's obvious that Dad still hasn't forgiven her for sharing most of his mixture for the burger patties. It was the only recipe he taught her, but after what she did, he refuses to teach her how to make the dry rubs for the other meats."

Mitsuru nodded. "I can understand why he wouldn't trust her so readily."

"Yeah. But, because of his grudge, and because he and Mom are pissed at her for coming home pregnant and not finishing college, those three argue all the time, so now Shizue's getting serious about moving out. She already started looking for cheap apartments."

He was leaning so far forward with his elbows on his knees that he could have folded himself in two. "I actually started thinking that it might be best if she did move out," he told Mitsuru softly. "The restaurant was doing well after she left for college, and when she returned, all the troubles began again, this time with a baby crying all the time and keeping everyone up at night."

"You told me before that the lifestyle she had was more spirited and unrestricted," Mitsuru recalled, appearing to be thinking deeply as she stared into her full cup of tea. "Are you and your parents concerned that she might revert to that lifestyle?"

He felt no offense from her statement. "That's one concern, yeah," he confirmed. "Her survival and Megumi's is the other, of course. We don't know if she'll be able to work and raise a child at the same time, even with the help of a nanny, but if we can work out a system somehow—"

"Ryuichi."

He paused, frustrated that she cut him off.

Mitsuru met his eyes, and he saw that all the humor from before was replaced with cold severity. "What if the problem right now isn't that your solutions aren't working?" she suggested. "You've come up with so many possible solutions and thrown yourself into helping your family with everything you can, but it looks to me like the problem is beyond your control."

He felt his chest run cold. He clenched his jaw, feeling like he was being forced to accept defeat.

"It's not something to be ashamed of," Mitsuru continued. She reached over to take his teacup from his trembling hands before he spilled. "However, it might be best if you let your family try to figure things out for themselves."

"I've told myself that a number of times," he muttered, feeling light-headed. "But the thing is, they're still my family and they're struggling. If I can help somehow, I'll help in any way I can. It wouldn't sit right with me to just watch them tear each other apart and not do anything about it."

He took up his teacup again, but didn't drink. As he stared down at his reflection in the honey-amber liquid, he internally fought with himself to bring up the other issue with her.

"There's one other thing I was hoping to discuss with you," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

Her hardened stare fixed on him. "What is it?"

He set the cup back down when it started burning his frozen fingers. "About my sister wanting to move out, I actually know a place she can move into."

His heart throbbed in his throat, almost choking him. "Last year, I bought a house," he told her as his mouth went dry. "I never told anyone about it before, but with my family's situation, I'm considering letting my sister move in to try to reduce the stress for us all."

Mitsuru looked upon him in wide-eyed amazement. "That's a very wise investment, but you obviously had a good reason to keep it secret," she said as she hardened her stare once more. "Are you sure you want to trust your sister with it, given her past and her current circumstances?"

"It's crazy, I know. But, she's not making much on her own, so this way, she'd be out of our parents' house, she wouldn't have to worry about rent, our parents will be able to get more sleep again, and they only have to deal with her at work."

"Not to trample your logic, but isn't it still risky for them to even be in close proximity of one another, especially at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, but I was hoping they'd either find a way to get along, or she just works someplace else."

"And what about the baby? Surely your parents are concerned for her well-being—Not that I'm saying your sister is unfit to care for her. It's not easy raising a child, even with a nanny."

He couldn't say anything in response. She was right about the nanny helping out, but it sounded to him like his sister would still need to drop Megumi off at their parents' place every now and then while she was at work. And even still, he had his doubts that Shizue would be able to care for her daughter most of the time all by herself.

Mitsuru's eyebrows knitted, giving him a compassionate look. "I'm sorry to say this, but I'm afraid you're a little too optimistic in your hopes for finding a final solution to your family's plight."

Ryuichi sat up as he drew in a deep breath through his nostrils. "Well, I tried," was all he could say before taking a large swig of tea. The liquid scalded his throat, but he managed to only wince in discomfort before setting the cup back down.

Mitsuru crossed one leg over the other and turned her body slightly to face him. "Ryuichi, your desire to help your family with everything you have is admirable, but there are times when you just have to step back and let them resolve things themselves," she said without softening her tone. "You've done so much already and you're giving far more than you need to. The problem is, if the people having problems aren't willing to make the necessary changes, then there's nothing you can do. They have to make the choice themselves."

Ryuichi hung his head again. "How do you walk away when your family is slowly destroying itself?" he asked in an almost breathless voice. "I can't just do that."

"I know it's hard, but you just have to keep walking away," Mitsuru urged him. "You said that you've had to give a portion of your paycheck to your mother to help cover the costs that the restaurant can't afford, but that money is only going to waste if the real problem isn't dealt with.

"When you told me about your father wanting to correct the way you cook the food, I looked online for reviews for Toshio's and saw that people were advising others to only go on the days that you happen to work, just as you said. I doubt that it's a coincidence, Ryuichi. They like what you're doing, and to change that could ultimately put the restaurant in greater debt."

"So, what should I do?" he asked her gruffly. "If I don't do it Dad's way, he'll just keep yelling at me and chase more customers away. If I do it his way, we'll still lose customers because the food's no good.

"And what about Shizue? Do I just abandon her with Megumi and let her get into more fights with our parents?"

Mitsuru's stare was like sharp icicles piercing into his eyes. "I think you should do what's best for you," she said in a clear and steady voice. "I think you should also take into account that you have a tendency to give too much of yourself to others when you have too little to give, especially when they demand too much of you. If you're going to help others, I would hope that you remember to factor yourself into the equation and remember that you have your own life to think about."

Ryuichi brought his hands together to rest his upper lip against them. His elbows dug painfully into his thighs, but he didn't care. "I think I want to help my sister distance herself from our parents," he said slowly, seeing Mitsuru's stoic stare grow even colder. "With her and Megumi away from them, I think that could help alleviate some of the problems, just like it did when she first went off to college. I can charge her a very low rent on the house so she doesn't have to worry too much about earning enough on her job."

Mitsuru exhaled slowly. "And your niece?"

"I don't see why she can't just drop her off at our parents' house for the current nanny or Mom to take care of her. My house is only a few bus stops away from our parents' place, and Mom and Dad will both have a break from each other if Mom's at home watching Megumi while Dad's at work."

"And where do you fit in?"

Ryuichi thinned his lips in a strange sort of half-smile. "Honestly, I was thinking that I get to quit the restaurant and step away from them all so I can go back to _my_ life," he said, feeling empowered by his own hopes for that outcome. "It's probably not going to happen, since Dad really doesn't want to hire anyone new, but a guy can dream, right?"

Mitsuru's face was still fraught with concern. "Are you absolutely sure that you want to share your home with your sister?" she asked him. The chill in her voice turned his veins to ice. "This is a house you haven't shared with anyone before, not even in conversation, it seems, yet you're willing to let your sister move in so readily."

"Yeah, well, I figured that if I'm going to college after high school, I won't be able to live in it to begin with," he reasoned, though he was unsure of his own words. "I'll probably end up in the dorms there, and then get an apartment later on."

"And after that?"

"Well, I could move into my house then, right?"

She didn't look convinced. "Before you make any brash decisions, I suggest you should give it more time and think on it awhile longer," she said, her voice firm. "Right now, you're operating under the assumption that your sister has completely turned away from her old ways and is capable of caring for herself. Do you honestly believe that she is able to care for both herself and her baby?

"I'm not trying to put your sister down, Ryuichi. I'm trying to help you get new perspectives on the matter to come up with a better solution. These are people's lives we're dealing with—your family nonetheless, and so we must take the necessary precautions."

He took a moment to fully soak in what Mitsuru was saying. He could tell that she was sincere in her concern, as she always was, and that he was just getting too impatient to get rid of the problems that he kept getting dragged into.

"You're right," he ended up saying. His body deflated, expelling much of the hopes he had for his plan. "I was rushing into things."

"I can understand that it must be frustrating, putting so much effort into something that refuses to change, but running head-long into these kinds of decisions is never a good idea," she agreed, giving Ryuichi some sense that he had made at least one decent decision in the past few months.

Ryuichi stood up and thanked her, bowing as Mitsuru added, "Don't forget: when things get to a point where you just need to step back, then step back. Retreating isn't a cowardly act, nor is it selfish. It simply allows you to reevaluate the situation and gives you another chance for victory."

He thanked her again as he began to clear away the dishes. As he worked, a thought crossed his mind that he wasn't sure if he should bring up. He did it anyway.

"Hey, Mitsuru?" She had her epees in her hands when she raised her face to him. "If you were me, what would you do about my family?"

She turned her gaze to the floor, her face appearing strained with thought. Ryuichi feared that he should have kept his question as just a thought, already predicting that Mitsuru would follow the advice she had just given him. It was a wasted question, really, and he didn't know why he even bothered.

"I imagine that I would be doing exactly what you are doing right now," came her answer. "If it were me, I would also fight for my family's well-being, even if it looks futile."

She got to the door but held it open for him as he passed through with the tray. "If you ever need to take a day off from your family or work, I can arrange something for you," she told him.

He managed to smile at her offer. "Thanks," he said with a sigh. "But I'd rather that my family didn't start hating you, too."


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

Ryuichi's Wednesday off started with him sleeping in an extra hour before starting his morning workout. Refreshed and eager to begin his day of relaxation, he showered and dressed up to make himself a plate of finger sandwiches to take back to his room. Once his door was locked, he stripped down to his navy blue boxer briefs and a comfy T-shirt and basked in the coolness of his air conditioned room.

Everything was almost perfect. He caught sight of his school bag and kicked it under his bed. All his summer homework was finished, and just looking at it would only put a damper on his day to himself. Satisfied, he switched on his game console and hopped onto his bed with his controller in his hand. He had no idea where he last stopped in the game's story, but he didn't let it bother him too much.

"This is all I ever wanted," he sighed to himself with glee. "No pants, no killer heat, and no—"

Someone knocked at his door. More curious than annoyed, Ryuichi told the person to wait a moment while he hastily threw on some sweat pants before opening the door.

"There's a girl here with a baby saying that she knows you," Yukari said as she stepped out of the way for him to see.

Ryuichi's throat tightened as he looked to see Shizue sitting on the couch with Megumi cradled in her arms, chatting with Mitsuru, Fuuka, Ken, and Aigis. Koromaru went up to sniff Megumi, but Shizue held her out of his reach. He flattened his ears back and whimpered.

"Koromaru-san does not wish to harm the baby," Aigis told Shizue in her mechanical voice. "He only wished to introduce himself."

Shizue's tense posture didn't slacken. "Uh, okay?" She glanced back to Koromaru, whose face lit up with hope.

Ryuichi thanked Yukari and went over to the sofa, trying his best to hide his disappointment with a smile. "Shizue, hey," he greeted her. "Whatcha doing here?"

She took one glance at her brother and made a face. "Dude, you're in a room full of beautiful girls and you're dressed like you're doing laundry," she remarked with stink on her nose.

He shrugged. "Figures, since it's _my day off_." He spotted the beady eyes of little Megumi, who was giggling as she reached for Koromaru. "So, what're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd surprise my little brother and see for myself where he lives," she said, smiling. "I can already see why you would want to live here: Lots of lovely ladies and everyone's so nice."

Fuuka rose from the couch. "I'll go make some tea," she offered, looking delighted at Shizue's compliment.

Ryuichi briskly headed to the kitchen. "Don't worry about that; I got it," he told her.

Shizue stretched her neck to see where he was going. "Thanks, Ryu-chan!" she called over to him.

Ken snickered. "'Ryu-chan'?"

"That's cute," Yukari giggled.

Even Mitsuru chuckled at the name. Ryuichi's shoulders sagged as he dragged his feet over to the kitchen, in utter disbelief that his one day that he dedicated to himself was ruined by a surprise visit. Of course, he wasn't about to tell his sister to leave, and he was certain that she wasn't about to head back to a home where she was only going to end up in another shouting match with their mother.

Shizue allowed Fuuka to hold Megumi for a little bit while the others crowded around her to see. All the while, Ryuichi prepared the tea and went to retrieve the plate of untouched chicken salad sandwiches from his bedroom. He brought the tea and sandwiches out to the table before darting back to his room to put on a blue button-down shirt and blue jeans. He frowned at the heaviness of his clothes as he put away his abandoned sweat pants, wiping away sweat from his upper lip from the few minutes he spent in the sweltering hot lounge.

When he returned to the kitchen to cube some watermelon, the others were laughing at something his sister had said. Their quick glances towards him and stifled giggles let him know that they were talking about him. His downward slices onto the watermelon were like a guillotine, heavy and deliberate, and he saw that Junpei and Minato had joined the group and now feasted on his sandwiches.

"No way! That can't be the same Ryuichi-senpai!" Junpei guffawed.

"Right? He was the cutest little thing! Everyone at the restaurant would see him using the potato slicer—Oh, it's this big, metal arm that you pull down to shove potatoes through to make fries—and Ryu-chan was so short at the time and kinda chubby so he would jump up and let his weight do all the work! He almost broke it once!"

The room filled with more laughter as Ryuichi's face burned red. He forced himself to focus on preparing more snacks when he saw there were only three sandwiches left, rapidly cubing the chilled watermelon to hurry and make more sandwiches.

"What was he like as a kid?" Ken asked Shizue.

"He was really shy, so he mostly just kept to himself," Shizue replied. "All he ever did was play video games or piano if he wasn't working at the restaurant with Mom and Dad. He never wanted to go anywhere, so he used to be really pale."

"How come?" asked Fuuka. Ryuichi noticed that Megumi had been passed to Yukari now.

"He used to be bullied by this one boy and his friends. They were all bigger than him and they liked to make fun of him, so I actually had to beat the crap outta them once so they'd leave him alone," Shizue said with a shrug, as if it was no big deal.

The others praised Shizue for being such a good sister. While she told another story about their childhood, Ryuichi slapped together more chicken salad sandwiches, grateful that he still had plenty left over from that morning. Every crust he cut off, he stuffed into his mouth to muffle his annoyed grumbles. He arranged the sandwiches on a plate and brought it out to the lounge before returning to cube a melon.

"Wow. You were captain of the girls' tennis team at Gekkoukan?" he heard Fuuka marvel.

"Sure was!" Shizue's proud grin shone brightly. "It was nothing, though. My team was already pretty awesome without me having to do much."

As he watched his sister chatting with the others, he took notice of just how lively she was, how much more she smiled. His friends were giving her attention that she probably had not had in so long a time that he began to suspect that she needed the visit more than he needed his day off. He felt his irritation rise out of him and dissipate like steam, and when he brought out a bowl of cubed melon to everyone, he had a soft smile on his face.

"Uh, oh," Yukari said when Megumi became fussy.

Everyone watched as Megumi's babbles turned into agitated screams. All but Megumi's mother and uncle backed off, horrified as her jarring wails got under their skins.

"Aw, did shomeone make a boom-boom? Didjoo? Didjoo?" Shizue spoke softly to her baby as she took Megumi up in her arms. "Ryu-chan, can you get the diaper bag?"

They looked like a pair of surgeons operating on a patient as they changed Megumi's diaper. The smell when they first opened the diaper seemed to hit everyone in the face like a brick, where their expressions contorted and squished. Even Koromaru lowered his head and covered his nose with his paw. Mitsuru flinched the tiniest bit, but managed to remain composed enough to lower her teacup back down to the table.

Ryuichi was tasked with tossing the stench bomb out once Megumi was cleaned up. He took it out to the trash while his sister tried her best to calm Megumi down, but no amount of bouncing, or rocking, or anything seemed to work. It was when it became evident that she wouldn't stop crying that both Minato and Junpei inched their way towards the door.

"Ryu-chan, can you work your magic, please?" Shizue asked him.

He took Megumi in his arms and spoke softly to her, bounced her, but nothing seemed to work. Fuuka, Ken, and Yukari all tried making funny faces, shaking Megumi's rattle, and offering her a bottle of warm milk. None of it worked.

"Perhaps it's too warm in here," Mitsuru suggested.

Ryuichi agreed with her as he gave Megumi back to his sister. "All right, let me clean up a bit and you can all come to my room," he offered.

Junpei's eyes lit up. "Hey, uh, I just bought a new game, so, maybe Nee-chan wants to try it out?"

"Yeah, sure," Ryuichi said automatically on his way to his room.

All he had to do to "clean up" was make his bed and set the low table down on the rug, but it made all the difference in how neat his room looked. When everyone came flooding in, Shizue stuck Megumi back in Ryuichi's arms while everyone relished in the cool air. Minato, Junpei, and Ken sat on Ryuichi's bed so they could play the video game while the girls gathered around the low table. Shizue plopped down on the bed with the guys to watch them at play while managing to hold a conversation with the girls. Fuuka was kind enough to bring the snacks over, but everyone had to keep Koromaru from eating any of it.

Ryuichi plunked down on his desk chair and swiveled back and forth to help put Megumi at ease. Fuuka shook the rattle at Megumi while Yukari made funny faces again. Still, nothing helped to calm her down.

"Shall I administer a tranquilizer?" Aigis asked, but everyone, seemingly even Koromaru, blasted her with a collective "NO!"

Shizue looked like she was about to lunge over to protect Megumi. "You guys sure do have an interesting sense of humor," she said uneasily with a forced smile.

Their protests couldn't even drown out Megumi's screams. As much as he didn't want to do so in front of everyone, Ryuichi began to softly sing to her the gentle boy band ballad "All I Can Give You". She wailed through to the first chorus, but as his singing became a little stronger, his voice seemed to hush hers. Soon, she was asleep in his arms.

"Every time," Shizue whispered to the girls, beaming.

"That was really good, Okazaki-san," Ken said to him in a small voice.

"You should've heard him during karaoke," Yukari added.

"He's very talented, indeed," Mitsuru remarked, keeping her voice low. "For my birthday, he gave me a CD with some songs he recorded with him playing three different instruments. I listen to it whenever I want to relax."

Ryuichi blushed. "Oh. You still listen to that?"

"Indeed. It's quite soothing after a long day. Sometimes I'll even play it when I'm studying."

"It's not very good, but I can make another one where I sound better."

"May I have one, too?" asked Fuuka with a smile.

"I'll take one," Shizue piped up. "I can play it for Megumi whenever you're not around. Make sure her favorites are on there."

Ryuichi ended up taking requests for songs and made a list that he knew would require at least two CDs to accommodate them all. Even Mitsuru had a few songs she wished to hear, and Ryuichi already knew that he would definitely include every single one she named.

When the game had finished downloading into Ryuichi's game system, the guys gave Shizue a controller. It was a fighting game with overly muscular men and women, some with bionic parts, others not even human, and all were dressed up in anything from ripped martial arts uniforms to wearing almost nothing at all. Shizue chose a female fighter with legs that could crush boulders, and Junpei chose a male beast with green skin.

"Okay, Nee-chan!" Junpei said uproariously before the match. "You can button mash if you need to!"

The others shushed him while cautiously observing the sleeping Megumi. Behind Junpei, Shizue smirked.

"Aren't you adorable?" she scoffed, still smiling. "Loser pays winner five-hundred yen."

"You're on!"

"Bring it!"

Ryuichi sighed. "This can't end well."

"Oh? Why not?" asked Mitsuru.

They watched as Shizue's character flew through the air like a helicopter, kicking Junpei's character in the face.

"Shizue dominates at fighting games," Ryuichi murmured, and everyone witnessed his sister's flawless victory for the first round while Junpei's cries of disbelief triggered Megumi's screams once more.

The day didn't go the way he had hoped, but watching his sister have fun chatting with the girls, battling the guys in video games, and even just smiling again made him realize that between the two of them, she definitely needed a break from their parents more than he did. She was a different person from the one he had been seeing the past few months—the past few years, he realized. She was once again the older sister who used to be his best friend when he was little, the Shizue before she hung out with the wrong people. She was the big sister he missed.

"All right, so who can tell me if my little brother's got a girlfriend or not?" Shizue asked everyone loudly. Ryuichi nearly spat his tea out on Yukari.

They ate all the snacks that was meant for Mitsuru's tea time. All the guys took a turn battling against Shizue in Junpei's video game, and the only one she didn't take money from was Ken. She challenged Ryuichi and the girls next, but they all respectfully declined with their wallets intact.

While Junpei trained more in his video game, they listened to some of Shizue's tales about college, and some of the mischief she and her friends got into during her high school years. Ryuichi was surprised to hear that not all of her stories involved drinking or getting caught by the police. He even laughed when she told them about the fighting game tournament she entered in college and her victory against the previous champion.

After taking Shizue and Megumi home that evening, Ryuichi stopped by the grocery store to pick up more ingredients, both for tea time and some extra stuff for if he ever needed to cook himself some dinner. When he arrived back at the dorm, his dorm mates were still gushing about how cute Megumi was while the guys all seemed to have gone their separate ways.

Ryuichi was about to drift over to his room to try to enjoy the last few hours of his day off when Koromaru came up to him with his leash in his mouth and a pleading look in his eyes.

"All right," Ryuichi sighed, and Koromaru's tail wagged so furiously with joy that he created a breeze that ruffled Ryuichi's hair.

Ryuichi made sure to bring a bottle of water and a plastic bag for Koromaru when they went out for a walk. Koromaru went at a moderate pace, but his body was poised with the eagerness to rush ahead. Ryuichi ended up slowing down a bit so he could wipe sweat off his face with his handkerchief, but Koromaru yanked him forward so they could continue at his pace.

"All right, all right! I'm coming!"

Ryuichi let himself get dragged by Koromaru all the way to Naganaki Shrine. There, Koromaru barked twice, and Ryuichi let him off his leash so he could run around. They were the only two there at the shrine that evening, as people were becoming more afraid of the Lost that lurked in the shadows. Ryuichi went to sit on one of the benches off to the side by the jungle gym while Koromaru bolted for a tree.

The streetlamps flickered as their burnt orange spotlights appeared up and down the streets. Just looking at their nauseating glow seemed to amplify the summer's heat, making Ryuichi feel even stickier as sweat and moisture in the air mixed together to make a grimy sheen on his skin.

It had only been a day since his talk with Mitsuru. Before their talk, he was convinced that the only way to stop his family from teaching one another apart was to let Shizue move into his house. He promised Mitsuru he would give it more thought, but after seeing how much more at ease his sister was after just a day away from their parents, he felt even more sure that separating them would be the best solution for them all.

It was just a house, the more he thought about it. He never spent a night in it, never cooked in it, and the only thing he ever used was the toilet. Sure, he was the one who planned it out and had a team gut it and made it the way he wanted it to be, but the fact was, even though he owned it, it was still vacant and not fulfilling its role as a home to anybody but a few pieces of furniture.

"Just give it a few more days," he said to himself, remembering Mitsuru's words. "You don't want to rush this kind of decision."

His mind wandered back to what Mitsuru had said about the CD he made for her. He couldn't believe that she listened to it at all. From what he remembered of his recordings, there were too many mistakes with his playing that were too noticeable to be pleasant.

And yet, she listened to it. Often, apparently. And she found it soothing. Ryuichi couldn't understand how she could find it so soothing, or even enjoyable at all, but somehow she did. And now, the others wanted their own copies.

Ryuichi wasn't sure if he would be able to deliver. He may have fewer days to work for his family, but he still managed to be busy much of the time—too busy to practice his instruments, even for fun.

He gave his fingers a wiggle. They weren't as stiff or twitchy as they had been at the start of the year, but they definitely weren't as smooth or fluid as they were when he practiced every single day. And lately, he hadn't had much chance to play at all.

Where did his life go? Everyone knew that senior year would be one of the ugliest school years any student would live through, but he expected an emphasis on his education, studying all day and night, buying study guides, taking practice exams, and basically just making his brain a glutton for knowledge that he wouldn't need to know once he was in college—if he made the cut. Babies and restaurants were never part of the plan, at least not his. Had Shizue gotten pregnant during his junior year, he wondered if his life would have been easier.

Ryuichi looked up to see Koromaru digging in the sandbox. He dipped his snout into the sand and came up with something buried there.

"What you got there, Koromaru?" Ryuichi called to him. The dog ran to him with his prize in his mouth and held it up proudly. It was an emerald Traesto Gem, encrusted with sand.

"Aw, thanks, boy!" Ryuichi took the gem and vigorously rubbed Koromaru's jowls in appreciation while the dog panted happily.

At least Koromaru gave him some time to himself, he thought on their way back to the dorm. They were only out for about an hour, but it was a good, solid hour of quiet and peace in the lingering heat. He gladly took it over a half-day with his dad at the restaurant, even if it involved his sister spilling some embarrassing stories about him as a kid.

The final Sunday of summer break arrived, and Ryuichi did not want to go to work. For the past few weeks, all he could remember was baby, burgers, barbecue, cleaning, and a lot of yelling. It even seemed as though his job as Mitsuru's bodyguard was as fanciful as how his family viewed it.

"Why do I keep doing this?" he moaned to himself. He lay in bed, tangled in his thin sheets just thinking about facing another day of his parents and Shizue fighting over a hot grill. He could call in sick, he thought, but would anyone believe that he caught a summer cold? Even after a full day at work followed by a trip into Tartarus, his immune system would only allow him the slightest of sniffles, far too little to be excuse enough to miss work. But of course, he showed up to work before on a bad ankle and crutches, and all his father said was for him to handle any work that only required him to stand in one spot.

He mustered up enough care to do his workout, shower, and have breakfast, but that energy dwindled as the hour marched towards the time he was due to be at work. When he couldn't avoid it any longer, he grabbed his motorcycle helmet and stepped out of his room.

Mitsuru was already standing by the front doors with a small purse slung over her shoulder. She had her cell phone out and snapped it shut when she saw Ryuichi.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

"G'morning," he returned. "You have another date with the zombie girls?"

She chuckled. "No need to call them that, but yes, I was invited over for tea."

Ryuichi set his helmet down on the front desk so he could vault over. "You know, I've always wondered why they're drawn to you when you're nothing like them," he said to her, then added "In a good way!" when she gave him a questioning look.

"It's not me, but my family name that attracts them," Mitsuru reminded him.

"Right, right. But it's just, they'd really go through all that trouble just to associate themselves with you for your name?"

"I'm afraid so." She checked her phone again.

Ryuichi eyed her as his head tilted to the side. "I can't tell if you're eager to go, or just ready to get it over with."

She exhaled audibly through her nostrils. "It's mostly just going to be idle gossip about the sons and daughters of my father's affiliates," she explained, appearing drained from the thought.

Ryuichi grimaced and sucked on his teeth. "The life of a socialite sure is difficult," he remarked, knowing that even he couldn't make his fake smile last for long. "And it all comes down to maintaining a good relationship with the affiliates, right?"

"That's correct." Mitsuru checked the time on her cell phone again. "And they said I absolutely had to attend, as today's discussion was of the utmost importance."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

She snapped her phone shut with a look of pure hell on her face. "They want to discuss matching everyone with the eligible sons of my father's affiliates for marriage."

At that, Ryuichi wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Behold: the future of Japan," he muttered.

The Kirijo car passed by and looped around to park just outside the dorm. Ryuichi stepped outside with Mitsuru, narrowing his eyes to slits in the blinding sunlight to get the car door for her.

"Hey," he said before closing the door. "I wanna hear all about it later."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You actually want to hear about their gossip? I assure you, it's all quite boring."

"Are you kidding? Those girls are more catty than an afternoon soap opera. I'll make tea and we'll have our own little gossip tea party."

He grinned big. "Plus, I wanna know what kind of person they matched you up with."

A wry smile spread across her face. "Ha! Very well. Tonight might be too late, but we can chat about it tomorrow."

"I look forward to it."

He watched her go, wishing he could trade his work for Mitsuru's tea and gossip. When he checked his phone for the time, he hurried back inside the dorm to get on his way to work.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

School resumed the following Tuesday. Students dragged their feet back to their classrooms, not yet ready to learn again especially when the summer heat continued to blaze on. Despite the harsh return to reality, they were quickly comforted by commiserating with their friends about their struggles with their summer homework or attending cram school instead of having fun over the break. Others shared stories of trips with their families, new part-time jobs, movies, interesting new foods, adventures at the beach, and the occasional scolding of one friend to another for asking to copy their summer homework.

Ryuichi didn't have such stories to tell, nor did he have anyone to tell them to. He simply took his seat and put his head down on his desk, grimacing from the warm surface. It felt as if someone had just sat on the desktop and recently vacated it before he put his face on it.

Class started up, and it was a mystery how the teachers could already be so energetic and passionate about their lessons with the summer heat still raging, not at all hindered by any struggles to get back into work mode after the long break. Their eagerness only drained the students of the little energy they had left, where some took refuge behind their books or had their faces down with their pencils poised to look like they were diligently taking notes while they napped.

With droning lectures and stifling heat, Ryuichi kept nodding off as he took notes, eventually only managing to write a few illegible squiggles. It was only the first day back, but already he knew he would have to ask to borrow Mitsuru's notes later.

The school day seemed longer than it used to be. For a few moments in his morning classes, Ryuichi could have sworn that every time he opened his eyes from a brief nap, the clock set itself back by a few minutes. He squirmed in his seat, feeling a restless itch in his arms and shoulders that no amount of twisting or stretching would relieve.

When break came around, he went to splash cold water on his face. The cheery voices of everyone talking about their fun summers made him broil with irritation. Their tales followed him to the washroom, where one guy using the urinal proudly told his friend about getting a new girlfriend. His boisterous voice resounded in the tiled room, hammering Ryuichi with his laughter over something cute his girlfriend did.

Ryuichi left the washroom while drying his face on his handkerchief. All he wanted to do was get away from everyone for a little while. If he could just retreat to his room for the rest of the day and remain there uninterrupted, that was all he could ask for.

Unfortunately, he had to put his wish on hold. After school, Ryuichi had to accompany Mitsuru to the first fencing team practice of the new semester. Due to the recent crime wave in both Iwatodai and Port Island, the Kirijo Group Board of Directors determined that it was no longer safe for Mitsuru to travel alone. Ryuichi's bodyguard duties now officially extended to daytime hours, where he was required to accompany Mitsuru not just to and from school, but also to her club meetings and sports practices. The lie Ryuichi told his family about accompanying Mitsuru had become the truth, and with the addition of extracurricular activities, as well.

It was a duty that Ryuichi appreciated, taking it not only as extra pay, but also as an extra two blissful hours away from his family. Naturally, his parents were quick to express their vehemence towards their son for being delayed an extra two hours for work and babysitting, but he almost gladly took their rage with a smile.

"...That concludes today's practice," Mitsuru announced to her team. "Good work, everyone."

Ryuichi stood off to the side of the gym, observing as the girls on the fencing team all removed their masks and took some time to clean up after practice. One of the girls shot a look at Ryuichi that he didn't like, as if she hated him just for existing. She soon set to work mopping the gym floor with the others.

Sighing to himself, Ryuichi burned with irritation that flared up from the girl's spiteful stare. His irritability had worsened from earlier, but he knew better than to pick a fight with someone armed with a pointy sword just for being rude.

Mitsuru appeared next to him, having changed back into her school uniform ahead of the others. Without her fencing mask, he could see now that she appeared more rundown than before, the color drained from her face.

"Let's go," he said urgently to her as he took both her school bag and her fencing gear.

She hesitated, looking as perturbed as he felt. "So you noticed?"

He led her to the doors. "You should've said something earlier. Do you need any medicine?"

"Not at the moment," she replied appreciatively. She kept her face down so her bangs covered her up.

They wasted no time getting back to the dorm. If anything, it was Mitsuru who led the way with a brisk walk. During the times she paused to rest, Ryuichi would ask her if she was all right. Each time he asked, her answers gradually went from forced cordiality to curt but elegant grunts. As eager to return home as she was, Mitsuru's charge to the dorm slowed down to the point where her stops became more frequent.

At the dorm, he had to lend her his shoulder for support when they climbed up the stairs to the third floor. When she fumbled with her room key, Ryuichi helped her get the door open, where she briskly—without losing her poise—strode to the toilet and shut the door behind her. Ryuichi set her bags down by her desk just as he heard the first of many retches.

He headed downstairs to prepare some tea to help sooth Mitsuru's cramps. As the tea steeped, he grabbed a couple of chocolate bars with creamy caramel centers he kept for emergencies and brought them along with the tea. When he reached her bedroom door, he stopped to knock.

"Just a moment," Mitsuru called weakly through the door. Ryuichi waited patiently for her to give the command, hoping that she had not collapsed in the bathroom.

When she allowed him to enter, he smiled and said to her: "It's been a while since it got this bad, huh?"

He found Mitsuru in bed, buried underneath her blanket. "Could you turn on the air conditioner, please?" came her muffled voice.

He was already reaching for the remote. "Yeah, one sec."

"Thank you."

She rolled onto her side. Her face just barely poked out from under the covers. "I-I gave you a little extra work," she uttered weakly. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"I got it," he said in a reassuring tone. "I brought you some tea. Where's the heating blanket?"

Her hand stuck out from beneath the blanket. "There, in the drawer."

Ryuichi retrieved the heating blanket first. While Mitsuru laid it out over her stomach, he dropped down to the floor to plug it in for her. He came back up as she adjusted the collar of her iron gray silk pajamas, her light tugs showing off the white camisole she wore underneath. Out of respect, he looked away, busying himself with pouring her some tea so she could adjust her pajamas in private. When she was ready and sitting up in bed, he handed her the full teacup.

He went to the wash room to see if anything needed cleaning when he stepped in something warm, wet, and kind of chunky. His mouth fell open in disgust, but he didn't cry out.

"Ah. So that's what you meant by 'extra work'." He shuddered as his sock soaked up some of the vomit on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi, I—"

She gagged just as Ryuichi peeled off his sock. The second he heard her, he dropped the soiled sock, snatched up the waste basket and ran to her, thrusting it to her just as she threw up some more. She almost had her head in the trash as she grasped the bin. All Ryuichi could do was hold her hair out of the way while her body seized up with every violent expulsion.

"How disgraceful," Mitsuru uttered once she was able to speak.

"I've dealt with worse," he replied, feeling terribly for her. "Remember: I had to take care of Shizue whenever it was her time of the month, too."

"Yes, but she's your sister."

"And you're my friend. Besides, you've seen me at my worst lots of times before."

"Have I? When?"

He gave her some tissues to clean herself up before heading to the washroom. "Like whenever I got sick, or when I complain about my family," he called over to her as he filled a glass with water. When he returned, he blushed, and in a soft murmur added, "Or like what happened during that one full moon operation."

When she lowered the tissues from her face, he could see that she, too, had flushed pink.

"I thought we agreed to never discuss that again."

"It was just an example I was making," he told her hastily, handing her the glass of water. "So yeah, now we both have things we're not too proud of."

Mitsuru motioned for Ryuichi to turn around. He honored her request, and seconds later, she was out of bed, wrapped up in a white silk dressing gown on her way to the wash room with her glass of water in hand. Once she closed the door behind her, Ryuichi cleaned up the trash and went to take it and his dirty sock downstairs. When he returned, Mitsuru was already back in bed with an array of medicine bottles out on her desk.

"So, feeling any better?" he asked while pulling her desk chair out.

She held out the empty teacup for him to take. "Not really," she sighed.

He offered her things to eat, movies to watch, and anything else she might need to help ease her discomfort. He made sure to replace the trash bag with a fresh one, cleaned up the mess next to the toilet, and scrubbed any stains on the carpet that were left from his soiled sock.

It took him a while to realize that he no longer felt his irritation from before. He was too concerned about Mitsuru falling ill without warning, especially when she hid it from everyone. Had it not been for her bangs covering much of her face, Mitsuru's pallor would have been alarmingly noticeable during school hours. Her fencing mask gave her the perfect cover all throughout practice, and the way she remained limber and aggressive while sparring everyone fooled even Ryuichi. She always pushed herself too hard for others, and it worried him.

"Care for some chocolate?" he offered, breaking off a piece.

She took a tiny bite. "May I ask you something?" She looked his way with her woebegone eyes. "I noticed that you brought chocolate last time, too. Is there a reason for it?"

"Well, my sister used to crave chocolate whenever she was on her period, so it just became automatic for me to get," he answered, relishing in the blend of sea salt caramel and the mild bitterness of dark chocolate. "I just thought that you might like some, but I could get you something else, if you like."

"Next time, remember to include the chocolate with the groceries you buy for tea," she said, and popped the rest of her piece into her mouth.

He barely had a chance to snap off another piece for her when his cell phone rang. "Excuse me for a sec," he said quickly as he stepped outside.

"Ryu-chan, we have a little bit of a problem," Shizue said before he could say anything.

"Problem?" He closed Mitsuru's door. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine, but Kimura-san just gave us a heads' up saying she has to quit."

His heart plummeted. "The nanny? Why?"

"Her son's wife just recently gave birth, but with both of them at work all the time, they asked if Kimura-san would help watch their baby," she explained. "Her last day's this Saturday."

Ryuichi rubbed his jaw in thought. "Okay, so we have less than a week to find a new nanny. Why didn't she say anything sooner?"

"She said her son and his wife wanted to try to balance their jobs and the baby first, but that blew so it was kind of a last-minute thing. Lame, right?"

"Yeah, especially since it takes awhile to find another babysitter."

He leaned back against the wall, not happy with the news. "Well, good luck."

"'Good luck'? Aren't you gonna help me find a replacement?"

"Last time I tried helping, you rejected every single one I found," he reminded her.

"Yeah, but I really need your help! Please, Ryu-chan? You're better with negotiating pay and stuff!"

"I suck at that! And can't you just ask some of the neighbors to watch her? Don't the Aomoris have a daughter in high school?"

"They do, but she's never babysat anyone before."

Groaning, he said to his sister: "All right. I'll put up a listing and we'll see what we get, okay?"

She thanked him, though she still sounded uneasy about the whole thing. He could tell that she wanted to talk some more, but Megumi crying in the background made them cut their conversation short. Ryuichi quietly thanked his niece after hanging up.

"Did something happen?" Mitsuru asked when he returned to her room.

He told her the bad news as he sat back down on her desk chair. It was only the beginning of the new semester, and already his family was having problems.

"I don't understand why she's pushing such a responsibility onto you when she's the one who ultimately decides who will care for her baby," Mitsuru remarked. He thought he imagined the tiniest hint of annoyance in her voice, but figured that it was his own wishful thinking.

"I don't get it, either, but I told her I'd put up an ad and send her the resumes I liked," he replied, helping himself to a little more chocolate.

"What will you do if she doesn't like any of the ones you chose?"

"What can I do? She can find her own nanny and I'll offer to pay half."

"And if they ask you to help watch your niece more than once a week?"

Ryuichi shook his head. "Then they're going to have to understand that I can't do it," he said with conviction. "College entrance exams are coming up, and we have a mock exam in November. I need time to study, so I can't help babysit or work at the restaurant any more than I already am."

Her eyes widened in amazement. "Très bien," she said with an approving nod. "I'm proud of you for putting your foot down. I was getting worried that their needs could end up compromising your decision to attend a university."

"I think I have you to thank," he said to her. "You're the one who decided that I need to act as your bodyguard during daylight hours, aren't you? Thanks to you, I have a good reason to say 'no' to my family."

She didn't look happy about that. "I didn't intend to be a hindrance to your family—"

"N-No, you're not a hindrance at all," He became flustered, afraid that she took his explanation the wrong way. "If anything, it's been months since they asked me to start helping out, and it's crazy to me that nothing's gotten better."

"That's because the problem isn't that they don't have enough people to help, but that they need to change their attitudes," Mitsuru said.

He could hear that she was trying to sound stronger than she actually was for his sake. "Yeah, so that's not on me," he agreed with a voice that trailed off. "Anyway, I shouldn't be bothering you with any of this, especially since you're not feeling well. Can I get you anything else?"

The nanny's resignation wasn't the only surprise of the week. Two more surprises were brought to Ryuichi's attention, one of them being Aigis dressed up in the girls' Gekkoukan High School uniform. She wore the winter version to cover up her machinery, the long-sleeved jacket looking out of place as the summer season barely began to taper off. She even wore shoes to hide the fact that she didn't have feet, though Ryuichi wondered if she was given new leg attachments that had the actual appendages built in.

The other surprise was the return of Akihiko's best friend, Shinjiro Aragaki. He was technically a senior in high school but dropped out a few years ago. More importantly, he was also a member of SEES.

Ryuichi was shocked to see him in the lounge the following Wednesday evening, instantly recognizing the tall, young man who stood with his shoulders stooped like he carried the weight of a boulder on his back. He wore a maroon peacoat and black beanie despite the sweltering heat, and his permanent scowl left the impression that he had fangs ready to snap at anyone who got too close. How Akihiko managed to persuade him to rejoin SEES was beyond Ryuichi's comprehension.

"You finally stopped being a squirt," were the first words that Shinjiro sneered at Ryuichi when they first saw each other.

Ryuichi grinned. "And you still haven't learned to smile."

Shinjiro's dark eyes glowered at him, but Ryuichi beamed back brightly.

"Dumbass," Shinjiro grunted, and sauntered off with his hands deep in his coat pockets.

Ryuichi watched as Shinjiro and Akihiko both headed upstairs, already starting up one of their brotherly quarrels they used to have often. Having Shinjiro back felt like he never left, as he was the same sour grump Ryuichi remembered. He couldn't help but snicker as the two took to their bickering with gusto, as if they were long overdue for a good fight.

"—you haven't even tried it—"

"—why the hell would I try that protein shit—"

"—it comes in different flavors! I've got—"

"—I don't give a crap—"

After two long years, the senior team was back together again. Their SEES family had grown so much since then, and so rapidly in only a few short months. The return of one of their strongest members both reassured Ryuichi and troubled him.

"Why do you think he came back?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru.

"Probably to right a wrong," she said.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

"A cafe!"

"A haunted house!"

It was homeroom the next day, and Mitsuru stood at the front of the class taking suggestions from everyone as to what their class should do for the upcoming culture festival. She recruited Ryuichi to write down the ideas on the blackboard as they went along, allowing everyone to see what their options were and to think about what they wanted to vote for.

"All right, any other suggestions?" Mitsuru asked their classmates.

A girl raised her hand. "If we do a cafe, can we do a theme for it?"

Ryuichi wrote "Theme?" next to "Cafe" on the board while their classmates chattered about their ideas.

"What kind of theme should we do?" asked Mitsuru.

"A host cafe!"

"Zombies!"

"Anime!"

One guy quietly raised his hand. "How about noir?"

"Noir?"

"What's noir?"

Mitsuru eyed the boy with intrigue. "Could you tell everyone a little more about the noir theme?"

Nodding, the boy stood, his knees trembling slightly. "Well, it's like those old crime dramas with hardboiled detectives," he explained, and pointed to Ryuichi. "They wear hats like that and trench coats, and they solve crimes and mysteries brought to them by a damsel in distress."

Ryuichi flinched when his classmate singled him out. Everyone stared at him—his hat, rather—with curiosity in their eyes. His stomach felt queasy from all the stares, and he tilted his head down so the brim of his fedora would block his view of them.

"That's a unique theme," Mitsuru said to the boy. "Ryuichi, add 'noir' to the list."

He gladly turned his back so he wouldn't have to see everyone gawk at him. As he wrote the boy's suggestion on the board, a girl spoke up.

"Since a lot of other classes might do a cafe, should we do something else to make our class stand out?" she asked.

"Hey, yeah!"

"It's no good if everyone's serving coffee and tea—"

"What if we served food?"

"Like a restaurant?"

Mitsuru nodded and glanced back to Ryuichi, who wrote "Food?" on the board.

"If we serve food, what should it be?" Mitsuru asked everyone. "The trouble with food is that it has to be cost-efficient, so try to think of something simple to cook that we can make in large quantities."

The room fell silent for only a second before the ideas flowed.

"—Yakisoba doesn't really fit with the theme—"

"—what do detectives even eat—"

"—takoyaki's easy enough, right—"

Someone gasped. "How about burgers?"

The excitable murmurs began. Ryuichi raised an eyebrow as he attempted to figure out how the noir theme and hamburgers fit together.

"Hamburgers are too expensive for our class to serve," Mitsuru told the class.

The class groaned as someone shouted, "We'll make them smaller!"

"Ryuichi-kun, your family runs a burger restaurant, right?" a girl piped up.

He turned and put on a bitter grin. "Unless you want to charge five hundred yen for a single slider, there's no way it's doable."

Their lack of disappointment confused him, until he realized that his classmates might not know what a slider was. He drew a circle bigger than his palm on the board to show the standard burger patty size, and then a smaller circle next to it that was about a fourth of the size.

The class chorused a disappointed "Awww" when they put together the size of the puny slider with the hefty price. Ryuichi turned back to the board to erase his diagram, using the opportunity to savor his smugness. He felt as though he preserved his father's recipe's honor, protecting it from becoming little more than cheap festival food.

"What if instead of hamburgers, we do an Italian menu?" suggested Mitsuru. "If we serve pasta, the cost for sauce and noodles will be inexpensive and it will still make our class stand out."

Ryuichi added "Italian food" to the board, thinking that their noir theme was slowly looking a little too mafia for a school environment.

"Other than the menu, are we doing anything else?" a boy near the front asked.

Mitsuru finished writing some notes before replying. "Hm. We'll need to consider decorations, and if it's not too difficult, we can try dressing up, too."

"How about music?" the boy piped up.

"What kind of music?"

"We should have live jazz music!" a girl said excitedly. "Yuri-chan, you're in the Jazz Club, right?"

Her friend's face lowered. "Well, yeah, but I play the drums," she murmured.

Shiori sat up in her chair. "Say, Ryuichi-kun, you can play piano, right? Can you play some jazz music?"

He felt like he had been outed. "Why am I coming up a lot today?" he muttered bitterly to himself.

"Do you still play the saxophone, too?" Shiori asked, looking hopeful. "If it's jazz, it's gotta have a saxophone."

The others voiced their agreements, some pleading with Ryuichi to play for them. He shrank lower beneath his fedora, wanting to protest that someone else should play, but not wanting to disappoint his classmates.

"What do you say, Ryuichi?" asked Mitsuru. The hairs on his back stood up like bristles on a brush. "It sounds like we're set on a noir theme. Are you up to playing some jazz music for us?"

"How is this gonna work, exactly?" he asked, finding strength in his own voice. "There's no way I can play all day for both days."

Mitsuru turned back to the rest of the class. "Is there anyone else who is willing to play? It doesn't have to be piano or saxophone."

The class started naming others who had some musical inclination, but those whose names came up were quick to say that they weren't familiar with jazz. Ryuichi began to feel more and more alone, hoping that there would be at least one person who could share the burden with him.

"In that case, we can always play a CD so you're not playing the entire time," Mitsuru told him when no one else volunteered. "However, I think the real draw for our class will be the live music, so if anyone would like to volunteer later, please feel free to let me know."

She scanned the board, then turned back to the class. "All right, since we appear to have chosen our theme, we will take a vote on our class theme out of formality," she announced. "All those in favor for the noir theme?"

Nearly the entire class responded with an emphatic "Aye!". Ryuichi hung his head and sighed, not having said anything.

"All those opposed?"

No one spoke. Ryuichi wanted to protest, but everyone's hopes and expectations made him keep quiet. He didn't want to disappoint them.

"Then it's settled: Our class will be doing a noir theme," Mitsuru concluded with a nod. "Ryuichi, if you would, please wipe the board clean so we can start taking down ideas and responsibilities."

Their class wasn't the only one excited about the noir theme. During lunchtime, Ryuichi overheard students from other classes discussing what they were doing for the culture festival and the word "noir" kept coming up in conversations. Some students griped about how lame their ideas were, with one class performing _Romeo and Juliet_ on stage. One class decided on a haunted house while another chose a maid cafe. Ryuichi pitied the class that was going to do a rest room.

"At least you don't have to be Romeo," Akihiko grunted to Ryuichi when they crossed paths at the small store in the foyer.

Ryuichi burst out laughing. "That was _your_ class? _You're_ Romeo?"

"It's not funny! And I'm not gonna do it!"

He wiped tears from his eyes. "I can see it now: All your fan girls scrambling to snag the role of Juliet."

Sighing with a grin still on his face, he whipped out his cell phone. "I gotta tell Mitsuru and Shinjiro!"

"Like hell you are!"

Akihiko grabbed for the phone, but Ryuichi bolted down the hall. The boxer tore after him, Ryuichi slipping past students while Akihiko crashed into some girls.

"Akihiko-senpai!"

"It's Akihiko-senpai!"

"Oh, no," Ryuichi heard Akihiko moan.

He was just about to dash up the stairs when Akihiko shot past him. A gaggle of girls shoved Ryuichi out of the way as they gave chase, their shrill voices crying out for their beloved Romeo while misquoting lines.

"Exeunt pursued by screaming fans," Ryuichi muttered, quietly closing his phone. "Oh, well. It's more fun to tell Mitsuru in person anyway."

The festive fun tried to follow Ryuichi to the restaurant later that day, but the moment he smelled the smoky meats, the mood abandoned him. For the second week in a row, Toshio yelled at his son for being late to work in front of all the workers and customers.

"I already told you last week that I'd be coming late from now on!" he told his father.

"Then get to work," was all his father said, unapologetic as always.

The next day, Ryuichi went to his parents house to watch over Megumi by himself, as both Shizue and their mother had to help out at the restaurant. He couldn't recall a time when he didn't feel like his balls were in a vice just by being in his family's house, but without his parents or his sister, the place felt less oppressive, like he could take a deep breath and not choke on it. Megumi certainly seemed happier, where she was all giggles when they played and when he sang to her, and only crying once when he accidentally woke her up from her nap.

"Hey, Megs? Would you rather live somewhere away from here?" he asked her as he warmed a bottle of breast milk for her.

With grubby, chubby hands, Megumi reached for the bottle while her uncle tested to see if the milk was too hot. When he decided it was just warm enough, he held it for her as she greedily pulled it to her face to suckle.

Ryuichi chuckled at the sight of his baby niece. "Yeah, I don't know anyone who could stand to live here," he told her. "I couldn't do it, so I don't know how you or your mom are doing it."

After burping her, he set her down in her bouncy chair so he could play some piano for her. The old, upright piano had never been tuned, emitting the familiar off-key notes that were nearly a whole note up from what they were supposed to be. As wrong as the notes sounded, he was used to it, hardly recognizing the wrongness of the pitches until he played on other pianos.

Since his class decided on having live music, Ryuichi decided that he absolutely had to practice. He didn't actually know any jazz songs, but he had some idea of how to imitate the style and sound. He looked up some smooth jazz music on his sister's laptop and tried to follow along on the piano. After a few listens, he made stuff up as he went along, hoping it sounded jazzy enough to pass.

He knew he couldn't make up a song for a whole hour or so, not especially in a style he wasn't too familiar with. With some of the basics in mind, he chose a song he knew and gave it some jazzy flair, starting off with chords to get the sounds down. He started playing around with it, making up his own melodies to familiarize himself with the keys before trying to incorporate the original tune. At times, he would revert back to a more easy-listening style with a simpler sound, often catching himself to make the adjustments. He just hoped that he wouldn't make the same mistakes during the culture festival.

After bathing Megumi and putting her to bed, Ryuichi went to cook dinner for his family. He figured some curry rice would be easy to make and plentiful for his family when they came home from work, though he waited until around nine o'clock to do the actual cooking so the food would be hot and ready for them. For the moment, he only prepared the ingredients for easy assembly later.

As he finished up throwing away the potato and carrot skins, he thought about how his sister still needed to find a babysitter for Megumi. Despite Mitsuru's advice on limiting how much he stuck his nose into his family's struggles, he ached to help them out. He kept telling himself to let his sister figure the nanny problem out herself, that last time his opinion on which nanny to hire meant nothing to Shizue. For a few moments, he actually started to believe that he wasn't needed for the task until he heard Megumi's jarring cries from upstairs.

Ryuichi held his niece as he softly sang her back to sleep. As Megumi quieted down, his resolve for keeping away from his family's affairs faltered.

"If I don't help out, what will happen to you?" he asked Megumi softly.

Once he managed to get his niece back to bed, he went back onto his sister's laptop to see if they received any new resumes.

The next day after work, Ryuichi had to speed back to the dorm to meet up with the other SEES members for another full moon operation. Thanks to his father coming in on a day he wasn't supposed to, Toshio and Shizue ended up arguing the entire afternoon and evening. After Shizue left for the night, it was just Ryuichi and Toshio left in the restaurant after closing time. Ryuichi ended up preparing the next batch of meats by himself while his father's rage erupted onto him.

"—trying to help her, and what does she do?" Toshio kept ranting while Ryuichi cleaned up. "Math was her strongest subject, and now she can't even add simple numbers! What was the point in sending her to college if—"

By the time Ryuichi finished, the only way he could get his father to go home was by flickering the lights on and off. It took his father a few flashes before he got the hint, muttering a disgruntled "G'night, son" with a rigid hug on their way out.

It was thanks to his father that Ryuichi made it back to the dorm with mere minutes before the Dark Hour struck. He parked his motorcycle and closed up the back room, congratulating himself on not getting arrested for running a few red lights.

As he retrieved the key to the rear door, his cell phone rang. Swearing, he quickly slipped off his helmet to answer the call.

"I can't take it anymore!" Shizue sobbed. "Ryu-chan, come get me and Megumi, please!"

"What happened?"

"Dad went too far! He went too fucking far and I'm just done!"

He held the phone away from his ear. "What did he say?" he asked. In the background, he could hear their father yelling and Shizue shouting back. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Just come get me, Ryu-chan! If I have to stay here another minute, I'll—"

The line went dead. The storage room went completely dark, and it took Ryuichi a moment to realize that the Dark Hour had begun. Right then, his family had no idea that they had been transmogrified, their arguments suspended for the moment.

It took a few tries to blindly find the right key for the door. Just like everywhere else, the lights in the lounge were all off, with only the moonlight guiding him enough to not bang his shins against any furniture. He had only just crossed the dining room when Ken dashed down the stairs, panting.

"Okazaki-san!" he gasped. "Have you seen Junpei-senpai anywhere?"

Ryuichi looked at him with concern. "No, I just got home. Why?"

Ken groaned. "He's missing and nobody knows where he is!"


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

There was nothing they could do for Junpei for the time being. Even Fuuka couldn't sense his presence with Lucia, no matter how far she scanned. It struck the SEES members as strange that he would miss such an important night, as he was usually the most excited for the missions. The fact that Fuuka couldn't locate him made them suspect that something was definitely wrong.

The Shadows couldn't wait for them to find him. Despite her difficulties to pinpoint the Shadow's location, Fuuka managed to trace it to Paulownia Mall.

The moment they stepped into the mall, everything felt wrong. The absence of shoppers scurrying about, the lack of children playing, the deathly silence, and darkened stores made the normally lively place feel as ominous as a morgue. All life had ceased, save for the two upright coffins that most likely belong to security guards. The large fountain continued to burble and flow, but under the grim moonlight, it appeared to be filled with blood.

Fuuka approached the fountain and fired off her Evoker. Lucia appeared, encapsulating her in her bulbous body while emitting her brilliant bluish-white light. As the others gathered around her, Ryuichi and Koromaru patrolled the area in search of Shadows or signs of Strega. Ryuichi let out a weary yawn, his eyes watering as he forced them to stay open.

"Detect anything?" Mitsuru asked Fuuka.

"Only a faint presence," she replied. "It seems so close, but—Why—?"

Mitsuru whirled around to face everyone else. "All right, let's split up and search for it. There's no time to lose; hurry!"

As everyone began to head in different directions, Fuuka's voice cried out directly in their heads, making them flinch.

"Wait! Please, give me a moment!" she begged. "This is my responsibility!"

They all turned back, wincing as she took a deep, calming breath.

"Tell me, Lucia: what is this thing that deceives me?" Fuuka asked softly.

Another deep breath. Everyone waited, all trying to be patient while squirming with eagerness to fight.

"Hear the wind's answer in your ear," they heard Fuuka say. "Touch the earth's answer with your fingertips. Taste the water's answer on your lips."

"Hey, is she okay?" Akihiko started to take a step towards her.

"Don't break her concentration," Mitsuru ordered in a low voice.

Their navigator's eyes flew open. "Right beneath our feet—Some kind of webbing?"

Everyone looked to one another, shaking their heads with no idea as to what she was referring to.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the old power cables underground," Aigis suggested. "They were just left there when the island's construction was completed."

Mitsuru cast her eyes downward. "'Power cables'?"

Aigis nodded. "Yes. They run underground in many directions like a web."

Fuuka let out a sigh of relief as she smiled at Aigis. "Thank you, Aigis. I understand now. Interference isn't the problem—The cables themselves are possessed by the Shadow!"

"They what?" Yukari lifted her feet as though a snake had slithered by. "So, it's underneath this whole area."

Akihiko tapped his toe against the tiles. "Now it all makes sense."

"H-How are we supposed to beat something like that?" squeaked Ken, and Shinjiro let out a dull grunt.

"This is a problem," Mitsuru murmured, deep in thought. "We have no means of attacking it."

"In your notes from previous battles, it said there was a Shadow that took control of the monorail," Fuuka said. "Just like that one, this Shadow must have its own body. Let me see if I can find it."

"Even if we know where it is, we might not be able to get to it," Akihiko grumbled.

"There may still be a way to reach the structure the buried cables feed into," Aigis said.

"We'll see," Shinjiro said, sounding skeptical of Aigis' hopeful remark.

Ryuichi and Koromaru returned from their patrol, having heard everything the others spoke of thanks to the vast silence.

"Fuuka," Yukari whispered, getting no reply.

Their navigator gasped. "I found it! It's close by—in this mall!"

"In here?"

"It's inside a small chamber underground," Fuuka told them all. "It's rectangular, so I assume it's man-made."

"Is it some sort of room?" asked Ken.

"Wait a minute."

It was Shinjiro who had spoken, calling to their attention. "I overheard the manager of Escapade. He was saying that the power's been acting up lately."

"That's no surprise," Yukari sighed.

Shinjiro ignored her. "He said that the control panel is located beneath the club. Maybe we should take a look."

"That's it!" Fuuka exclaimed.

"Good job, Yamagishi," Mitsuru told Fuuka, who looked relieved to finally have discovered the Shadow's location. "All right. Once we're ready, we'll make our move."

Ryuichi scratched his head. "Electricity, huh? Looks like I'll be sitting this one out."

It wasn't just him—Aigis and Yukari were also forced to stand down. Minato went around the group, drawing up a strategy with suggestions from Mitsuru.

"Let's go with Akihiko-senpai and Ken-kun, since they're both resistant to electricity," their leader said after much thought. He looked around at his other options while Ryuichi silently pleaded for him to not pick Mitsuru.

"Shinjiro-senpai, you're in."

Shinjiro picked his head up. "Me? Fine. You can count on me."

With a relieved sigh, Ryuichi and the others wished them good luck before they headed into Club Escapade.

"Stupei, where are you?" Ryuichi heard Yukari murmured behind him.

"Could something have happened?" Mitsuru asked. "Did anyone see him after school today?"

"He was definitely in class today," Yukari answered. "But, after that, I didn't see him at all. I thought that maybe he was in his room all afternoon."

The ground shuddered, as if something massive from below them had shoved them hard. Muffled explosions boomed, prompting Ryuichi to take Mitsuru by the wrist and pull her towards the mall's front doors away from Club Escapade. The others followed suit, with even Fuuka temporarily dismissing Lucia to relocate with everyone else. Koromaru barked twice, wagging his tail.

Aigis translated. "He says, 'I hope that that was our team causing those explosions'."

Yukari stooped to pet him. "I hope so, too."

Mitsuru got Ryuichi's attention with a look. He followed her around to the other side of Lucia's enormous form.

"You've been quiet," she said quietly to him. "Is everything all right?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, putting much of his remaining strength into sounding energetic.

"You just had a full day of school and work, and you looked pretty upset about something earlier," she said, keeping her voice low. "Did something happen?"

The floor rumbled again. Koromaru turned and growled at something towards the stairs. His thick fur stood on end.

"What's the matter, boy?" asked Yukari.

Mitsuru whipped out her Evoker. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Aigis stretched both hands out towards the stairs, revealing ten gun muzzles in her fingertips. Yukari spotted the guns and jumped back out of the line of fire.

"Takeba, take Aigis and Koromaru with you to investigate," Mitsuru ordered. "Keep your distance if you can. Ryuichi and I will remain here and guard Yamagishi."

Yukari nodded. "Right. Let's go, guys."

While the three investigated the area, Ryuichi kept scanning their surroundings. The muffled explosions underfoot shook the ground, making Ryuichi steady himself against Lucia.

"As I was saying before, did something happen earlier?" Mitsuru asked him again.

"Is this why you sent the others away?" he grumbled.

Something squelched behind them. Ryuichi leaped towards the noise and drove his sword into a puddle-like Shadow's mask, splitting it in two. The one strike alone turned it into smoke.

"I got a call from my sister right before the Dark Hour," he told Mitsuru as he sheathed his sword. "She wanted me to pick her up right away because she got into another fight with Dad. The Dark Hour cut us off before she could say anything else."

Gunshots. Ryuichi grabbed Mitsuru and pulled her down to the floor. The other three pursued a Shadow across the upper floor towards the left, with Yukari shouting something after Aigis and Koromaru, the latter nipping at the Shadow's feet.

"Shadows!" Mitsuru wriggled out from Ryuichi's grip and struck out.

Ryuichi thought the glass doors shattered until he saw Penthesilea appear. Mitsuru's Persona attacked a puddle Shadow behind them, slicing off the Shadow's gooey arms. A new hand shot out, blocked by Ajax. Mitsuru severed the hand as two floating heads wearing crowns of open books appeared.

"Hit them with magic!" Mitsuru commanded Ryuichi.

He blasted them both with Magarula, but the two Shadows merely wobbled in the air. He jerked right when one lunged with her spiked hair.

"Your turn!" he shouted to Mitsuru.

Ice burst against both Shadows, but neither one so much as flinched. One fought Mitsuru, hair to sword, their blades flashing in the moonlight. The other released an odor so foul that Ryuichi gagged.

"Don't breathe it in!" Mitsuru warned him. She slashed her foe across the forehead, making it shriek.

He coughed, parrying another thrust from his enemy's hair. Ajax and Penthesilea positioned themselves in front of Lucia as a knight Shadow came riding on horseback out of Club Escapade. He charged at their navigator, followed by Aigis with a cracked chest plate and a limping Koromaru. Yukari brought up the rear, healing the two. The knight swerved, rounding the fountain away from Lucia.

The head Shadow cut Ryuichi above his elbow. He clutched his fresh wound as poison continued to pump through his body with every heartbeat. Nausea made him gag, his eyes watering as he watched the knight turned and aimed his lance at Lucia. Ajax raised his shield, and the knight's lance splintered on impact as a crown Shadow cast Mamudo on Ryuichi and Mitsuru. Ryuichi flung himself out of the way, but Mitsuru collapsed, unconscious. He caught her before she hit the ground.

"Hey! Wake up!" He gently shook her, but she didn't stir. Overhead, Penthesilea disappeared, leaving Palladion and Ajax to defend Lucia and Fuuka.

Ryuichi pushed a Revive Bead through Mitsuru's lips as he watched Io and Cerberus corner the knight with the other two Personas. His vision blurred as Cerberus' three heads clamped onto the Shadow. In his arms, Mitsuru awoke and sat up.

"Stand down, Ryuichi," she ordered, springing to her feet.

His body became heavy as his strength waned. "Go get 'em, Boss," he mumbled, staggering to his feet. He nearly fell over trying to dig out a Dis-Poison from his pocket.

Ice sprayed shards while powerful flames scorched Ryuichi's cheeks. When he looked up, the knight Shadow had been vanquished, leaving behind melted ice and a dying fire. Yukari, Aigis, and Koromaru joined the others around Lucia, all three looking a bit more ragged than when they first arrived at the mall.

"I gotcha, Senpai," Yukari said, casting a spell to heal his poison.

The nausea faded, but his legs still refused to support him properly. Yukari cast Mediarama and restored everyone's energy, though she looked more fatigued after doing so. When Ryuichi felt a bit more lucid, he started tending to the wound on Koromaru's paw.

"Ryuichi, your arm."

He ignored the gash over his elbow for the moment. "Just a sec," he told Mitsuru, taking care to keep his voice light.

When he finished tying off the bandages on Koromaru's paw, the dog kept it raised and hobbled on his three remaining legs.

"We'll probably have someone carry you back to the dorm later," Ryuichi told Koromaru. "Just try to keep off of it for now."

Koromaru let out a grateful bark while Ryuichi turned to Yukari next. She had a small cut over her right eye that he smeared ointment over before covering up with a bandage.

"All right; your turn," Mitsuru said once Ryuichi finished tending to the others.

She took his little first aid kit while he shed his blazer. When he tried to push his shirt sleeve up and over his thick bicep, he couldn't get it above the wound.

"Yeah, not happening," he said, rolling his sleeve back down.

Mitsuru frowned. "You have to clean it before it gets infected," she urged.

"Why does Ryuichi-san not remove his shirt?" asked Aigis. "It will allow for easier access to the wound."

"Because Ryuichi-senpai is shy about his farmer's tan," joked Yukari.

"It's more for your sake, actually," he said in a playful, indignant tone. "My paleness will strike you blind. Trust me."

Sighing, Mitsuru said to him: "I see no problem if you have a shirt underneath."

She found the loophole. Ryuichi had no choice but to shed his vest and dress shirt, grateful that he had gone with the black T-shirt underneath. Mitsuru cleaned and bandaged his wound while the others kept watch for other Shadows.

"Stupei, where are you?" he heard Yukari say to herself again.

Koromaru barked twice. "He says, 'Junpei-san might be with that girl again'," Aigis translated for him.

"A girl?" Mitsuru asked in amazement.

"Yeah, he's been going on about seeing some girl lately," Yukari grumbled. She uncrossed her arms. "You don't think he missed out on tonight because of her, do you?"

"It's a possibility," Mitsuru said, tying the first knot on Ryuichi's bandages. "Though, I can't imagine him missing an important mission over an infatuation."

"Bad time for him to fall in love," Ryuichi grunted.

The ground quaked again. Ryuichi bit back a yell when Mitsuru grabbed onto his injured arm to keep her balance.

"Sorry!" she said quickly. When she let go, Ryuichi did his best to shake off the pain.

"Is it wrong to have in infatuation with someone?" Aigis asked them when the ground settled.

"Huh? What do you mean, Aigis?" asked Yukari.

Aigis blinked. "It seems that the 'infatuation' that Junpei-san has for that girl is under scrutiny by everyone," she noted.

"The only thing troublesome about his apparent infatuation is that he's letting it get in the way of his duty to eliminating Shadows," Mitsuru explained.

"What is an 'infatuation'?"

The three looked to one another as if to search for a clear answer.

"It means to really like someone," Yukari told their curious companion.

At that, Aigis nodded. "Then it is the same way that I feel about Minato-san. I comprehend."

"It's not really like that," Ryuichi said with a nervous smile. "An infatuation is more of a crush, kind of like love but not quite, since I guess love's more romantic?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Someone wanna help me out with this?"

"What is 'love'?" Aigis asked.

"Baby, don't hurt me," he replied automatically, making Yukari roll her eyes. "Okay, uh, romantic love, uh, is—"

"To love someone means to love unconditionally," Mitsuru explained. "For example, if someone makes great sacrifices for someone she loves, that is what love is."

"At least, that's one kind of love," Ryuichi added quickly.

"I see." The robotic girl stood still, but seemed to be processing the information. "Then it is similar to how I am with Minato-san because I am willing to fight for his safety."

She then looked to Ryuichi. "And it must be like Ryuichi-san, who fights for Mitsuru-san's safety, as well. He must also love her unconditionally."

"That's not it!" Ryuichi yelled. Both his face and Mitsuru's flushed a deep shade of pink as Yukari ducked away, snorting.

"How so?" asked Aigis.

"Ryuichi works for me, and so he is contractually obligated to serve as my bodyguard," Mitsuru said to her, her tone a little harsh from Aigis' absurd conclusion. "At best, we are good friends, and as such, we have a different sort of appreciation for each other, one that is not in the romantic sense."

Ryuichi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "At this point, we might have to make T-shirts that say 'We're just friends'," he mused.

Mitsuru let out a sigh. "You see, Aigis, love comes in different forms: familial love, romantic love, friendship—"

"—Favorite food, favorite clothes," Ryuichi piped up, counting on his fingers. "So yeah, love isn't just about sacrifice."

"Oh!" Everyone turned when Fuuka gasped. "I think I found Junpei-kun!"

She traced his location to the dorm roof. "But, something isn't right," she added, filling them with dread.

When the others returned from their battle underground, the team raced back to the dorm, Akihiko and Aigis taking the lead. Ryuichi wanted to keep up, but he stayed in line with Mitsuru, who somehow managed to sprint in stiletto heel boots and still kept ahead of others.

At the dorm, Akihiko barely threw the front doors open when everyone burst right in. They tore up the stairs, their feet thundering as if to let Junpei know they were almost there. They found Junpei on the roof bound in chains, the loose end held by a pale, young woman with long, vibrant red hair, thick eyeliner around woeful eyes, and wearing a white, lace, lolita dress.

"Junpei!" Yukari halted just a few feet outside the rooftop door when she spotted him.

"Tch. They're back already?" the lolita girl muttered.

Metal flashed in her hand. Ryuichi shielded Mitsuru when he saw the lolita girl holding a gun-shaped object.

"She's a Persona-user!" Mitsuru called out.

The girl lifted her face to the eerie green sky and pressed the muzzle of the Evoker under her chin. "Medea, come," she ordered in her airy voice, and just as she was about to squeeze the trigger, Junpei broke free from his chains and shoved her to the ground. The Evoker clattered to the floor, stopping at Yukari's feet.

"Chidori! Stop!" Junpei shouted, pinning her down.

"No!" The girl named Chidori was no longer cool and calm, but stricken with panic and fright. "Give it back!"

She struggled against Junpei's hands, groping for the Evoker as Ikutsuki, Akihiko, and Shinjiro arrived.

Ikutsuki gasped when he saw Chidori. "When did she—?"

Akihiko snatched the Evoker off the ground. "Sorry, but we can't let you use this," he said to the frightened girl.

"Medea!" she gasped as tears filled her eyes. She lowered her outstretched hand and let her face rest flat on the ground in defeat.

"I-I didn't sense her up until this very moment," Fuuka said in disbelief as everyone surrounded Chidori. "I didn't even have the slightest clue she was here."

Aigis helped Chidori to her feet while keeping her wrists locked in her vice-like grip. Junpei let his hands slip from the lolita girl, anguish crossing his face as he watched her become Aigis' prisoner.

Mitsuru stood before Chidori, extending to her full height with her arms down at her sides. "Are you a member of the group that goes by the name Strega?" she demanded. "I have a number of questions for you."

With a ragged breath, Chidori told her, "I'm not, afraid, of dying—"

"Ch-Chidori!" yelped Junpei, but she ignored him.

Chidori's face had gone so pale that the moonlight tinged her skin a sickly green. Her eyes were wide open now, and in a high, airy voice, cried: "M-Medea, I-I'm—"

Aigis steadied her, and she fell silent.

"Clearly, she's emotionally unstable," Mitsuru said to the others. "We'll let her rest and save our questions for later."

As they all headed back inside the dorm, Ryuichi heard Junpei utter Chidori's name on his lips so softly that the wind carried it off before it could reach anyone else's ears. They marched her down to the lounge, where Aigis never broke her grip on her. Chidori said nothing, nor did she try to break free even with Junpei there, who softly spoke to her until Mitsuru led him away for questioning.

"Have everyone search the dorm," she said to Akihiko. "Stay on the alert, and make sure everyone goes in pairs."

Upstairs on the second floor, Ryuichi and Mitsuru got their Evokers ready while Junpei unlocked his bedroom door. The moment he pushed the door open, Ryuichi stormed inside, kicking over the stacks of manga, dirty laundry, and other junks all over the floor. When all was clear, he allowed the others to enter. Junpei dropped heavily onto his unkempt bed as Mitsuru stepped over piles of manga and a rumpled shirt to stand before him.

"Who is that girl?"Mitsuru demanded in her cold tone. "Is her name really Chidori?"

Junpei sat forward with his elbows on his knees and sighed, keeping his head down. "I don't know," he admitted. "That's the name she told me."

"How did you come to know her?"

"I saw her at the Port Island Station over summer break. She was drawing on a sketchpad, and she seemed kinda interesting."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed. "You are infatuated with her?"

Junpei cringed. "I-I, um—"

She shook her head. "What have you told her about us?"

"Nothing! I swear!"

"How did she manage to take you hostage?"

"I don't—"

"Did you know she had a Persona?"

"N-No, I—"

"Do you know the potential harm that—"

"Mitsuru."

She exhaled sharply through her nose at the sound of her name. "What do you even know about this girl?" she asked, speaking slower without losing the edge in her voice.

Junpei scratched his head just under where his cap ended. "I-I don't know." He picked his head up and looked Mitsuru in the eyes. "But I do know that I care about her!"

"Don't let your infatuation get in the way of what just happened tonight!" Mitsuru bellowed, and Junpei shrunk away. "If she _is_ with Strega, they could have easily infiltrated our dorm and killed us all! Now, tell me what you told her about us!"

Junpei's legs began to shake. "I-I-I told her that, um, that I was the leader," he muttered, only audible by the silence of the Dark Hour.

Mitsuru took a step towards him. "Is that all?" she asked, her voice hardening again. "Is there anything else?"

"No. I told her that I was the leader and that's it."

"Why?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ryuichi asked her with a sigh.

Mitsuru glowered down at the foolish teen. "Your carelessness almost cost you your life tonight, and potentially others, as well," she reminded him coldly. "Think about that."

She left the room. Ryuichi followed, taking one last look at Junpei's shrinking frame before closing the door behind him. They went back downstairs where everyone stood around Chidori, watching her like a wild animal in shackles who had finally calmed down.

Akihiko approached Mitsuru. "How is he?"

"He has a lot to think about," she replied without taking her eyes off of Chidori. She said nothing more of the situation, nor did anyone ask anything else.

The Dark Hour lifted shortly after. Ryuichi called Kikuno to have a car sent out to pick up Chidori to take to the hospital. Even after she was removed from the dorm, everyone was still tense as they trudged up to their rooms.

While everyone headed upstairs, Mitsuru pulled Ryuichi aside to speak with in private. They went to his room where Mitsuru settled on his bed while he sat down backwards on his desk chair. Fatigue showed itself in little baggies under Mitsuru's eyes, but her face remained hardened with anger and concern.

"Iori has put us in an extremely dangerous position," she said in a low voice, squeezing herself with her arms folded across her body. "There's no telling if he might have given her more information about our weaknesses, our strengths, our personal lives—And worse, if she _is_ working with Strega, then we may be in more danger than ever before.

"And the nerve of him! Telling a girl that he was our leader to impress her? What was he thinking?"

"In a way, it worked out for us," Ryuichi reasoned. "She got a fake, and our leader is safe. Though, she might think it's you now."

"Yes, but that kind of carelessness could have cost us tonight," she reminded him. "How did she get into the dorm? What if she's working with Strega? There's a lot that could have happened, and he needs to understand that."

She shook her head in disgust. "All for an infatuation."

Ryuichi said nothing. He knew that she was right about the dangers that Junpei had put them in just to try to win a girl's heart, and that they had no idea of what could happen from then on. Still, witnessing Mitsuru's anger only told him how scared she had been for Junpei and for the rest of the team.

"Yamagishi said that she couldn't sense that girl before," Mitsuru said as she stared through the wall. "Could it be that her Persona has a cloaking ability? If she's working with Strega, could we have captured their ability to stay hidden? And, if Yamagishi couldn't sense anyone else in the area, does that mean that someone else possesses the cloaking ability?"

There were too many questions to ask and only one who could answer them, but she wasn't willing to talk. Mitsuru made plans to speak with Chidori later, with the hopes that she had mentally stabilized by then. Ryuichi told her he would accompany her as often as possible, but she told him that she could always ask Akihiko to go with her.

It was only after Ryuichi was in bed and closed his eyes that he remembered something that made his blood run cold.

"Shit! Shizue!"

Her call had long-since ended, and there were three missed calls from her. Ryuichi called her back immediately, apologizing the moment she picked up her phone. He ended up staying awake longer than he could stand to while she told him all about what their father had said, sobbing the whole way through. When he started snoring, his sister's voice screeched at him for not caring enough, for being heartless and selfish. All he could do was apologize again and again, even if it never satisfied her.


	53. Chapter 53

**Content advisory: This chapter contains themes of suicide. Discretion is advised.**

 **Chapter 53**

It was lunchtime the following Monday, and Ryuichi had snuck up onto the school roof to call his sister. The heat was almost unbearable up there, where he was sure he had soaked through both shirts and his vest with sweat. The sun broiled his exposed skin, and Ryuichi clung to the fence to keep from collapsing in the heat.

"—I said I was sorry!" he told his sister for the thousandth time.

"Yeah, and your battery totally died at the most convenient time!" she spat back.

Shizue was particularly livid after their last communication was interrupted by the Dark Hour last Saturday night. Throughout work on Sunday, she purposefully avoided her brother, and after she went home for the day, she refused to answer his calls. She didn't exchange any words with her family that day, making it the quietest work day Ryuichi had ever had at the restaurant. It was also one of the most terrifying days at work he had ever had.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Ryuichi continued to tell her, practically pleading with her. "But, couldn't we have talked about it yesterday?"

"In front of Dad?" she shot, piercing her brother with his own stupidity.

Ryuichi took out his handkerchief to mop sweat off his face. He almost regretted calling her, wishing she had just ignored his call like she had done the previous day.

"Well, Mom and Dad aren't around, right?" he grunted. He staggered over to one of the curved, stone benches, blinking away lightheadedness.

Shizue growled in irritation. "Yeah, but I don't want to be here right now," she said, dropping her voice low. "Can I come over today? Megumi and I need a break from this place."

Ryuichi hesitated as he pressed his damp handkerchief to his face. "Yeah, sure," he finally agreed, sniffling. "But, I'm not gonna be home until after five. We've got a lot of preparations to make for the culture festival."

"Okay, sure. We'll talk then."

"Yeah. Bye."

He shut his phone and pressed it to his forehead. "Not now," he growled under his breath. "Not freakin' now. Just deal with them and keep your mouth shut."

He felt his body sag beneath the heat's weight. "Dammit, why didn't I just—"

It was too late to take back his offer to let his sister visit later. For now, he had to get back inside and away from the sun. He stood and felt himself start to topple to his left. Flinging his weight backwards to balance, he braced his calves against the bench to steady himself. The shock from his near fall made him drop back onto the bench, his heart pounding from the panic.

Ryuichi took it slower this time. He made it to the stairs, leading with a hand on the wall to keep from falling. Inside the school, the moist heat stagnated with no breeze to offer relief. When he stopped to drink at a water fountain, he found the water warm, as if someone had gargled with it just before he took his first sip.

He knew the past few days had been rough on him, but at most, he anticipated that he would only be exhausted. Something felt off, where even just standing sapped away his strength and left him wanting to lie down. And, despite how much perspiration soaked through his shirt, his skin felt painfully dry, as if he might catch fire in the torrid sunlight.

"You're looking a bit pale," Mitsuru remarked when he returned to his desk.

Ryuichi tipped his hat back as he put his head down and closed his eyes. "Shizue's coming over later," he murmured, ignoring her question.

"That's fine, but if you're not feeling well, you should tell her to come over another time."

"I'm okay. I'm just tired."

Thankfully, the bell rang to start the next class, cutting Mitsuru off before she could say anything more. Ryuichi's mind was in a haze during the last few hours of school, where his hand couldn't even try to grip his pencil to take notes. After school, he barely mustered up enough strength to join his classmates in preparing for the culture festival.

Ryuichi's class had several discussions going on all at the same time regarding decorations, costumes, advertising, the menu, possible other activities, assigned tasks, and schedules. Everyone's excitement for the culture festival came out in eager shouts, all throwing in their ideas on what they thought could improve their class theme. Mitsuru somehow got everyone to focus on decorations for a time, until someone tied costumes in with decorations and caused other tangents to come up.

"—could have people walk around in costumes holding signs—"

"—still think we should have burgers—"

"—instead of coffee, we can serve—"

"—I looked up fashions from—"

"—are we even a cafe anymore—"

"—add some breadsticks to the menu—"

Amid the chatter, one girl suggested that they do a fun game where customers try to solve a murder mystery using clues they had around the room. Another person added to it, saying that they should decorate sections of the classroom as different rooms in a mansion where the murder could take place. Others still argued for a different menu, and other voices were lost beneath the passionate discussions.

Ryuichi was burning up. His body felt like someone had lit a bonfire within him and kept throwing gasoline onto the flames. He kept getting up to drink from the fountain and splash water on his face, but it would only help for a few minutes at a time. It took everything he had to play like he was fine whenever someone asked if he was all right, where his automatic smile felt like he needed to shove wires in his mouth to maintain the shape.

Somehow, he managed to help organize the menu items with his classmates. Two students still pushed for burgers, pleading with him to figure a way to serve sliders for cheap. In his foggy mind, Ryuichi thought about using beef with a higher fat content and cheap dinner rolls for buns, but he hated that he was bastardizing his father's recipe.

"Ryuichi-kun?"

Two girls approached him. He blinked, swaying on his feet.

"Since you're going to be performing, we thought we might make a costume for you," the one with light brown hair said.

"It's just going to be a jacket, but it's gonna be a little longer than your school uniform," the other girl with barrettes in her hair added. "We figured you can just wear your uniform pants and some suspenders with it."

"And your hat!" The other girl piped up, and Ryuichi absentmindedly put a hand on his fedora.

The girl with barrettes ushered him to the Student Council Room to get measured for the jacket. Surprisingly, none of the student council members were there, likely helping out with their own classes or clubs. The girl started measuring Ryuichi's shoulders when the door slid open, and in walked Mitsuru with the other girl from earlier.

"You, too?" Ryuichi asked her in a hollow voice.

She let out a sigh. "Let's just get this over with," she said, and let the other girl take her measurements.

"Ryuichi-kun, can you stand up straight, please?"

He murmured a weary apology as he stood upright. He felt his classmates hands on the backs of his shoulders, heard her scribble on a notepad, muttering to herself. When she asked him to hold up his arms, he obeyed. She wound the measuring tape around his chest, said a number, and wrote it down. She measured his waist next.

"Please hold still," the girl told him.

"Sorry, he said again. His body wanted to melt to the floor.

"Ryuichi-kun, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

It was too damn hot in the school. So hot, he started seeing spots.

When she started measuring his legs, he stopped her.

"I thought you were just making a jacket," he said in a snippy voice.

"Oh! Well, now that I see the boys' uniform—" She stood up to get a folder from the table. "—if you look here, the mens' pants from that time—"

He barely heard a word of what she said. His brain wandered to questions of how much the costumes were going to cost, if their skills were enough to make something good, and how much time it would take for them to make the costumes. At one point, he noticed her kneeling again, measuring his legs. Finally, she stood up.

"Okay, you're all done!" she announced with a pat on his shoulder.

Hers was a heavy-handed but friendly pat, but it was enough to make his knees buckle. Ryuichi caught himself, brief panic giving him the strength to stay on his feet. The girl's rapid apologies were met with him repeating "I'm okay, I'm okay" with a quick thanks as he left in search of his next drink of water.

Bracing himself against the water fountain, Ryuichi gulped down as much water as he could stomach. It didn't matter anymore that the water was warm, just that he flooded his parched tongue with rejuvenating liquid. When he straightened up, Mitsuru was standing at his elbow with a stern look on her face.

"Let's go," she said, and started towards the stairs.

He blinked. "Go where?"

"To the infirmary."

He didn't argue. Ryuichi dragged his feet, trudging just steps behind Mitsuru with his hands deep in his pockets. He hung his head as he followed, listening to the shouts and laughter of their classmates as they decorated their classrooms. A girl came running up the stairs as the two were going down, and Ryuichi stepped aside too late to make room, the girl brushing against him. He lost his balance and fell, banging his hip on the stairs.

"Ryuichi?" Mitsuru hurried back up to him.

"I'm fine," he snarled, using the railing to pull himself to his feet. He took a few moments to steady himself as spots swarmed his vision again.

With his hip throbbing painfully from the fall, Mitsuru made sure he took his time getting down the stairs. Whenever he paused to rest, she waited for him, asking if he needed some water or reassuring him to take all the time he needed. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ryuichi leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

The moment they opened the infirmary door, cool air washed over Ryuichi like a fresh, arctic breeze. Mitsuru had him lie down on the first bed as she drew the curtain around him, blocking the harsh sunlight as he kicked off his shoes. When he settled on the bed, he covered his face with his fedora to sleep, only for Mitsuru to set it aside.

He gasped when she touched her cool hand to his forehead. Her stern expression didn't change as Ryuichi's entire body went rigid. He hated showing any weakness to Mitsuru, and seeing the hard look on her face almost made him apologize right then.

"Not good," she murmured, removing her hand. "Stay there and don't move. I'll be right back."

She left the room. Ryuichi was too scared to move, afraid he might upset her more. She returned a few minutes later with two chilled bottles of water, handing him one while she went to soak a cloth in cool water from the sink. He sat up and filled his mouth with water to relish in the cold before gulping it down. When he did it again, Mitsuru pressed the damp cloth to his face. The sudden cold nearly made him spit his water out.

"I couldn't find the nurse, but I suspect that you might have heat exhaustion," Mitsuru told him as she dabbed the cloth over his forehead. "If we're lucky, we caught it before it progressed to heatstroke."

Ryuichi sat forward, leaning his face into the cloth. "Sorry to trouble you like this," he murmured.

"It's only troublesome if you don't tell me you're not feeling well."

Her sharp tone was dulled with worry. "If you knew you were ill, why didn't you say anything?"

He didn't have an answer, at least not a good one. He busied himself with sipping his water slowly as he took the damp cloth from Mitsuru, covering his face with it to hide the shame he felt. When he finished the bottle, Mitsuru gave him the other one.

"Hot weather, working in a sweltering kitchen, and wearing multiple layers," she said slowly to herself, her eyes staring at his vest and necktie. "Looking at it, it's a wonder you didn't collapse before.

"However, I can't help but wonder if your family also played a part in all this."

Ryuichi loosened his tie and unbuttoned his vest. "Well, aren't you perceptive," he muttered.

Mitsuru studied him further. "I'm talking about the stress," she said. "You've spent months trying to help your family and only found more problems. My concern is that you are being inundated with so much stress that it's having a negative impact on your health."

There was no denying it. Everything she said was absolutely true. Even right then, sitting up just to drink water was too much for his weak body. Thinking of his family sapped his remaining strength, and for a moment, he blacked out, eventually waking up to Kikuno and Mitsuru helping him to his feet to get into the awaiting car.

Ryuichi had no memory of the car ride to the dorm. He opened his eyes again to see his bedroom ceiling, vaguely recalling hushed voices talking over him while a bright light blinded him in each eye.

"You're very lucky," Kikuno said, startling him. She sat in his chair at the bedside, pouring him a tall glass of ice water and putting a bendy straw in it. "The doctor said you have heat exhaustion, but also determined that you're suffering from acute stress."

She pushed the straw to his chapped lips to drink. "You've been prescribed three days of strict bed rest, and you are advised to stay in a cool environment over the next week."

Ryuichi nearly choked on the water. "But what about—"

"That includes no working in a hot kitchen until you have made a full recovery," Kikuno answered. "Ojou-sama has already informed your family that you have taken ill. You can resume work in the restaurant next Thursday."

"Next Thursday, or next week—"

"Next week Thursday."

He was still stuck on how his family took the news. Having Mitsuru be the one to contact his parents gave him no reprieve from his worries. His family wouldn't blame Mitsuru in the slightest, but they would certainly be furious with him for inconveniencing her and for taking more days off from the restaurant.

He fell asleep while sipping water. When he awoke later, he was struck with the powerful urge to pee. Exhaling, he saw that he was alone in his room and sat up. Cool air made him shiver as it swept over his bare chest and shoulders, making him hesitant to leave the warmth of his bed. He hurried to the toilet, in disbelief at how heavy his body felt during the few steps it took to get there.

Exhaustion helped him sleep, but worry for his family and the need to pee woke him up from his many naps. Nearly every time he woke up, Kikuno would push more water on him to rehydrate. She meant well, he knew, but he was just tired of refilling his bladder shortly after emptying it.

No matter how many naps he took, it seemed like the day refused to end. A few minutes of sleep felt like nearly an hour, yet almost no time had passed at all. He would wake up covered in sweat, coming from a recurring nightmare of feverishly cooking up burgers in his father's restaurant, only to burn all the patties.

Sometime in the evening, Ryuichi awoke from yet another nap to see Mitsuru at his bedside. Like Kikuno, she had a glass of water ready for him with a bendy straw.

"Kikuno tells me you've been struggling with sleep," she said as she pulled a white T-shirt from his dresser. "But at least you're looking better now."

With her back turned, Ryuichi sat up to pull on the shirt. When he was ready, Mitsuru handed over the glass. She planted herself on his desk chair with a sigh.

"So, what'd I miss?" he uttered in a dry rasp.

Mitsuru told him that, after dropping him off, she went to see Chidori in the hospital to try to get information out of her. She bitterly informed him that Chidori would only doodle in her sketchbook while she fired off fruitless questions. She tried taking away her sketchpad, but Chidori screamed and cried until she got it back.

"Junpei sure knows how to pick 'em," Ryuichi grumbled. He held out the empty glass for Mitsuru to refill.

"Without a doubt, she's mentally unstable," Mitsuru continued, taking the glass. "The doctors and nurses have to be careful to not leave any sharp objects near her, or else she cuts herself. Even after they do a thorough search, she still manages to harm herself."

Ryuichi shivered, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders. "So, what are you gonna do? How are you gonna get her to talk?"

"I don't know." She poured him more water and handed back the glass. "She seemed responsive when Iori was there."

"You had him go with you?"

"He burst into the room of his own accord."

Ryuichi shook his head. "What does he see in her?" he wondered aloud. "How can he still like her after she tied him up?"

He realized his mistake. "Let me rephrase that."

"No need." Mitsuru sat back with her arms folded in front of her. "If it's strong enough, an infatuation can make a person do things that others would deem foolish."

She stood up. "I'm going to try again tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll be more cooperative."

"I wish I could go with you," he said miserably. "But I know, I'm forbidden from leaving this bed except to use the toilet."

"Akihiko will be accompanying me, and I've asked Yamagishi to help determine Chidori's Persona's abilities."

She kept their conversation brief so he could rest, only to start asking if he needed anything. She offered to have Kikuno prepare him a meal, but he informed her that she already brought him dinner. It was as if she had a little checklist in her head, asking if he had enough water, if the air conditioner was cold enough, if his fan was set too high or too low, and so on.

"If there's anything you need, give me a call," she urged him on her way out. "And don't hesitate. If you're not feeling well, tell me right away. Understood?"

He lowered his face. "Yeah," he murmured out of the corner of his mouth with the straw still in his lips. "And, sorry about today."

She eyed him briefly as she opened his door. "Just focus on getting better for now," she said, and left.

The next day, Ryuichi guiltily listened as everyone left for school. He stayed in bed, waiting until school started for the day to dress up in a pair of jeans and a clean shirt. He came out of his room in search of a snack when he saw Shinjiro sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Heard you fainted at school yesterday," Shinjiro grunted. "Wuss."

Ryuichi snickered as he crossed the lounge to the kitchen. "Not all of us were born in a volcano like you," he said, indicating towards Shinjiro's black turtleneck sweatshirt.

"Ha." Shinjiro looked over to see Ryuichi take out some instant noodles. "You're seriously going to eat that shit?"

He checked the label on his cup of shrimp flavored instant noodles. "I would've picked chicken, but we're all out," he answered, getting mildly defensive about his food.

"That's not what I meant. If you don't eat right, you're gonna be out for more than a couple of days."

"I already had a balanced breakfast. This is just a snack."

"What, the maid didn't feed you enough?"

Ryuichi filled his cup with hot water. "She fed me plenty. I'm just a growing boy."

After finishing his noodles, Ryuichi went back to bed but couldn't sleep. The few minutes he spent in the stuffy lounge eating hot noodles nearly cooked him alive. He sat up in bed to sip one of the bottles of water Kikuno left for him, noticing how normal he felt once he was back in a cool place. He still felt a little tired, but overall, felt foolish for collapsing in the first place.

He started thinking that he should have gone to school anyway. All he needed was just an afternoon to rest, it seemed. For the time being, he turned on his TV to keep him company, settling on a crime show that went into explicit detail of how a man was murdered by his wife, who then tried to blame their son. Ryuichi ended up having a nightmare about the show, squirming in a cold sweat until he awoke to someone knocking at his door.

"Come in," he murmured, figuring that Kikuno had come to check on him again.

"Hey, Little Bro," a familiar voice whispered.

Ryuichi immediately covered up with his blanket when he saw Shizue push Megumi's stroller into his room. He stared mournfully at his discarded T-shirt and jeans on the floor beyond his reach.

"What're you doing here?" he asked his sister, his voice slightly muffled by his blanket.

"Mitsuru-san said you were sick, so I thought I'd come by and check on you," she replied, smiling.

Ryuichi sighed as he pulled the covers up over his head. "You just wanted an excuse to get out of the house."

"You got me," she laughed. "So, heat exhaustion, huh? It's cuz you always wear all those layers."

He almost wanted to blurt out that he was also stressed out because of her and their parents, but he was already irritated enough that she would come all that way instead of letting him rest. He kept quiet, knowing that the only way he could survive the day was if he let her do whatever she pleased.

Megumi began to fuss in her stroller. She didn't cry, but her babbles became strained.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Shizue asked as she bent over her stroller. She cooed at Megumi as she picked her daughter up, speaking as if her lips were permanently puckered. "Did you make an oopsie poopsie? Yesh you did! Yesh you did!"

Ryuichi sighed as his sister dug into her oversized bag she set on the floor. All the while, Shizue cooed and blubbered at Megumi as she changed her diaper on her brother's bed. Ryuichi prayed that they would just go away, even when there was no hope.

"So, I've been thinking for awhile now," Shizue said to him, "since Mom and Dad aren't willing to change, the only thing I can really do is move out."

He tried not to groan. "You've been saying that for a while now. Are you sure about that?"

"Very sure." She bunched up the soiled diaper and retrieved a fresh one. "I'm tired of going back and forth all the time on whether or not I should stay. Plus, poor Megumi shouldn't have to grow up in a place like that."

"But, how is that gonna work? It's not easy on your own."

"We'll make it work. The way things are now, it's just no good, not especially for Megumi."

Shizue straightened up, her back popping. "I don't want her to have to listen to me and Mom and Dad arguing all the time," she said softly, her smiling fading off. "She deserves to live in a place where she can have a chance to be happy without people thinking the worst of her."

Ryuichi pulled the covers down below his eyes. He watched as his sister finished putting a fresh diaper on her daughter, a tear falling from her eye.

"Did something happen?" he dared to ask.

Her sigh turned into a sob. "Remember when I begged you to pick me up last Saturday?" she asked, lowering her face. "It's because Dad went and called Megumi a bastard."

Ryuichi grimaced, feeling his anger build in his chest. "He said that?"

Shizue nodded, stifling another sob with her hand. She picked up her daughter and held her close, bouncing her in her arms. Ryuichi wanted to get up and hug his niece so she knew that there were others who loved her no matter what her grandfather said, but he remained in his bed, keeping the covers up over his bare chest. Cowardice melded with rage and came out as a single tear that soaked into his pillow.

"I know I made mistakes, but I was scared, you know?" Shizue continued, trembling as she held Megumi. "It was three guys, and no matter how much I screamed, no one heard me over the music. They just kept laughing while they—"

She shuddered, sobbing as her tears flowed. Ryuichi could only watch as she stood there, holding the child that was born from what had to be the worst night of her life, reliving her powerlessness to stop any of it. She stopped bouncing Megumi and stood petrified, staring into the past at that dreadful night.

Ryuichi resisted the urge to hug his sister. "Do Mom and Dad know about those guys?" he asked quietly.

"They don't even know about what happened," she whimpered, and gingerly set Megumi down next to Ryuichi. "They still think I got pregnant from sleeping around and that I just don't want to contact the father."

Megumi wiggled against her uncle's side. He scooted over to give her some more room, a violent shiver rattling him when he tried to imagine what his sister had gone through.

"They filmed the whole thing, too," Shizue added, shaking.

Ryuichi remembered that she had mentioned it before. Seeing her so destroyed over what happened made him wish he could travel back in time and pummel those guys into oblivion before they could touch his sister, but he knew that no amount of wishing could ever undo what she went through.

Shizue pulled some tissues from the box on his desk to press to her tears. "I don't even know how I got through the semester, but when Megumi started to show, I was too scared to go to class."

"When was that?"

"January, I think."

She blew her nose. "At first, I was in denial about the whole thing," she admitted. "I tried convincing myself that it was a really bad nightmare, but then when I realized I was pregnant with Megumi, I couldn't deny it anymore.

"I got scared that someone I knew might've seen the video. I thought that, if people saw I was pregnant, they'd start thinking the worst of me. It got to the point where I was too scared to come out of my apartment. My friend Ayaka brought me whatever I needed, and if I got desperate, I waited until late at night to buy stuff from vending machines."

"We have to report this," Ryuichi snarled, feeling like he could rip her rapists apart with just his bare hands. "If the video's online, we can use that as evidence to find them and have them arrested."

"No. Just leave it."

Her answer startled him. "Why? Those guys deserve to rot in prison where all the inmates can have a piece of them!"

"Stop it!" she yelled. Her frightened shout made Megumi cry. "All I want to do is just forget that ever happened and move on with my life, okay?"

"We can't just forget that this happened!" Ryuichi growled. He sat up, panicking when he jostled his niece from trying to pull his blanket with him. When he was sure she was safe, he turned back to his sister.

"Just forget it, Ryu-chan."

"You gotta tell Mom and Dad what really happened! They have to know!"

"Know what?" she snapped, her tears flowing again. "That I was stupid enough to get so drunk that I passed out during the party? That everything they warned me about came true so they can rub it in my face? You know how they get, Ryu-chan!"

"They need to know so they can understand what really happened," Ryuichi said softly beneath Megumi's cries.

His sister shook her head. "They'll never understand," she whimpered, sobbing. "They'll just have something else to blame me for. You know how they do that thing, right? The thing where they blame us for things that happen to us? They did it to you, too. When they came back from work last night, Mom and Dad talked about how Mitsuru-san called about you getting sick, and they started talking crap about how you were dumb enough to not drink enough water in the first place."

Ryuichi exhaled, letting his shoulders sag. "I expected as much," he grumbled.

"Whenever they do shit like that, they make me question why I was even born," Shizue murmured under her breath. "If all I do is give them issues, then why did they even bother with me?"

Ryuichi's heart shattered when he heard that. It was then that he knew that he couldn't make his sister go back to their parents, only for the same troubles to keep repeating every time.

Ryuichi steeled himself, feeling his mouth go dry. "The apartments here are too expensive, but I know a place that'll suit your needs," he told her in a small voice.

He didn't want to do it, but despite feeling faint, he dressed up to take his sister and niece to see his house. They rode the bus there, Shizue immediately noticing that his house was only a few bus stops away from their parents' place. His sister gasped in awe when she saw the house for the first time.

"You have a garage?" she uttered, staring at the large door on the right.

He unlatched the gate and unlocked the front door. "I barely had enough room to have it built, but I figured it'd be good for storage," he said, holding down a button on a tiny remote control to undo the alarm system. "And maybe someday, I'll actually put a car in it."

When they were inside, he told his sister all about how he came to own the house, leaving out the part about him nearly losing his arm being the inspiration. Instead, he explained that he didn't want to have to move back home no matter what, and Shizue was quick to agree.

They stopped by the living room first, where Ryuichi kept the air conditioner on to protect his furniture. He set the temperature lower for their comfort while Shizue marveled at all the features, tested the sink, and poked her head out the door leading into the garage. She held Megumi as she looked around, the trio wandering to the two bedrooms opposite the living room.

"What's upstairs?" Shizue asked excitedly.

"My room, which is strictly off-limits," he said, his words slapping a frown onto her face. "But, I can show you just this once."

She squealed with delight when she saw the master suite. She first admired the vastness of his room, staring up at the high ceiling and spinning around while Megumi laughed in her arms. He showed them the bathroom, where Shizue gushed over all the fancy gadgets and upgrades. The last thing she gravitated to was the balcony, where she stood letting the wind ruffle her hair and sundress as she soaked in the view.

"This is seriously yours?" she asked, still giddy over the house. "You legit own this?"

"Yeah," he said with a shy smile. "But, I'm willing to let you live in it for awhile. I'm not using it yet, and you and Megumi seem to need a place where you don't have to listen to Mom and Dad, um, 'talk'."

She was all too happy to negotiate the price of rent. Ryuichi took the time to explain some of the other features of the house, such as the security system with some cameras outside and motion detectors inside. When he laid out the rules, he promised to give her a printout, just in case she "accidentally forgot" what they might be. To his amazement, Shizue said she would have it framed and hang it on the wall.

"Wait, seriously?" Ryuichi asked, checking for sarcasm in his sister's voice.

"I'm serious," she confirmed, her smile gone. "Print out the rules and I'll frame it. I'm serious about moving out, so the least I can do is follow your rules."

He needed a second to remember how to breathe. After they finished discussing everything about the house, his sister threw her arms around him in a big hug.

"Thank you, Ryu-chan!" she exclaimed. "You're the best! I swear, Megumi and I are going to take good care of your house!"

On the way to dropping his sister and niece off at their parents' house, Ryuichi could only think of how their parents were going to yell at him for complicating things even more. He was enabling Shizue to have the freedom to do what she wanted, potentially letting her revert back to her old ways. Their parents were going to rip him apart, and then shackle Shizue and Megumi to their house so they couldn't leave.

His chest froze when he remembered Mitsuru. All he could do on the bus ride back to the dorm was mentally prepare an apology to her for just handing his sister the keys to his house.

By the time he returned to the dorm, he was feeling faint again. He barely found his key to the front door when it flew open, revealing a furious Mitsuru inside.

"Where were you?" she demanded. "You know you're supposed to stay home and rest!"

He bent low at the waist. "I'm sorry," he uttered, feeling light-headed. "There was something I had to—"

He felt himself start to fall forward. Mitsuru caught him and helped him to his room. She sat him on his bed, then rushed around to aim his electric fan on him. As he opened his mouth to explain himself, she stuck a thermometer under his tongue and wouldn't let him speak until after it registered a temperature.

"It looks like you're safe," she said, reading the tiny screen on the thermometer. "But what possessed you to go out? You know you were already at risk of getting heatstroke."

Incredibly, Mitsuru listened to his explanation for why he went out. He spoke quietly, keeping his head bowed and hands on either side of him, gripping the edge of his mattress. He felt her stare pierce through his chest, her cold fury an icy flame that engulfed him. When he began to struggle talking with a dry mouth, Mitsuru gave him some water.

"And, you believe that showing your sister your house was more important than your health?" she stabbed at him.

He gulped more water. "In this case, I believe it was," he answered, turning his somber eyes to hers. Meeting Mitsuru's frigid stare directly made him gasp.

"Then, you believe that she will adhere to your rules, that she's completely changed?"

"I hope so," he murmured. "All I know is that I want to give her and Megumi a chance to get away from our parents."

He lowered his gaze to his glass, seeing only ice inside. "You gave me an escape from our parents back then, so I wanted to give her that same chance."

Sighing, Mitsuru's silent glare released him as she opened another water bottle to refill his glass. "I know your parents can be difficult to deal with, but surely you are aware that you aren't solving your family's problems," she told him. "You've given them more than you ever needed to. Should this solution fail, then what? Your family will only demand more."

"I know."

"If you knew that, then why did you still do it?"

Ryuichi sat there shaking, knowing that he could entrust Mitsuru with the truth.

"Because I'm afraid that if Mom and Dad push her too hard, she might do something drastic."

"'Drastic'? Because of how she was before?"

"That, and, well, other reasons."

She stood waiting patiently as Ryuichi sipped more water. He could feel her hard stare soften, but she still radiated cold frustration.

"What other reasons?" she asked stiffly.

Sighing, he dipped his head even lower, where he could only see Mitsuru's feet in front of his. He gulped more water, but his mouth quickly became dry as he uttered, "I'm afraid that she might try to commit suicide."

Speaking those words made his skin shudder. The room seemed to drop twenty degrees, and the tension from Mitsuru weakened.

"Why do you think she would do that?" she asked.

Hesitating, Ryuichi felt his hands run cold. "Do you remember back in middle school, that night when you found me during the Dark Hour?"

"I do." She brought over his desk chair and sat down in front of him. "What about it?"

Ryuichi's throat tightened. "That night, I tried to take my own life."

He wished he could take back his words, feeling his regret streak across his flesh like icy lightning. Mitsuru gasped, her delicate fingers gripping the arms of his chair as her mouth gaped. He knew he shouldn't have mentioned it, but it was too late; all he could do was keep going.

"Things were pretty bad at home, kind of like how they are now," he began. His voice was light and quivered slightly, barely making it through his tight throat. "Shizue was already away in college, but the restaurant was in shambles thanks to her and Mom and Dad fighting all the time. Even though she was gone, Mom and Dad kept venting their frustrations onto me, as if I was my sister.

"On top of that, Sakai bullied me almost daily. That same day was when Sakai pantsed me in front of you—In front of everyone."

As he said that, Ryuichi was instantly transported back to that terrible day. He relived Mitsuru's horrified expression, his helplessness to tug his pants and underwear back up, and the laughter and jeers from Sakai and their classmates.

Ryuichi swallowed hard. "As if that wasn't enough, Sakai and his friends caught me that same day after work at Chagall Cafe and beat me up in an alley near Port Island Station. I was out cold for hours, and when I woke up, I got on the train to go to Iwatodai. It was then that I figured I should just end it all for good."

He gripped the edge of his bed with his one free, frozen hand. His glass of water rattled as he began to quake from the memory. "I waited for the train to leave," he uttered, feeling so small and pathetic like he was all those years ago. "When it came back, I jumped onto the tracks right before it pulled into the station. The Dark Hour hit first and saved my life. And of course, you found me shortly after and rescued me from that Shadow."

He drew in a breath, feeling as if ice cracked around his chest as his lungs expanded. "So, I'm really worried that Shizue might do something similar if Mom and Dad keep going the way they're going," he said to Mitsuru. He sat up straighter, seeing the shock and awe on her face.

"I didn't know," she said breathlessly. "I'm sorry, Ryuichi. I never knew."

"Because I never told anyone about it," he replied with a bitter, pathetic smile. "It's not something I like to talk about, and besides, I've moved on since then, thanks to you."

His frown quickly returned. "But, Mom and Dad keep accusing Shizue of being irresponsible for sleeping around. In reality, she was raped by three guys at a party. I'm scared that if I don't give her a place away from our parents, she might do something that we'll regret. I got lucky with the Dark Hour saving me back then, and again when you happened to be nearby when the Shadow attacked me afterward. I doubt my sister will be that lucky."

Mitsuru squeezed her arm so tightly she was white-knuckled. "Why hasn't she told your parents yet about what happened?"

"Because she's scared. Mom and Dad will just say it was her fault and that she made it easy for those guys to attack her."

"But, they shouldn't have attacked her in the first place."

"I know, but our parents don't think that way, so Shizue wants us to keep quiet about it."

"But they have to know."

Ryuichi swallowed his frustration, knowing that even he had trouble believing that his parents could be so impossible. "I know she should tell our parents about what really happened, but we learned years ago that there's no point in telling them anything if all they're going to do is yell at us for our mistakes. It's just less painful this way."

"I still don't understand why your parents would find derision to be the first thing they do when their children are in danger." Mitsuru's fury was so cold that Ryuichi wondered if his parents could feel it just then.

He shivered, still shaking from his revelation. "I don't get it, either," he agreed. "But I figured that I'd much rather lose a house than lose my sister."


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

After showing his sister his house, Ryuichi had to deal with their parents' wrath about him helping Shizue move out. They threw their rage-charged words like fiery spears, but the more they had to say, the more reasons Ryuichi saw to justify his decision to help his sister. The verbal assault didn't hurt as badly as he thought it would, but once his parents ran out of things to say, Ryuichi was allowed to stumble out of the emotional toxic dump that was the Okazaki family home. Astonishingly, their parents didn't try to stop them when they packed up Shizue's stuff and moved her into the new house.

Between school, the culture festival, working at the restaurant, helping his sister move, caring for Megumi, and climbing Tartarus late at night, Mitsuru made sure that Ryuichi got ample time to rest. It was Mitsuru who managed to hold off Toshio's and Ayumi's wrathful lecture for a few days until Ryuichi had some time to recover, and even after getting cleared by the doctor, she made sure to limit how much work Ryuichi did during the day and evening.

At school, she made him take numerous breaks while they set up for the culture festival and made sure he always had cool water available to drink. Her constant care sparked jokes and rumors among their classmates about them possibly dating, some even suggesting that Mitsuru was the one who had a crush on Ryuichi.

"Guys, knock it off," Ryuichi sighed when some of his classmates made another joke about him and Mitsuru.

"I can't tell if you're lucky or unlucky to have Miss Student Council President herself hounding you about your health," one guy chuckled.

"Maybe that's the kind of thing he's into," another guy snickered, the others laughing with him.

While they had a good laugh about it, Ryuichi noticed Mitsuru coming up from behind them. It was all it took for their laughter to die down before they whirled around and cowered from her presence.

"I believe there are some posters that need to be painted," she said to them. She showed no fury, no indication that she had heard their jokes, but it was enough for Ryuichi to see the panic cross their faces.

The three boys murmured their agreements before fleeing, leaving Ryuichi to carry on with his poster that he had been working on. Mitsuru requested for him to go with her to the Student Council Room for help with some of the paperwork, but he sensed that it was just so that she had an excuse to have him sit in an air-conditioned room. He didn't complain about it, as he was grateful for the help, but he did wish that she would stop giving their classmates fuel for poking fun at them.

"Do the rumors bother you that much?" she asked on their way down to the second floor.

"Well, yeah. It's your image they're messing with."

"Don't let it get to you. You know we're just friends, and you know that as such, I am concerned about your health after what happened before."

He let out a miserable sigh. "Yeah, you're right," he reluctantly agreed. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"It's the least I can do, since you've done the same for me for years now," she said with a nod.

There were some student council members already doing some work in the room. When Ryuichi opened the door for Mitsuru, they swarmed her with news that their culture festival could be cancelled due to a storm heading their way.

"So the typhoon didn't change course after all," Mitsuru said glumly. "Everyone's hard work was for naught."

"We don't know that for sure!" a guy insisted. "Maybe it'll just barely miss us!"

"Yeah! There's still a chance!"

"We can't quit now!"

While the others were determined to keep the culture festival going, Ryuichi immediately thought about Shizue and Megumi. "I gotta make a quick phone call," he told Mitsuru before heading out. His sister picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Little Bro! What's up?"

"Did you know a typhoon's coming?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I know about it."

He tensed up. "So, are you going to be okay?"

"Well, Mom and Dad already asked me and Megumi to stay with them until it passes, and since we've all had some time away from each other, I think we should be fine."

Skepticism made him forget to breathe. "Are you sure about that?"

Some other students in the hallway stared at Ryuichi when they passed by. He turned his back to them and walked briskly towards the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. They were really nice about it, so I think we really just needed some space."

He still wasn't sure how his sister could be so cheerful about it. "Okay, uh, do you guys need anything?"

"We're all shopping right now, so I think we're good. Thanks for looking out for us, Ryu-chan!"

Ryuichi finished his call and thought about everyone at the dorm. Did they have enough food to last them that wasn't just instant noodles or canned fish? Was there enough for ten people and one dog? Did they have enough water? Rice? Batteries? What if there was a power outage? Candles? Did they need to stock up on toilet paper?

He returned to the Student Council Room where he was put to work filing papers. His body moved on its own while his mind planned out what meals he might have to cook for everyone at the dorm and other things they might need. He was also curious if Mitsuru would also have to eat his commoner cuisine, or if Kikuno had something prepared that she could just heat and eat.

Back at the dorm, he took a moment to look through the refrigerator and the pantry, finding mostly canned goods, instant noodles, and a bunch of snacks. After preparing tea and snacks for Mitsuru, he announced that he was heading out to get supplies.

"I'll go with you," she said, rising from her chair.

"Oh, you don't have to," he said as he readied his keys. "I'm taking my motorcycle, so—"

"Just a moment. I need to get my helmet."

Ryuichi blinked as she hurried upstairs. "I'll go attach the sidecar," he murmured uneasily on his way to the back door.

As he prepared the sidecar, he spotted Mitsuru's motorcycle standing apart from his. For months now, it stood off to the side beneath a white sheet that Kikuno kept free from dust, never having been ridden since the night they rescued Fuuka. He hadn't asked if the damage was irreparable, nor had he bothered to look beyond the bent front tire visible beneath the sheet.

He wondered why Mitsuru hadn't sent it in for repairs yet. He hoped it could be repaired, but if not, he speculated that she kept it for sentimental reasons. Sadly, he realized that he started to forget that it was even there, despite seeing it every time he went to take his motorcycle out.

When they were ready to leave, Mitsuru sat in the sidecar while he drove. At the supermarket parking lot, they milled around with many other cars in search of parking. Cars stalked shoppers with carts full of supplies as they headed to their empty vehicles. The cars behind the stalkers wound up trapped while they waited for the shoppers to load up their cars and leave their spot. After getting trapped twice that way, Ryuichi left the parking lot to find a spot elsewhere.

Customers flooded the grocery store in preparation for the typhoon. A cart attendant barely brought in the carts he had just collected from the parking lot when he was swarmed by customers. Ryuichi nearly dove into the crowd to claim a cart, relinquishing his prize to a little old lady who flashed him the saddest eyes he had ever seen. Another cart attendant brought more carts, and Mitsuru miraculously grabbed onto the last one.

"That's what happens when they announce a storm too late," Ryuichi muttered as he pushed their cart into the fray.

"Is it always like this?" an awestruck Mitsuru asked.

"If there's a storm, yeah. If it's a holiday, not so much. Oh, and Sundays are usually the worst."

"Worse than this?"

"Nah." He ended up chuckling at how intrigued she was. "Let's grab bottled water first."

They could only take one case of bottled water, as that would be the only one to fit in his side car. Ryuichi pushed past a group of people loading up on instant noodles with Mitsuru sticking close behind him.

"These prices are incredible!" he heard her remark. "Is it really profitable for them to sell for this cheap?"

Ryuichi tossed several packages of instant noodles into the cart. "Since they manufacture everything so cheaply, they can."

"Yes, but the quality—"

He added some boxes of curry blocks next. "Sometimes I actually crave the cheap stuff," he told her, smiling. "And—Dad'll kill me for saying this—sometimes I even go to Wild-Duck for their burgers."

She gasped. "Does your father know?"

"Nope, so don't tell him."

"Well, I can't at the cost of my bodyguard."

"Only a bodyguard?" he asked, pouting.

"Ah, that's right," she said with a simper. "And sandwich craftsman."

He steered his cart in a sharp turn just as more people flooded the aisle, separating Mitsuru from him. He turned around and laughed, seeing her frantically search for a way through.

"Just push your way through!" he called to her.

"I can't! There's no room!"

"Just sneak through! Like, there—No, there! Argh, you missed it!"

He left the cart and went back for her. So many people went in and out of the aisle's end that, each time Mitsuru took a step forward to slip through, someone was coming from the opposite direction, making her step back to give them room. Feeling bad, Ryuichi reached a hand over a little old lady's head to Mitsuru. She took it, allowing him to pull her through.

"There you go!" he said on their way back to the cart. "And by the way, I also prefer my other name: dessert connoisseur."

She chuckled. "That title still goes to Kikuno, so you will have to settle for sandwich craftsman," she jabbed playfully.

He pouted again. "At least add 'master' to the title."

"Not until you've proven yourself worthy of it."

There was only so much they could bring back, and Ryuichi knew he would have to make another trip or two to ensure that he had enough for everyone at the dorm. They made sure to grab fresh fruits and vegetables to round out the first trip, and when Ryuichi was about to pay, Mitsuru beat him to it by setting down her credit card into the little payment basket on the counter.

"The Kirijo Group will cover the costs of these supplies for everyone in SEES," she announced. She had a playfully smug smile on her face while Ryuichi's expression soured.

"Nah, that's just to get back at me for buying you lunch before," he said, his frown turning into a grin.

"And for putting you through the trouble of taking me to my first grocery shopping experience. Though I must say, I think you had a little too much fun."

With a wry chuckle, Ryuichi pushed the cart all the way to his motorcycle, where he and Mitsuru packed the sidecar full with all their goods. It was a small sidecar, but just enough for them to fit everything and shove smaller items into the sides. He used tarp and bungee cords to tie everything down, and made sure that everything was secure enough to not fly out during the ride.

"Uh, I guess you have to ride in back this time," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru.

She dutifully took up her helmet and settled in the seat behind him. "This is almost like back then, when you used to let me ride on the back of your bicycle," she said.

Ryuichi started the engine. "At least you get to sit this time," he said over his shoulder. "You'd better hold on to something."

"Right."

He flinched when her hands found his sides. "Not there!" he blurted out. "That tickles!"

"Then, where?"

"Um, just, grab on, I guess?"

She wrapped her arms around his middle, leaning into his back. "Is this all right?"

He tensed up at her touch. "Y-Yeah," he said nervously and revved the engine. "Hold on tight!"

As he approached the first red light, he noticed that Mitsuru didn't loosen her hold on him. He got to thinking about back when he first joined SEES in middle school, how she would stand behind him on the pegs of his bicycle with her hands on his shoulders while she scanned for Shadows. It had been a few years since then, and yet, riding with her now, the memories came flooding back to him like he was fifteen years old again.

"It's like old times, isn't it?" she called to him over the engine.

He gave one vigorous nod, startled from having been abruptly awakened from his thoughts.

Back at the dorm, Mitsuru let him go to dismount from his motorcycle. His body felt oddly light without her holding on to him, but then again, she never loosened her hold on him during the entire ride back. He could still feel her arms around his middle while they brought in the groceries, the two joking and discussing what else they needed before the stores ran out of supplies.

When Ryuichi went to retrieve the case of water bottles from his sidecar, he paused to look at Mitsuru's battered motorcycle with pity. He wanted to asked about it, but he didn't want to ruin the good vibes they had, especially after the harrowing week he had just survived.

"Thank you for humoring me today," Mitsuru said once everything had been put away. "That was my first time at a grocery store."

"I swear, it's not always that insane at the store," he vowed, holding his hand up like a scout taking an oath. "Judging by what we saw earlier, I think I'll have to go back to pick up more stuff right now."

Her eyes widened. "Right now?"

"Yeah." He bowed to her. "Thanks for going with me and for paying for everything."

Mitsuru looked down at her helmet in her hands. "I won't be able to go with you a second time today, but thank you for bringing me along," she said in an apologetic tone. "Be sure to give me the invoice so the Group can cover the costs."

"Sure thing," he said coolly. "And don't worry about not being able to come with me. The stores are all air conditioned, and I'll just chug some water before I go."

She didn't seem convinced. Still, she wished him a safe shopping trip as she started up the stairs. When Ryuichi remembered about her motorcycle, he called to her to ask about it.

Mitsuru stopped on the third step, taking hold of the banister. "Oh. To be honest, I wasn't planning on having it repaired," she answered.

Ryuichi's eyebrows shot high up on his forehead. "What? Why not?"

Mitsuru stared at a spot on the wall away from him. "Since I don't have much time to ride it anymore, I wasn't sure if I should even bother."

Ryuichi nodded, saddened by the news. "It's a shame, since I know it means a lot to you."

"It does, but some things can't be helped," she said with a sigh. "Though, after today, I suppose it would've been useful when we were shopping. I must have been a hindrance, taking up space you could have used for more supplies."

"Not at all!" he hastily replied. "It was fun, and you helped out a lot!"

Mitsuru smiled softly. "I enjoyed myself, as well," she told him, and Ryuichi couldn't help but grin.

"So, is there a chance you might get your motorcycle repaired someday?" he asked, his voice rising with hope.

There was a lost look in her eyes as she tapped her long nails onto the banister. "I will think about it."

"I hope you do," he insisted. "You deserve some enjoyment, right?"

She eyed him for a long time before giving a single, slow nod. She thanked him again and continued upstairs, and that was the end of their brief conversation.

He snatched up his helmet from the dining table. "Better go now," he muttered to himself, thinking about the crowds and the little old ladies conning him out of his shopping cart. When he returned from his second trip, he found a Kirijo limousine waiting outside with two maids.

"Ojou-sama informed us that you needed some help preparing for the typhoon," one of them informed him. "We are here to assist you in your preparations."

Ryuichi made sure to text Mitsuru a quick _"You're the best!"_ before reviewing his shopping list with the maids.

The news of the typhoon didn't completely dishearten the students as they continued to prepare for the culture festival. They worked harder than ever, including Ryuichi, who practiced as many songs as he could, giving each one the jazzy flair as needed.

He learned later that the girls making the costumes opted to just let the boys wear their school uniforms with the cheap fedoras they found in discount stores so they could focus on the girls' costumes instead. Apparently, they wanted to make costumes for the servers, as well, but as predicted, there just wasn't enough time. Their class was disappointed to hear the news, but some offered to just wear trench coats with the fedoras to maintain some of the noir theme on a budget. Some girls even asked for fedoras, trying on the few that the costume makers bought already.

On the Thursday before the culture festival at Mitsuru's request, Ryuichi brought his saxophone and his mp3 player loaded with recordings of himself playing a piano accompaniment. She wanted their classmates to sample some of the songs he prepared, and also so he could familiarize himself with how to set up his equipment.

They borrowed a small stereo from the music room to let him hook up his mp3 player. He nervously played with his saxophone's keys, feeling them spring right back up as the intro for the song began. He kept his head down so the brim of his fedora blocked his view of his classmates, feeling like he was an intruder who made them stop their work to make them listen to his contribution to the culture festival.

At the first few notes on his saxophone, all the chatter and noise died away. The room became still, and Ryuichi filled it with smooth jazz. The song was shaky at the start, but as he immersed himself in the song, the tremble in his notes became a rich, velvety vibrato. When he finished, his classmates applauded.

"You even drew a crowd," Shiori said to him and gestured to the windows showing the hallway. Students from other classes peered into the classroom, some even poking their heads into the open doors.

Ryuichi shyly lowered his hat even more. "I-It wasn't that good though," he murmured bashfully. "I was sick when I worked on it, so—"

"You did great!" Shiori looked to the other windows showing the clear blue skies. "I just hope the typhoon skates past us so all your hard work won't go to waste."

Mitsuru approached the pair. "C'est magnifique, Ryuichi," she said, smiling. "I knew I heard you practicing in your room. The song turned out splendidly."

He grinned like a fool. "Oh, it wasn't that great."

"But it was. Tell me, did you also happen to do that one song? Something about the rain?"

Ryuichi scrunched up his face, trying to remember which one.

"It's on the CD you gave me," she added, and Ryuichi snapped his fingers.

"Oh! You mean 'Kiss of the Rain'?"

Mitsuru beamed. "That's the one."

"Ah, sorry, but I didn't get a chance to record an accompaniment for that one," he said apologetically.

"That's all right," Mitsuru replied. "And no need to trouble yourself over it. I was just curious."

She praised him again before heading off to check on some of their other classmates. In his head, Ryuichi already began composing an arrangement for her requested song.

"Oh, yeah. You guys live in the same dorm, don't you?" Shiori asked, cutting his thought process off.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, we do." Ryuichi busied himself by scrolling around on his mp3 player. "It's how she heard me practice all these songs."

"I see." She eyed his saxophone. "With so many others living in the dorm, does anyone ever complain about your playing?"

"Not at all. I almost never get to play anymore anyway, so it was kind of nice to be able to play again."

Their classmates started asking him to play another song. Ryuichi went up and down his playlist, wondering which one to perform next when Shiori spoke up again.

"Do you ever notice something about her?"

He rubbed his thumb over the play button. "About who? Mitsuru?"

"Yeah." Shiori shifted her weight to one foot. "I don't know, like, the way she's been on your case about drinking plenty of water or getting enough rest, it just feels a little, like—you know?"

Ryuichi shrugged. "That's just because she doesn't want me getting sick again," he played off as coolly as he could manage. "I really messed myself up before, and it was just lucky that I didn't end up in the hospital."

"I guess, but there's something else—"

She was cut off by their classmates, all calling out requests for another song. Ryuichi tried to find one of their requests in his playlist, hoping to put an end to his conversation with Shiori. He had a feeling that she was going to imply that the rumors and jokes about him and Mitsuru had some truth to them based off of her observations, and he just didn't want to hear about it anymore.

He had to go to the restaurant after school that same day. When he arrived, he stopped in front of the doors, shocked to see a sign saying that the restaurant would be closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday due to the typhoon. It took him about a minute to collect himself, feeling like he had just floated out of his body when he saw the notice. He couldn't remember the last time his father closed the restaurant for any reason, including a storm.

"I love my job but I'm not stupid. I know when a typhoon's got me licked," his father told him gruffly when he asked about the sign. Ryuichi agreed that there was no way his father could be _that_ dumb. Headstrong, maybe, but still...

"Heard your culture festival's supposed to be this weekend," Toshio said to him. "What's your class doing this year?"

"Well, if the typhoon's merciful, we should be doing a noir restaurant-slash-cafe," Ryuichi replied, no longer sure of what it was his class was doing. "They asked me to play the sax for our customers."

"The sax?" Toshio stared at his son. "Since when did you start playing the sax?"

"Well, I started in middle school—"

"That long ago? Where did you get the money to buy one?"

"From my job as Mitsuru's bodyguard," he said nonchalantly on his way to clock himself in. When he returned, his father was still giving him strange looks.

"I thought you played the piano."

"I still do. In fact, I recorded some songs with me playing piano to accompany me while I play the sax."

His father's eyes widened. "You recorded yourself?"

"Yeah. Since we couldn't get anyone else to play an accompaniment with me, I had to make my own arrangements for songs and record them."

Toshio was stupefied by the news. "First you buy a house, then you get a saxophone, and then you record yourself playing the piano so you can accompany yourself on the sax?" he muttered to himself while squashing some burger patties flat.

Ryuichi tried not to cringe as he watched the juices get squeezed out of the meat. "I also play guitar," he added, trying hard not to sound so smug.

"No way."

"Yeah."

"Following in your old man's footsteps without me even knowing." Sadness shone in his father's eyes. "It's like I barely know you, son."

Just then, Shizue came out of the pantry holding up two heads of lettuce in her hands. "'Sup, Bro!" she called to Ryuichi with a big grin. "Can you help make some more ranch dressing?"

His sister was unusually chipper at the restaurant, and their father was the one who seemed dejected for a change. Ryuichi was all too happy to escape from his father and grab the ingredients for their ranch dressing.

"So, how's Masabuchi-san working out for you?" he asked of the new nanny.

"She's, well, she's no Kimura-san, but she's pretty cool," she said. "It's kinda like having a chill aunt hang out with you, which is nice, but she still has trouble getting Megumi to calm down when she starts crying."

"She just needs some time to learn her cries."

"That's true. I actually like her a lot, and I think Megumi does, too, so I hope she picks up quick."

She washed and cut the lettuce and set to work assembling some orders. Ryuichi watched as she traced a finger down the diagrams of one of the burgers hanging over the assembly station.

"Wait, they're laminated now?" he yelped in surprise.

"Yup! The older versions were getting kinda gross, so we made new ones with color pictures and had them laminated," she told him proudly. "It was so effective that even newbies can put together a burger within a minute. They just don't really know how much of each thing to put yet."

It seemed to him like things had settled down at the restaurant. Even more astonishing was when Toshio announced that they were closing up early as a precaution for the storm. After the other workers finished cleaning up, Shizue clocked out with the rest of them while Ryuichi and Toshio prepared to make the usual batch of meats.

Before she left, Shizue, Toshio, and Ryuichi exchanged the first genuine hugs that Ryuichi felt in the past many months between them.

"Are you sure you don't want to just come over tonight?" Toshio asked his daughter. His voice came out gruff, but there was concern in his frosty blue eyes.

"We don't know if the typhoon might hit earlier than predicted," Ryuichi added. "You might as well just stay with Mom and Dad tonight."

"I'll be okay, you guys," she reassured them both. "But, Dad? Can you come pick Megs and me up around noon?"

Toshio seemed reluctant to wait that long. "How about ten? I'd rather be safe than sorry."

They came to an agreement that they would both be ready by eleven. Toshio hugged his daughter again, then went to go prepare the meats.

"Take care, Little Bro," Shizue said to Ryuichi, hugging her brother once more. "And don't worry—I'll lock up your place nice and tight."

Ryuichi wanted to ask why she even agreed to stay at their parents' place when she had spent so long trying to escape it, but was afraid to start another rift between her and their parents. He took comfort in knowing that she and Megumi wouldn't be alone during the typhoon, but he began to worry that a few days trapped in a house with their parents would only cause another flare up of tempers between them all.

After his sister left for the night, Ryuichi returned to the kitchen to help bring over all the different spices for his father. When he brought over some ground beef, he noticed how crestfallen his father appeared, with the light in his eyes dimmed.

"Everything okay, Dad?" he asked tentatively.

His father sighed. "I'll be honest, son: I don't like that your sister's living on her own like this."

Ryuichi started blending spices in a metal bowl. "It'll be okay, Dad. She looks like she's doing better. _You_ look like you're doing better."

"Yeah, well, I've been getting more sleep lately, now that Megumi's not there, but—"

He sighed again, his shoulders sagging. "I'm just worried for the both of them, you know? Your mother's worried, too, even if your sister still sometimes drops Megumi off at the house before work. We just want to make sure that they're both doing all right."

"As far as I know, she's doing pretty well," Ryuichi told him. "I get worried, too, but sometimes you just gotta give her some breathing room. You were all miserable living under one roof, remember?"

"I remember," he said with a bitter groan. "She was a handful, I'll tell ya."

Ryuichi was relieved to see that his family was starting to get along better, now that they had some distance from one another. Even he felt better, not just with his own health, but with the comfort in knowing that Shizue and Megumi were finally free from all the negativity, at least outside of work hours. It was all he could ever want for his family, and he hoped the peace between them all would last.

After they finished preparing the meats, Ryuichi and Toshio cleaned up and closed up the restaurant. Outside in the sticky night air, Toshio pulled his son into a tight embrace.

"You be safe," his father told him. "I don't want to get any more phone calls from Mitsuru-san saying you got sick again."

Ryuichi smiled bashfully. "You got it, Dad."

The next day, everyone at Gekkoukan High seemed to be watching the dark clouds roll in. The winds started whipping and whistling outside, rattling the windows like ghouls begging to be let in. The teachers glanced towards the windows as often as the students, and some of them even made some comments about the weather during their lecture. As far as Ryuichi could tell, Mitsuru was the only one still taking notes.

Before the last class of the day started, Ryuichi quickly packed his bag and slipped out undetected. He hurried to the train station, which was already packed with men and women on their way home from a half-day of work or some last-minute shopping. With help from some of the train station workers, Ryuichi was shoved into an already bursting car and wedged up against the door for the whole ride.

At the dorm, he dropped off his bag and hat and grabbed his helmet and the spare he kept for passengers. He rode his motorcycle back to school, crossing the bridge where cars were in complete gridlock trying to flee the storm. He passed right between the streams of cars with ease, trying his best not to look too smug while frustrated drivers honked their horns and unleashed muted yells at the cars in front of them.

He parked just outside the school wall, where he wouldn't be seen from the windows. He kept his helmet on, grateful for the extra protection from the strong winds.

"Come on, come on." As he waited for class to let out, he stared at the time on his cell phone, urging the numbers to change faster through a clenched jaw.

As soon as the final bell rang, he sent an email to Mitsuru, telling her to meet him outside the school gates. When at last she appeared, her icy glare shot him in the chest.

"Unbelievable," she said in a low, exasperated tone when she saw him with his motorcycle. "Was it really worth sneaking out of class just for this?"

He held out the spare helmet to her. "I had my reasons."

Other students who passed by paused long enough to gawk at Ryuichi's motorcycle before hurrying off. The skies had darkened, and the threat of rain chased everyone off the artificial island.

Shaking her head in annoyance, Mitsuru took the spare helmet from Ryuichi and swung her leg over the back of the motorcycle. She situated her school bag between them before wrapping her arms around him.

"Honestly, shirking your studies just so you can show off," she chided.

"You're gonna be glad I did this," he said, starting the engine. "Trust me."


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

The only one among the SEES members who got caught in the rain was the leader himself. His mistake, from what everyone concluded, was that he hung around in wet clothes to join in their chat instead of heading upstairs to dry off and change. He ended up with a high fever and was under the watchful eyes of Aigis and Yukari.

Outside, the winds howled, threatening to tear their windows and doors right off the dormitory. Rain slapped against the building with every gale. They all jumped whenever a particularly strong gust shook their home.

"Is this place even gonna survive?" Junpei griped.

Ryuichi set down a tray of tea and sandwiches in front of everyone. "Well, it survived a Shadow attack and earthquakes, so a typhoon shouldn't be much different," he figured.

"At least we won't have to worry about Shadows for a few days," Fuuka said, taking a cup of tea. "I doubt any would be out in a storm like this."

Akihiko let out a miserable groan.

"Tell me about it," Shinjiro grunted. "Now I'm gonna be stuck having to listen to this guy work the bags all day and night."

"Yeah," everyone else sighed, shocking Akihiko. Koromaru barked twice.

"Tch. You, too, Koromaru?" asked a dejected Akihiko.

Yukari came down the stairs and stood by the TV. "Hey, does anyone have any aspirin?" she asked. "His fever's pretty high and Aigis and I are getting pretty worried."

Mitsuru stood up. "I have some in my room," she said, crossing the room to the stairs. Yukari followed. "How bad is he?"

"Not good. His temperature was thirty-eight point nine."

"'Thirty-eight point nine', huh?" Ken repeated to himself. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Fuuka said to him.

Everyone was quickly subdued, as there was nothing much to do. Every channel on TV showed only static, and Fuuka couldn't access the Internet after trying many times with her laptop. Junpei snatched up a sandwich to munch on, but looked to have done so out of boredom more than hunger. When Ken and Shinjiro both reached for the teapot, they locked eyes and backed down immediately.

"I think I'll just go to my room," Ken muttered, and hurried off.

After his door slammed shut overhead, Shinjiro sauntered off without a word on his way to the stairs. Fuuka also retired to her room, and Akihiko grumbled something about ways to train indoors during a storm before heading up.

"I don't know about you, but I've got some video games that I need to catch up on!" Junpei announced to Ryuichi with his mouth full of chewed up sandwich.

He turned to the front window with a fading smile. "I hope Chidori's okay," the woeful junior sighed, and dragged his feet to the stairs.

With everyone gone, Ryuichi frowned at the full pot of tea and the plate of sandwiches. Muttering to himself, he put everything away before retreating to his room like everyone else.

"So much for the culture festival," he muttered as he changed out of his uniform.

The thought of having no responsibilities for the next few days left him anxious. When he was sick, he passed the time either sleeping or practicing and recording songs, where he took little comfort in knowing he had a good excuse for not being able to do much. Now, on the days that he should be taking care of Megumi or working at the restaurant, his restlessness began to stir despite the storm raging and howling outside. Even just thinking about playing video games that he hadn't touched in months felt like he was wasting time.

"Come on, Ryuichi," he told himself. "You have a few solid days off to do almost whatever you want. Forget about cleaning or cooking burgers or changing smelly diapers!"

Somehow, just giving himself that reassurance helped immerse him in his video game. For a good, solid hour he was an ancient warrior mowing down throngs of enemy grunts, dueling generals, and conquering land for his lord. He worked on developing his characters' stats, found better weapons for them, and then did half of a storyline for one of them. He didn't care that the gameplay was similar to its previous incarnations. All he wanted was something to play so his mind could go to mush.

Halfway through hacking apart an enemy general, Ryuichi had to pause his game when he heard someone banging on his door. He opened it just a crack to see Junpei's panicked face.

"We have a situation!" he hissed, and pushed his way into Ryuichi's room.

Junpei paced the floor, almost kicking one of Ryuichi's dumbbells. He kept lifting his hat and running his hand over his short hair.

"Aw man, aw man, aw man," he kept saying over and over.

"What is it?" Ryuichi asked, fearing the worst.

Shaking, Junpei went back to the door to peek outside. "The girls," he squeaked, looking towards the kitchen. "They're planning to cook dinner for us!"

Ryuichi relaxed a bit. "It's nice to have someone else cook for a change," he said, relieved that it was nothing.

"You don't get it! Yuka-tan cooked something one time and failed so hard that Koromaru wouldn't touch it!"

Hearing that made him raise an eyebrow. "That bad?" he asked, curious about the severity of Yukari's cooking abilities.

He went to peek at the girls. From his door, he saw them reading the back of a box of curry mix.

"Well, it looks like they're following the recipe," he said to Junpei. "As long as they do that much, it should be fine."

He turned back to see Junpei admiring his video game, giving it the same longing look he used to have when he first bought it and had no time to play.

"Uh, do you wanna play?" Ryuichi asked out of courtesy. Secretly, he wished Junpei would decline based on the same courtesy guidelines.

"Do I! Thanks, Senpai!"

Swearing underneath the roar of the winds, Ryuichi surrendered his video game to Junpei. He didn't want to stick around and watch someone else have his fun, so Ryuichi ended up going to the kitchen to check up on the girls. It took all his will power to not snatch away the knife from Yukari when he saw her cut a few carrots into chunks of various sizes. He didn't worry too much about Fuuka yet, who seemed to be following the recipe correctly for cooking rice.

"Yukari-chan, is this right?" Fuuka asked as she held up a measuring cup with some rice. "It barely looks like enough for one person."

Yukari looked over and frowned at the meager amount. "Yeah, better put more," she said, and Fuuka scooped more rice into her measuring cup. "There, stop! That looks like it's enough for one helping."

"Great! So if there's nine of us, then we're going to need..."

Ryuichi felt a part of him die a little inside. "Um, how's it going?" he asked them with a friendly smile. "Need any help?"

"Oh, Senpai! No, I think we'll be all right," Fuuka said as she poured the rice into the rice cooker.

"Leave it to us, Senpai," Yukari added, smiling big. "You're always cooking for us, so let us handle dinner this time!"

They shooed him away. Ryuichi feared that they would all be eating instant noodles that night, but wanted to believe that their combined cooking skills would somehow produce something at least good enough to satiate their hunger, even if it did little for the palate. He took a moment to lament the loss of perfectly good ingredients, wishing they had taken the time and effort to go out and buy their own. Sure, Mitsuru paid for it all, but he was the one who hand-picked every item!

When he got over the whole dinner issue, Ryuichi wasn't sure what to do anymore. Junpei occupied his room, the girls were taking care of dinner, and now he felt a bit displaced. He spotted Koromaru sitting by the TV as usual with his head down, looking just as bored as he felt. His head perked up when he noticed Ryuichi eyeing him. He nudged his tennis ball towards him with his nose, looking eager to play.

"Good idea, boy." Ryuichi picked up the ball and threw it down the hall. Koromaru raced to get it, getting all the way to the stairs when he toppled the potted plant there. Ryuichi hurried over to put the pot back upright.

"Sorry, boy, but it looks like fetch just isn't an inside game," he told Koromaru apologetically, and went to clean up the spilled soil.

The poor dog whimpered with the ball in his mouth as Ryuichi swept up the mess. When he just about had most of the soil cleared away, Akihiko came jogging down the stairs, now wearing his red and gray Gekkoukan track suit. He stopped to scratch Koromaru's head before sprinting back upstairs at full speed.

After cleaning up the plant, Ryuichi figured that a quieter activity would probably be best. He returned to his room to grab his portable DVD player, headphones, and some movies, and brought everything upstairs to the long table up on the second floor. For snacks, he grabbed some potato chips and bought a soda from the vending machine. When he was settled, he chose a movie and hit play.

Even at maximum volume, his headphones weren't enough to block out the howling winds. Every so often, Akihiko would run by, his mere presence tearing Ryuichi's attention away from his movie. An occasional _bang_ or _clatter_ from the kitchen found his ears, and when he got up to check on the girls again, they waved him off. Oddly enough, the typhoon seemed to be the least bothersome of all the distractions.

He brought everything upstairs to the command room, hoping to be able to concentrate on his movie. With the aid of his noise-cancelling earbuds, he was finally able to hear what the actors were saying, but found that he didn't care about watching a movie right then. Eating chips was far more entertaining, where he felt like he was actually doing something instead of wasting his time sitting around and doing nothing.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he groaned as he sank back into the couch. "I don't know how to relax anymore."

He brought everything back to his room, where Junpei was still sitting on the edge of his bed, rapidly tapping buttons while cursing at enemy generals who managed to sneak a few powerful hits on him. He didn't even notice that Ryuichi put his stuff back and left again.

When Minato's rice porridge was finished cooking, Ryuichi watched as Yukari brought it upstairs to him. In his eyes, he viewed Yukari as an executioner taking the axe to her victim, as if to put the poor guy out of his misery from his fever. He wanted to believe that Junpei had to be wrong about how bad her cooking was, or that she learned from her mistakes and followed the recipes exactly as they were written. The smell of the curry, however, produced a stench so foul that it killed the last of his hopes.

"Ryuichi-senpai, could you call everyone for dinner, please?" Fuuka asked him when the curry was done.

He walked as if trudging through mud, taking his time to inform the others of the meal. He caught Akihiko on the stairs, who quickly said that he wasn't hungry after a workout and holed himself up in his room. Ryuichi knocked on Shinjiro's door next.

"What died?" Shinjiro growled when he caught a whiff of the rank stench.

"Fuuka and Yukari cooked—"

"Stop right there."

Shinjiro held a hand to his head. "Tell them I'm not hungry," he said, and slammed his door in his face.

Ken had a similar reaction as well. "Uh, I had a snack earlier," he told Ryuichi quickly as he shut his door.

Upstairs on the third floor, Ryuichi hesitated to tell Mitsuru about dinner. He didn't want to say anything bad about the girls' hard work, but he couldn't risk her getting sick.

When she opened the door, she looked at him with concern. "What's wrong?"

It took him a few tries to find his voice. "Yukari and Fuuka cooked curry rice for us," he uttered weakly.

"Did they?" She seemed please to hear it. "Shall we go?"

"There's one more thing."

She was already closing the door behind her. "What is it?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Yukari and Fuuka cooked."

Mitsuru cocked her head at him. "Yes, you just said that."

"Well, the thing is—"

The smell of the food seemed to have finally wormed its way to Mitsuru's nose. "I-It has a unique aroma," she remarked, hiding her twitching face behind a hand.

"I can just tell them that you had a snack earlier and aren't hungry yet," he offered.

She shook her head. "That won't do. Perhaps it's only the smell that's a little bit, er, unique."

The two went downstairs together, but they went slowly. The smell was the worst on the second floor where they met Yukari, who returned with a full bowl of untouched rice porridge.

"He didn't eat?" asked Mitsuru.

"He was asleep," she said, joining them at the stairs. "I tried waking him up a few times, but he would just roll over and start snoring again."

"Lucky bastard," Ryuichi muttered.

"Hm? What was that, Ryuichi-senpai?"

"T-Typhoon's a hazard!" Ryuichi blurted out. "You know, cuz it made him sick!"

Yukari gave him a funny look while Mitsuru thinned her lip. "Uh, okay?" the junior reluctantly agreed, though she clearly didn't believe him.

Downstairs, Ryuichi went to go see if Junpei wanted some dinner. He didn't even get to finish his question when Junpei hit him with an "I don't wanna die!" that Ryuichi was afraid the girls would hear, even with the storm. When he came out of his room, he saw Fuuka placing Koromaru's food dish in front of the hungry dog before pouring his specialized dog food into it. Ryuichi envied him for not having to face the wrath of their cooking.

"Um, are the others coming?" Fuuka asked when she saw that it was only the four of them.

"I guess I filled them all up on sandwiches earlier," Ryuichi said with a pained grin. "Sorry about that."

"That's all right," Yukari said, still smiling. "Well, dig in!"

No one moved. Ryuichi steeled himself, knowing he couldn't let Mitsuru taste it until he tried it first. He grabbed the first plate, added some rice and then ladled on the curry. It didn't smell like curry, that's for sure, but something that had been dead for about four days in a tropical climate.

"Ryuichi, you don't have to do this," Mitsuru muttered to him so only he could hear.

He took his seat and put a small heap on his spoon. He raised it to the three girls. "Itadakimasu," he said, and just as he ate the single spoonful of questionable curry, he saw the horror on Mitsuru's face.

He almost broke a tooth on the hard rice. The carrots and potatoes crunched wetly, the curry sauce had a gritty feel, and the chicken had a chewy, squishy, slimy texture that screamed raw. The worst part was the saltiness, like he was chewing through murky mud from the ocean. He chewed slowly, crunching and grinding through hard and soft, squish and grit, nothing ever truly disintegrating no matter how much he chewed. With effort, he swallowed that one mouthful, but not without it clawing at his throat on the way down.

"Well, how is it?"

"How does it taste?"

"Hurk!" Ryuichi clamped a hand over his mouth as he felt his stomach heave.

"R-Ryuichi?"

He ran, kicking the chair over on his way to the bathroom. Just as his stomach heaved again, he reached the toilet, and everything he ate in the past few hours came up in soggy, brown chunks. His eyes watered, his stomach cramped, and all he could taste was a bitterness that was light-years more bearable than the curry.

Panting, he steadied himself against the stall as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. All he could utter were agonizing groans as nausea overcame him again.

Someone knocked on the door. "Ryuichi, do you need any help?"

He heaved again. Some chunks even forced their way through his nostrils. His face burned when he felt it, but he couldn't stop it. Anything he couldn't wipe away with toilet paper he sniffled back up, tasting more bitter bile. All it did was make him gag again, and then a third wave of vomit shot into the bowl. When he was sure he had thrown up everything, he flushed, washed up and rinsed, getting a good look of how red and glazed his eyes were in the mirror.

When he emerged from the bathroom, the three girls stood around the door, watching him carefully as he sniffled back more rancid gunk.

"Um, are you all right, Senpai?" Fuuka asked, looking fearful.

"Was it that bad?" Yukari winced as she said this.

His stomach burbled again. "I-I'm just gonna lie down for a little while," he uttered, and shakily headed for his room.

Junpei was already switching off the game system when he entered. "I can't tell if you have balls of steel or you're just that good a person, Ryuichi-senpai," he said, clearly having heard the commotion.

"I prefer dumbass extraordinaire," Ryuichi moaned, making him laugh.

"Yeah, well, I hope you live to see tomorrow! Thanks for taking a bullet for us, Senpai! You're a real man among men!"

After he left, Ryuichi felt another stirring in his belly. He bolted for his toilet, his stomach constricting as it fought to squeeze out every last toxic bit of curry. He helped expel the contents of his stomach by remembering the slimy yet gritty texture and crunching on undercooked rice and vegetables, conjuring up another wave of nausea that seemed to dig deep into his bowels for him to vomit up more. Once he felt sure he had nothing more to give, he cleaned himself up again and went to collapse onto his bed.

He couldn't believe it. He endured many battles where he was poisoned, stricken with panic, suffered near-fatal injuries, and even had his arm severed and reattached, but all it took to nearly destroy him was a single spoonful of rancid curry. He couldn't even be certain that they cooked it, for that curry had to have been shat out from the devil's anus!

He lay there for what felt like nearly an hour. For a little while, he thought he was starting to feel better. As the hour progressed, the nausea returned, and his stomach developed a dull ache. When he became too hot, he kicked off his jeans and flung his socks across the room. His kept his T-shirt on, and he brought his trash can over to the bedside, just in case he couldn't make it to the toilet in time. When everything was in place, he slithered back under the covers.

"I should've listened to Junpei," he moaned, his voice full of a thousand regrets.

Someone knocked. "I'm coming in," said Mitsuru. Before he could say anything, she was already in his room.

"Can the lecture wait until after I'm done dying?" he mumbled through the blanket.

"I'm not here to lecture you."

He heard his belt clink as Mitsuru picked his jeans off the floor and set it down on the foot of his bed. "They told me their process of cooking, and as it turns out, they left the chicken out to thaw this morning, so it must have spoiled in the heat," she told him. "And after further inspection, it doesn't look as though the chicken cooked thoroughly."

Ryuichi moaned. "The chicken wasn't frozen," he uttered wearily. "I never put it in the freezer."

She came to stand at his bedside. "Then without a doubt, you have food poisoning."

"Whoopie."

Ryuichi closed his eyes, listening as Mitsuru went to the bathroom. He heard water run for a few seconds before shutting off. When she returned, she pulled back the covers to expose his forehead and placed the damp handkerchief on top.

"This is ridiculous," he moaned. "I was just sick last week."

"Then next time, if you know that something is hazardous for consumption, don't eat it," she chided him. "What were you thinking?"

He blinked slowly, taking a moment to find his strength. "I had to make sure that you didn't eat it."

"Then I should have taken your advice and declined."

"You didn't want to hurt their feelings, especially since no one even bothered to come downstairs."

Mitsuru reached for her arm. "Be that as it may, having them see how inedible their food is may have dealt them a harsher blow than if we had all declined."

Ryuichi let out a pained sigh. "At least they didn't try it and end up like this, right?"

She looked upon him with regret. "It still shouldn't have come to this."

He closed his eyes again. "I'm just glad I beat you to the first bite."

At the time, he didn't realize that he had fallen asleep mid-conversation. He awoke some time later to see Mitsuru sitting at his desk with his portable DVD player open. She had a pair of earbuds in her ears as a familiar movie played on the little screen, and she quietly nibbled on one of the leftover sandwiches from that afternoon. When she noticed that he was awake, she paused the movie and removed one of the earbuds.

"I thought it best to keep watch over you," she told him. "I hope you don't mind that I helped myself to your movies."

He barely heard her over the storm, but cracked a thin smile when he registered what she had said. "Not at all, but I definitely owe you food later," he uttered in a dry rasp.

Mitsuru showed him a faint smile. "I'll take you up on that offer," she said, replacing her earbud. "Now, try to get some sleep."

Just having her there was a comfort to him, but she did more than just be there. She checked on him regularly, asking if he wanted anything to eat or drink, held up the waste basket when he needed to throw up again, and kept his temperature in check. He couldn't tell how long she was there for him, but noticed that the movie changed sometime during her stay.

The next morning, he awoke to Mitsuru coming into his room to check on him again. She hummed "Kiss of the Rain" as she pulled his blanket up to his chin, then went to the foot of his bed to cover only one foot so his fan blew over his other one to keep him from overheating, the way he liked it. He let her gentle tune ease him back to sleep, grateful to have her near.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

"So, uh, how bad was it?"

Junpei, Shinjiro, and Akihiko were all in Ryuichi's room later that same morning, curious about how he was doing and how dinner went. Ryuichi didn't spare any details as he sipped the ginger tea Mitsuru brought for him, imagining that the spicy burn from the ginger killed off the toxins left in his body while he relished in the light tang of the lemon and the hint of honey that made it go down smoothly. The guys cringed and shuddered when he described the tastes and textures of the food, with Junpei gagging despite being partially distracted by conquering a castle with Akihiko in Ryuichi's video game.

"And for the record, I no longer like curry rice," Ryuichi told them all. "Or curry anything."

"What a waste of good ingredients," grunted Shinjiro.

"Can we all just take a moment to thank Ryuichi-senpai for having the foresight to buy all those instant noodles?" Junpei piped up as he slashed an enemy in two. "Man, I was so hungry last night I had two packets!"

"Three for me," Akihiko added.

"I had two," Shinjiro said with a nod. "Tasted good with some ham and green onion."

"What? You added that stuff?" Akihiko asked in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Because you were dumb enough to keep gloating about finishing before me, remember?" Shinjiro snarled back.

Ryuichi's stomach growled. "I guess it's my turn for some breakfast," he said, getting up while the two bickered. He went to grab his jeans from the foot of his bed where Mitsuru laid it last night. When he was dressed, he had to climb across the bed to avoid blocking the guys' view of the TV.

Ken and Koromaru were the only two in the lounge. Koromaru spun in a circle with his tail wagging and panting with excitement, watching as Ken languidly threw the ball towards the back door. The dog shot after it, but Ken remained sunken in the couch, letting out a long sigh.

"Good morning," Ryuichi said to them upon Koromaru's return.

Koromaru dropped the ball and barked his salutations, but Ken only murmured his greeting.

"Everything okay, Ken-kun?" Ryuichi asked, approaching him.

"I'm all right." He kept his head down, looking away.

Ryuichi wondered if being stuck indoors was bringing him down. "Hey, the others are playing video games in my room, if you're interested," he offered. "Or are you hungry? I can cook you something."

"That's all right, Okazaki-san, but thank you."

He thought it best to leave the kid alone. Something definitely got him down, but what it was, he wasn't sure if he should pry.

He headed to the kitchen to make himself a light breakfast of instant noodles. He managed to eat only half of it, his hunger somehow changing into disgust after only a few bites. All he could do then was hope that it didn't come back up as he threw out the other half.

After breakfast, he baked a mocha cake for the girls to show Yukari and Fuuka that he wasn't bitter about their curry nearly killing him, and also to thank Mitsuru for taking care of him. When he finished decorating the cake with frosting and chocolate shavings, he made some tea and brought everything upstairs, finding the girls sitting at the long table on the second floor.

"Senpai! Are you all better now?"

"We're sorry about the curry!"

Aigis stared at him for a few seconds longer than he was comfortable with. "Body temperature: normal. Heart rate: stable. Minor signs of fatigue present," she reported.

"You're looking much better today," Mitsuru said as Ryuichi set the tray down on the table.

"I feel better, but not a hundred percent yet," he replied, smiling.

"Then perhaps you should go back to bed and rest some more."

"Oh, I'm not _that_ sick."

"We're really sorry, Ryuichi-senpai," Yukari said with a mournful expression.

"We're sorry we wasted all those ingredients, too," Fuuka added, bowing her head.

Ryuichi waved them both off. "It's quite all right," he insisted. "If anything, there's something else I'm a little worried about."

He looked towards the stairs, grateful that the storm covered their voices. "Is Ken-kun okay?" he asked them all. "He seems kind of down today."

"Yeah, he's been like that for a while now," Yukari told him. "We thought it was because he was just lonely, being the only one his age here."

"Have you tried inviting him to join you and the others with your games?" Mitsuru asked. "Perhaps he also wants to play and is just shy."

"I did, but he didn't want to," Ryuichi replied, scratching his head. "I asked if he was hungry, but he didn't want anything."

Fuuka also turned her gaze to the stairs, as if she could spot Ken on the sofa. "I hope he's okay."

Yukari gave an uneasy chuckle. "Um, you don't think he ate the curry, do you?"

"Impossible. We threw everything out after Ryuichi tasted it," Mitsuru told her.

"Well, maybe he needs a more mature crowd to chat with," Ryuichi suggested. "Why not have him join you all?"

"We tried, but he didn't want to," Fuuka said as she cut the first slice of cake.

"Perhaps he is upset over the culture festival being cancelled," Aigis told them all.

It seemed insensitive of them to dismiss Ken's dour mood simply as disappointment over the cancellation of the culture festival, or even from being stuck indoors because of the storm. They were all displeased with having to miss out on one of the biggest events of the school year, but for all they knew, Ken may have been looking forward to it more than all of them. He was still a kid no matter how mature he made himself seem, so they knew that even he had his moments where the kid in him showed through. He just hid it better than some of the older kids.

Ryuichi felt his stomach burble again. "Ah, would you all excuse me?" he said quickly before dashing back downstairs to the boys' bathroom.

All the tea and noodles he had that morning came back up, looking grossly similar to how it had before he consumed them. Akihiko came in to check up on him while he retched, then quickly retreated from the sound alone. When he was finished, the others urged Ryuichi to go back to his room to rest some more.

"I'm okay," he told them all. "I actually feel a lot better after that. I just can't really stomach anything right now."

The only thing he felt fine with were liquids and a few crackers. While he prepared himself some more ginger tea, Mitsuru joined him in the kitchen.

"Don't you want something a little more filling than crackers?" Mitsuru asked while Ryuichi made his third cup of tea.

"I can't stomach anything solid right now," he said glumly. "And to be honest, I'm tired of sticking my face in the toilet."

After a quick glance around the empty lounge, he said to her: "Um, thank you for all your help last night. You were right that I should've just said something instead of eating the curry."

"I gave it a lot of thought last night and found that I couldn't come up with a perfect solution," she said, looking forlorn over the matter. "If we all said we weren't hungry, it might have offended both Takeba and Yamagishi and possibly led them both to sample their cooking themselves. We would have had to take care of three sick people instead of two."

She shook her head. "Perhaps there was no way to avoid casualties and save face at the same time."

"Sometimes a sacrifice must be made," he figured, and they left it at that.

Despite feeling a little weak, Ryuichi took it upon himself to prepare a light meal for Minato. He started with making more ginger tea, but when he went to cut up a ginger root, he had to push down on the knife more than usual. He tested the blade with his thumb, frowning at how dull it was.

"How did they cook when it was like this?" he grumbled, wondering if the girls crushed their fingers as opposed to cutting them while cooking.

To be fair, the cheap knife never stayed sharp for long. As he sharpened the dull blade, he thought about doing the same for his two swords, since he didn't have anything else better to do later on. After a few finishing swipes on the whet stone, he cleaned off the knife and tested it on the ginger root. He almost moaned with satisfaction when it sliced through cleanly.

When the rice porridge and ginger tea were ready, he brought the meal up to Minato. Their leader slowly blinked upon Ryuichi's arrival, looking gaunt with his sunken eyes, pale complexion, and cracked lips. A sheen of sweat collected in beads on his forehead.

"Feeling any better?" Ryuichi asked as he set the tray down on his desk.

Minato uttered a low moan in response as he eyed the food.

"Don't worry. I was the one who cooked this time."

He checked Minato's temperature before letting him sit up for his meal. Their leader could only stomach half of the porridge and managed a few sips of tea. Before long, he was falling asleep while still sitting, almost planting his face into his bowl. Ryuichi set aside the tray to help him lie back down when he noticed his shirt was soaked through with sweat.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Ryuichi said, and went to prepare some warm water to wash him off.

Once Minato was cleaned up and changed into a fresh shirt, Ryuichi emerged from his room to find Mitsuru standing outside the door.

"You were in there for a while," Mitsuru noted as she followed him down the hall. "Did he have trouble eating?"

He held up the tray to her. "He could only manage half," he told her, showing her the partially filled bowl. "I had to clean him up a bit; he sweat through his shirt."

"I take it his fever's still high."

"Yeah, so I'd feel better if someone kept checking in on him every so often."

"That might be best," she agreed. "I think you should also try to get some rest, too. You're still quite pale."

At the end of the hall, still seated at the table, Yukari created a little hammock with her hands for her chin and smiled slyly at the two seniors. "The rumors were right," she remarked. "You two are looking pretty cozy lately."

"That's only because if I don't keep an eye on him, he'll work himself until he collapses again," Mitsuru said in an exasperated tone.

"That's actually true," Ryuichi chuckled. "I guard her from Shadows, she guards me from, well, myself. It works out."

"Your health is no laughing matter," Mitsuru shot at him. "You've done enough. Go rest in your room."

He bent at the waist in a bow. "Yes, Mitsuru Ojou-sama," he jabbed back playfully.

With a disgruntled frown from Mitsuru, he went on his way. He stopped at the kitchen to wash the dishes, but Fuuka took over for him, telling him that he should take it easy for now. Thanking her, he headed back to his room to find the guys still there, shouting and cursing at one another with Junpei's laughter rising above them all. The trio took turns sending their armies to fight against each other, and judging from the looks of it, Junpei was winning.

"Shinji, you suck," Akihiko said with a straight face.

"Shut up!" Shinjiro frantically mashed buttons to make his hulking character swing his oversized hammer into a crowd of soldiers. "This is only my first time playing this game!"

"You played the last round!"

"Oh, no!" Junpei mocked him with fake worry and a plastered grin. "Looks like my people just captured one of your bases!"

"What? Oh, you son of a—"

"Go that way, Shinji! That one's defenseless!"

"That's _my_ base, dumbass!"

"Not anymore, it isn't!"

"What? When did he—?"

Snickering, Ryuichi set up his low table on the rug before leaving to make tea. He brought green tea and potato chips for the guys and ginger tea for himself. Before setting down the bag of chips, he warned the guys that, if they ate, they had to wash their hands before handling his game controllers again. When they didn't heed his numerous warnings, he brought out his larger katana to show how serious he was.

"Damn, and I always thought Ryuichi-senpai was the chill one," groaned Junpei after nearly losing his digits.

The group opted to eat the chips with chopsticks, satisfying Ryuichi.

When dinnertime rolled around, Ryuichi noticed that, every now and then, someone would go to the kitchen in search of something to eat. They would find raw ingredients, instant foods, and snacks, but nothing fitting to be called a meal. They would leave disappointed with rumbling stomachs, and the sad looks on their faces made Ryuichi take pity on them and headed to the kitchen himself.

It looked to him like he had enough ingredients to make sukiyaki. Thankfully, preparation was easy enough. All he had to do was make the sauce, cut a few vegetables, and fry the thinly sliced beef with the sauce he just made. When the meat was just about ready, he set up two portable stoves and two large pans on the dining table, then filled both pans with the ingredients. One look at the meat told Ryuichi that he should probably prepare extra.

He didn't even need to call everyone to come to eat. They smelled the food and came to take a look for themselves. Their faces lit up brightly at the sight of the sukiyaki simmering merrily inside the pans. Even Ken came to see what was cooking, and Ryuichi was sure he saw him salivating.

"If someone could help me set the table, that would be a big help," Ryuichi said to them with a smile, and Fuuka and Yukari were the first to head to the kitchen.

When everyone but their leader was seated, they began their meal. Ryuichi cracked an egg into a small bowl to scramble while everyone else's chopsticks dove straight for the meat first. Shortly after, the mushrooms, cabbage, onions, noodles, and tofu were picked at, but were still plentiful compared to the few scraps of meat left. When he saw the scant amount of meat in the pans, Ryuichi went to the kitchen to grab the plate of extra meat to add more. Eager eyes watched as he placed a few slices into each pan, obviously planning their next attack.

"Ryuichi, this is very good," Mitsuru said as he sat back down. "These savory flavors with the slight sweetness of the broth pair so well."

"Not bad," Shinjiro commented, munching on some of the mushrooms.

"Is it difficult to make?" Fuuka asked.

"Not at all," he said, dipping a slice of meat into his beaten egg. "For the most part, all I did was prep the ingredients and make the broth. The pans do all the work."

Out of everyone, Mitsuru looked the most satisfied with his answer, since he put out a tasty dish with minimal effort and little strain on himself. Yet there was a look she gave him that seemed to warn him that he shouldn't have done anything at all to give himself time to recover.

"Come on, guys! Eat your veggies, too!" Yukari told the boys.

Ken reluctantly picked up a mushroom but pushed it off to the side of his bowl of rice. Akihiko grabbed some cabbage and onions, but rewarded himself with another two slices of beef. Junpei picked at the mushrooms before taking some leafy greens, but he did it as though he was picking up a cockroach with his chopsticks.

"What are you guys? Four?" Shinjiro grumbled, and the three chomped down on their veggies in protest.

After dinner, Junpei and Akihiko were the first to run off. They made it to the stairs when Mitsuru called them back.

"Since Ryuichi was nice enough to prepare this wonderful meal for us all, why don't we return the favor by cleaning up?" she suggested.

It was more like an order than advice, but with everyone helping out, they cleaned everything in just minutes. Ryuichi thanked everyone but paused to thank Mitsuru properly before she headed upstairs.

"It seems you were able to keep your food down," she said, looking him up and down.

"Yeah, but I only ate a little bit," he admitted. "Food isn't all that appealing to me just yet. I just felt bad that everyone was starving."

Mitsuru's shoulders sagged, as if she had stitches holding her together that came slightly undone. "I'm still a bit apprehensive about you cooking, but I'm glad that you chose something we all could share that required minimal effort."

"I'm just glad that everyone knows how to add boiling water to instant noodles," he joked.

His smile quickly faded. "Actually, I was pretty glad I was able to cook for everyone," he told her. "It's been so long since I last had any actual free time to myself, so I kind of feel lost, like I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not busy. Cooking tonight helped me feel a little better."

Mitsuru let out a heavy sigh. "I see. Is that also why you made us tea and cake and took care of Arisato?"

He had an uneasy smile on his face. "I-I guess so," he reluctantly agreed. "Sorry. I guess I really was just trying to keep busy."

"Then, tomorrow—"

He peered back up to Mitsuru, who was still poised with one foot up on a higher step. "Sorry, what was that?"

She gripped the banister. "I was going to say that, if you're feeling better, we can try to find something to do tomorrow," she answered. "I also found myself not knowing what to do with all this spare time, so if the typhoon has yet to pass, perhaps we can entertain ourselves somehow."

"Yeah, okay," he said with a grateful nod. "Maybe we can even do a little fencing practice. It's been a while since we did that."

"We can, but _only_ if you're well enough."

"Great!" He grinned big, glad to finally have something to look forward to. "Well, um, I guess I'd better make our leader something to eat now, so we'll talk tomorrow."

He was sure that she was going to argue that he had already done enough, the way she hesitated just then. She loosened her grip on the banister and nodded.

"Tomorrow, then. Good night," was all she said.

"Yeah. Good night!"

He really hoped that his stomach would be better by the next day. As he prepared Minato some garlic ramen and ginger tea, he got to wondering if he had inadvertently pushed Mitsuru into hanging out with him. He only wanted to let her know that part of the reason why he cooked was because he was restless, but, looking back now, he realized that he was just complaining about being bored.

The next morning, Ryuichi was able to do a light version of his usual workout routine. He felt better, stronger, and had more energy than he did the past two days. Now, he just hoped that he could eat a little more than ginger tea and crackers without any of it coming back up.

He showered and dressed and went to cook up some blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausages, and bacon, enough for everyone. He had enough cooked for one person by the time the other dorm mates came hurrying downstairs. Yukari and Junpei were the first two to show up.

"Holy cow!" Junpei nearly drooled at the sight of the pancakes.

"Senpai? What's all this for?" Yukari asked with wide-eyed astonishment.

"I was hungry," was all he said, tipping eggs onto a plate. "You guys want some?"

No one said "No" when he offered. The storm continued to rage on outside, but inside, everyone was cozy and enjoyed idle discussions with one another over breakfast. While he prepared more pancake batter, Ryuichi spotted Shinjiro slipping Koromaru a sausage under the table. The dog gobbled up the sausage in only a few bites, then thanked Shinjiro by licking his hand.

Judging from all the chatter, it seemed like nobody knew what to do with themselves during the storm. They somehow managed to cope without TV, Internet, or being able to email their friends outside of SEES for the past few days, and now everyone seemed relieved to just be able to come together and share their struggles with boredom and hunger. Some of them made plans to watch movies or just hang out and chat, and Ryuichi looked forward to his own plans that didn't involve him staying in bed most of the time.

After breakfast, everyone appeared to have found something they wanted to do. They helped Ryuichi clean up before heading their separate ways to watch movies, work out, read, and do whatever other plans they had either alone or with another person. From downstairs, Ryuichi could already hear Akihiko working his punching bag, amazed that it was loud enough to be heard over the storm. Yukari, Fuuka, and Aigis all went up to Yukari's room to watch a movie. Ken hung out upstairs in his room, Koromaru flopped on the floor next to the TV, and Junpei went back to his own room to play video games. Shinjiro disappeared to wherever it was that he went.

Mitsuru brought down her fencing epees so they could spar in the lounge. They agreed it was best to spar there for the extra room and also to dispel any rumors that might fly around if they sparred upstairs in the privacy of the command room. Their only audience was Koromaru, who flattened himself on the floor while he watched them warm up and stretch.

Ryuichi had a little fun with how light and flexible the sword was, making it flash in rapid strokes. He then thrust it towards Mitsuru, ready to fight when she deftly knocked it out of his hand with a single swing.

"Sloppy footwork, poor grip, and all your movements are too exaggerated and unnecessary," she said, brandishing her sword at him.

Using the tip of her epee, she tossed his blade up high enough for her to catch with her left hand.

"Show-off," Ryuichi murmured, taking his sword back.

She chuckled at him. "Okay, you've had your fun," she said. "Shall we?"

They sparred many rounds, and Ryuichi had yet to win one. He had many points on his body where Mitsuru struck the winning blows, leaving stings that lingered longer than he would have liked.

"Again!" he said, determined to win at least once.

Mitsuru paused to wipe sweat from her brow. "Very well," she replied, and obliged him with another round.

After many losses, Koromaru seemed to give up on Ryuichi's chances of winning and covered his face in shame with his paw. Ryuichi wasn't ready to surrender just yet.

"Again!"

"Again!"

"One more!"

Both had already expended most of their energy. Mitsuru panted hard as she remained poised and upright with her epee at the ready. Ryuichi kept low and light on his feet, gasping for breath as he fought to blink sweat out of his eyes.

"Whassa matter? Tired?" he taunted almost breathlessly.

"Y-You wish!" she hissed.

She won again. And again. And again. On the next round, Ryuichi backed her towards the dining table, his strikes getting faster and more accurate, victory on the horizon. He moved in for the winning strike when Mitsuru thrashed her sword all around him—by his ears, his arms, his chest— _whack!_

"Ow!" Ryuichi dropped his epee in surprise when she smacked his hand.

Mitsuru lowered her weapon. "S-Sorry," she uttered, still breathing hard. She went to check his hand.

He showed her there was no cut on him. "I just didn't expect it; that's all," he uttered, his voice shaking from the shock. "That was a good move, though. I thought I had you that time."

"I think, if we kept going, you might have won," she agreed as she dabbed at her face with her towel.

Ryuichi offered her a chair, but she declined. "So, am I good enough for the team?"

She chuckled. "Sorry, but I think you might be good enough for the boys' team."

"Aw, but the girls' team is so much better!"

As they shared a laugh, Ryuichi went to get his epee and handed it back to her. "I guess that's all for today," he figured, seeing as they both were still trying to catch their breaths. "Thanks for the lesson, Sensei."

Mitsuru took the epee from him. "It's still early," she told him. "Shall we find something else to do? After a quick shower, that is."

Ryuichi wasn't sure what else they could do, but went along with it. "Sure. Definitely after a quick shower," he said in agreement.

He was the first one back in the lounge. They had sparred for quite some time, and now he just wanted to do something that didn't require too much physical activity. As he waited for Mitsuru, he set to work on making some peach tea to pair with some vanilla cookies sandwiched over a light lemon cream.

"After your morning workout, cooking breakfast for everyone, and sparring me, you still have the energy to make me tea?" remarked Mitsuru when she came down and saw the tray.

He held up the box the cookies came in. "I cheated this time!" he said proudly, making her chuckle.

They took their tea in the lounge. After serving Mitsuru, Ryuichi got a few dog treats for Koromaru and tossed one to him from the couch. Koromaru cocked his head back and caught it in his mouth, chewing happily before readying himself for the next one. Ryuichi gave some treats to Mitsuru to throw, and they made a game of it. Koromaru caught every one.

"So, what's the plan?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru, dusting his hands off when the bag of treats was finished.

"Well, what would you like to do?" She turned the question on him now. "We've already done something that I like to do, so it's only fair."

He flopped back on the couch with his arms out wide and groaned. "I think I wanna get out of this dorm," he griped.

Mitsuru nodded and took a cookie from the plate. "I feel the same," she sighed. "It feels like we've been indoors for so long that time has stopped."

"Tell me about it." He separated a cookie in two, the cream mostly sticking to one side. "But, I guess it's not so bad, save for the food poisoning part."

He looked to Mitsuru as she took a bite of her cookie. "So, what've you been up to?" he asked. "You're always listening to me gripe about my life, so anything interesting on your end?"

She finished her little bite and held the rest of the cookie between a delicate thumb and finger. "Not really," she said. "I've been so busy with the culture festival that I barely had time to do anything else."

"Oh, right. You were in the Student Council Room doing paperwork and stuff most of the time."

"Yeah, though, I would have liked to join the others a bit more in preparing our classroom."

She started to raise the cookie to her lips again when she stopped. "Oh. I did go home last week to see my father briefly."

"Yeah? How is he?"

"He's doing well," she said, and frowned. "Though, he still smokes those cigarettes."

Ryuichi ate his cookie half with less cream first. "Did you ever try talking to him about it?"

"I have, but, as he is a very busy man and has little opportunity to relax, it would be like taking away something that regulates his peace of mind," she replied, sounding slightly frustrated by her father's habit. "He tries to avoid smoking around me, but sometimes I catch him off guard."

Ryuichi nodded. "At least he's making an effort," he said, and finished off the other half of the cookie. "I'm kinda envious of that."

"Neither of your parents smoke, do they?"

"Nope, but I think it's great that your father is mindful of your health and takes the time to see you every now and then."

Ryuichi sat forward, keeping his head down just a bit as he wore a bitter smile. "It's the little things, you know? Like, the way my dad keeps yelling at us at the restaurant, anyone would think he hates us. The only thing is, every time we're about to go our separate ways, my family always hugs, so we know that we still love each other no matter what was said. Sure, we've missed a few hugs because we were mad at each other, but we always end up making up for it the next time we see each other."

He scratched a spot on his face, grinning. "Huh. I guess my family does have some good points," he realized.

"I've always admired families who were close like that," Mitsuru said, her frown softening. "My father and I have never shown that degree of intimacy, even when I was small."

It was Ryuichi's turn to give her a bewildered look. "Like, never? Never ever?"

She shook her head. "No, never. Is that so strange?"

"Well, I mean, it's not unheard of, but it's just so different from what I'm used to, I guess."

He shrugged. "Everybody's different, so that was kind of unfair of me."

"Not at all. I was just curious if sharing an embrace is so vital for a relationship. I suppose my father and I have our own ways of expressing our familial love that are a bit more subtle."

Nodding, Ryuichi leaned back on the couch. "Speaking of family, I wonder how mine's doing. Three days stuck indoors with each other must be driving them nuts."

"Perhaps the past week of them being apart gave them time to miss one another," Mitsuru suggested, taking up her teacup. "You mentioned before that they were getting along better now that your sister and niece moved out, correct?"

"Yeah, and on days she works, Shizue drops Megumi off at my parents' place so Mom and the new nanny can watch over her."

Mitsuru offered him more tea, and held out his cup to her. "But, is there any need for a nanny if your mother's there to watch the baby?"

Ryuichi sipped some tea before answering. "Mom usually uses nanny days to run errands and do chores, so she's technically off from work, but she's still home enough to sort of keep an eye on Megumi," he explained. "Plus, if you ask me, I think Mom likes having time away from Dad and the restaurant."

Just then, Fuuka came down the stairs, eyeing the them briefly before going straight to the kitchen.

"Hey, Fuuka," Ryuichi called to her. "How are things?"

She stuck her head in the refrigerator. "Things are all right," she replied. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"We were just talking," Mitsuru said. "Are you looking for something specific?"

"Well, I was trying to figure out what to do about dinner tonight, so I thought I might try cooking something for some practice."

The two seniors exchanged concerned looks.

"Ah, what did you have in mind?" Ryuichi dared to ask.

"I don't know yet. I'm just looking at what we have and thought I might try to make something of it."

"How about starting small with an egg omelet?"

"Oh, I'm not really in the mood for eggs."

Ryuichi felt his stomach clench with worry, fearing that Fuuka might ask someone to sample her cooking or try some herself. There was no way he could go through that again.

"Would you care to join us for tea?" Mitsuru offered.

"Oh, no thank you, Mitsuru-senpai," Fuuka said, and went to check the pantry next.

At that moment, Aigis came down the stairs, sweeping her gaze back and forth across the lounge like a security camera until she found Fuuka in the kitchen.

"Yukari-san is asking for more popcorn before she starts the next movie," she told her.

Fuuka looked to her and nodded. "Sure thing. Thanks, Aigis," she said, and looked to the two seniors next. "Would you guys like to join?"

"Yukari-san said 'No boys allowed', so Ryuichi-san would not be allowed to join," Aigis reminded her in her stiff speech.

Ryuichi felt no harm from his exemption and was actually grateful for it.

"Sorry, Ryuichi-senpai," Fuuka said to him as she put a popcorn bag into the microwave oven. "How about you, Mitsuru-senpai?"

"Thank you, but perhaps another time," she replied.

Aigis stared deeply into the microwave oven as the bag of popcorn expanded and popped. Ryuichi idly watched, barely seeing the girls as he got lost in thought.

"A movie, huh?" He started thinking about some of the jazz songs he prepared for the culture festival, most of them having come from movie and video game soundtracks.

"Are you thinking about watching a movie next?" Mitsuru asked him.

"Not quite," he said, getting up from the couch. "But, I highly recommend you find a nice book to enjoy."

She asked him why she would need a book, but he didn't tell her the reason just yet. The two headed to their rooms, and when Ryuichi returned, he had his saxophone, his mp3 player, and some little speakers. He started assembling his horn when Mitsuru returned with a book.

"What does that have to do with a movie or a book?" she asked, amused.

He took his reed out of his mouth. "Some of the songs I arranged for the culture festival came from movies, so I thought it was kind of a waste that they never got a chance to be heard," he said, and tightened the ligature around the moistened reed and mouth piece.

He threw on his neck strap and finished assembling his saxophone. With a finger in his ear, he blew a G, finding it too sharp. He adjusted the mouthpiece until it was tuned, then chose a song.

"I hope you don't mind if I use you as an audience," he told Mitsuru shyly.

"I look forward to it," she replied, smiling. "I feel honored that you would play for me. It's like a private concert."

He started the first song. The tempo was slower than the original soundtrack, more gentle and relaxing. As he played, he noticed that Mitsuru sat quietly in her usual arm chair, her book open and her fingers already pinching the next page to turn. At times, her head would nod to the beat of the smooth jazz, and for a brief moment, Ryuichi wondered if she knew what song he was playing.

She closed her book and smiled. "That's from that popular children's show, isn't it?"

He grinned bashfully. "The intro for Phoenix Ranger Featherman R, yeah," he admitted.

"Yes, that's the one." She beamed at him. "You used to play it back in middle school when you worked at Chagall Cafe, correct?"

He flinched. "You knew about that?"

Her smug smile showed she was clearly pleased with herself. "It sounded a little different just now, but it's unmistakably the same song."

"You got me," he laughed. "Fun fact: I auditioned for Chagall Cafe with that song and they didn't catch it, but they hired me right away."

"Did they?"

"Yeah!"

Chuckling, Mitsuru told him: "It's possible they knew what you did and hired you for your cleverness."

Ryuichi shrugged. "Could be. Either way, I'm surprised you knew the song."

"They always play it during the commercials. It's hard to miss."

"Aw, and I was hoping you secretly watched the show."

The two chuckled some more while Ryuichi readied the next song. He cooled down from their humor with a song that was a little more upbeat, easing them back into a relaxed state with the next one. Amid the storm roaring outside, he poured everything he had into the music, sometimes losing sight of the lounge as the songs transported him to the different worlds they came from.

Every now and then, he would notice that Mitsuru would be staring at the same page in her book longer than usual, the longest being an entire song. He couldn't tell if she was lost in the songs, or if he was distracting her.

"Have you considered studying music when you go to college?" Mitsuru asked him after a few songs. "I'm sure I've asked you this before, but I was wondering if you've given it some thought."

Ryuichi held his saxophone by the bell. "I guess music's a possibility," he said. "But, I was also thinking that I should go into business, since it's more stable."

"Business? Hmm. Perhaps I can find you a position within the Group."

He gave a weak laugh. "That would help me out a lot."

"It would, but let me pose the question in a different way: What do you want to do?"

Ryuichi started to pack his saxophone away as his heart pounded in his ears. "Honestly, if it's all right with you, I'd like to continue my service as a butler and bodyguard to you and your family," he answered, surprised at how steady his voice came out.

Her silence led him to believe that she didn't like his answer. He busied himself with disassembling his saxophone, hoping to cut the awkwardness by a small fraction.

"I appreciate that you wish to continue your service to us, but wouldn't you prefer to do something that doesn't put your life in danger?"

"I guess, but, I've been doing this for a few years now, so it's like I'm used to it," he answered, trying to keep his voice light.

There was a sadness in Mitsuru's eyes, one that chilled Ryuichi. "Right now, you're used to fighting Shadows, but once we're through with them, your enemies will be people," she explained in a grave tone. "You will be facing people with names, faces, histories, families—Will you be able to bear that burden, should you have to take a life to save mine?"

He wanted to believe that he could, but he couldn't deny that he didn't have it in him to do so. Just trying to imagine it made his hands turn to ice and his heart thud almost painfully in his chest.

"I'm not trying to frighten you, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said gently. "This is a reality that all who serve the Kirijo Group face. You know very well that everyone on the maid staff is trained in both housekeeping and combat, but they are all prepared to end lives to save others. Can you say the same for yourself?"

All he could think was that he was severely unfit to serve the Kirijo Group. He had fighting skills that were designed to kill, but never had he ever needed them to go that far whenever he fought people. He could subdue an assailant enough to stagger them, but he had never been in a situation where someone had to die. The thought sickened him, churned his stomach, and for a moment, he feared that he might need to break for the toilet again.

"It's not a bad thing if you can't, Ryuichi," she told him. "This line of work isn't for everyone. You're a compassionate person, so I imagine you would fare better in an occupation where you can connect to others, like with your music. You have a gift and I would hate to be the reason why you couldn't reach your full potential."

Ryuichi had not considered that his time as a bodyguard would be ending so soon. They were almost done defeating all the large Shadows that come out on a full moon, and once they were vanquished, the Dark Hour would end. They would all return to their normal lives. Mitsuru wouldn't need a bodyguard against Shadows anymore, but one who could face people and pull a trigger to stop those who would attack her. It was a sobering thought that made him almost fearful of the future, which would most likely land him back at his father's restaurant.

He finished packing up his equipment. When he turned, he looked to Mitsuru, who stared back at him with an expression that wasn't quite apologetic, wasn't exactly filled with pity. Looking at her then, he knew already that working for his father for the rest of his life wasn't even going to be the worst part of that future he hadn't even seen yet.

For the rest of the afternoon, Ryuichi spent his time alone in his room listening to the typhoon howl outside. He lay in bed, thinking about what Mitsuru had said to him, thinking that if he just pushed himself, he would have the resolve to do whatever it took to continue as her bodyguard. He tried to imagine what it was like to have to protect Mitsuru to the point where he had to kill someone, but the mere thought made him as ill as if his food poisoning had returned. He dreamt up the idea that he could protect her without having to take a life, that there were alternatives to help them escape from danger. He wanted to make it work. He had to make it work, or else...

The next morning, he awoke to the buzz of his alarm clock and noticed just how silent the world had become. The typhoon had passed, right around the usual time for everyone to start getting ready for school, save for the fact they had the next few days off. Ryuichi met Mitsuru at the front doors, unable to look right at her as he opened the door for her to get to the Kirijo car waiting for her just outside. She hesitated when he bowed to her, looking like she had something she wanted to say to him. Instead, she continued to the car, where the driver helped her take her seat.

Ryuichi closed the front door and sighed. How much longer did he have until that horrific future began? He was too scared to count the days.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

Thanks to a string of holidays that week, there was no school for the next few days. The typhoon had passed, allowing for the first rays of sunlight to grace that Monday morning. Those who had been trapped indoors all weekend stepped outside for the first time in days, squinting and holding their hands over their eyes to shield from the harsh light. After their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they went off to go about their day or to hang out with friends, hardly paying any attention to the damages around the city that the typhoon left behind.

Roof tiles had been stripped from buildings, and some windows were cracked or shattered from flying debris. Ripped trash bags loosed their garbage into the streets, leaving soggy papers in gutters, up trees, and plastered against cars and buildings. A traffic light lay smashed in an intersection, and a team of policemen and policewomen closed off the area while a crew worked to clean up and replace the light.

Those were only a few of the damages that Ryuichi saw during his run around the city. Wearing his gray and red Gekkoukan tracksuit, he went on a slightly more spirited run than was necessary. He vaulted over mailboxes, climbed up buildings, leaped across rooftops, rolled to cushion his landings, kicked off walls to reach high ledges, and slid over car hoods, feeling a rush of freedom and elation with each move.

When he returned to the dorm from his run, Ryuichi found Mitsuru in the lounge, sitting in the chair nearest the front doors. He stiffened when he saw her, remembering their conversation the previous day. He wasn't ready to face her just yet, and to his dismay, she turned around and spotted him.

"There you are," she said, closing her book as she stood. "I was wondering where you were."

Ryuichi froze when she addressed him. "Um, 'sup, Boss," he greeted through a clenched jaw hidden behind a forced smile. "Back already?"

He started for the kitchen, and Mitsuru followed.

"It was only a quick visit home," she replied. "Though, I did receive some interesting news when I was there."

"Yeah? What kind of news?"

He opened the refrigerator for a water bottle, offering her one. She declined, letting him take it for himself.

"I was just informed that one of my father's affiliates is planning a small gathering at his home tomorrow afternoon," she told him as he took a long sip of water.

"On a Tuesday?" He made a face. "How powerful is this guy that he can plan a party in the middle of the week on such short notice?"

"It was supposed to take place this past weekend, but due to the typhoon keeping many of his guests from attending, he decided to postpone. Thanks to the holidays, he was able to reschedule for tomorrow."

Ryuichi chugged the rest of the bottle down. "Okay, well, have fun," he murmured as he reached for another bottle.

Mitsuru didn't look all too excited about it, either. "I brought all this up because I wanted to ask you a favor," she said uneasily to him. "Now, this is a strange request, but I was wondering if you would be interested in accompanying me to the party."

Ryuichi nearly dropped his bottle. "You want me to go with you?"

"You're free to say no, of course," she assured him. "I just thought that it would be nice if I brought along a friend, since my father is unable to attend the event himself."

He leaned back against the kitchen counter, bewildered by her request.

"So, I get to go as a friend instead of a bodyguard?" he asked slowly, still trying to understand it himself.

"That's correct," she said. Her flat answer made him think that she had already forgotten about their conversation from yesterday.

Sighing, he tapped a finger against his water bottle, moving his lips left and right as he mulled over whether or not he should go. Out of the corner of his vision, he could see Mitsuru watching him carefully, but not with the usual sternness he expected. She seemed to be holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

Ryuichi looked her right in her eyes with his own hardened stare. "I have one very important question to ask you," he said in a low, grave voice.

Her lips slowly parted as curiosity etched itself onto her face. "What is it?"

He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, not once blinking. At last, he asked her: "Will there be food?"

Her expression broke. "O-Of course there will," she uttered in astonishment. "You will need to wear a suit, though."

"I'm cool with that," he replied with a grin, and the tension on Mitsuru's face faded off.

"I'm glad you're okay with the attire," she said. "Although, it might be better if you wear your uniform."

He lowered his water bottle from his lips. "What, the one I got after completing my training?"

"Yes, that one."

"Sure, but why?"

She made a face, as if it was a topic that would be most unpleasant to discuss, particularly with him. With a little more coaxing, she gave in.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how everyone will react to you," she told him sincerely with an uneasiness that he felt. "I've never brought a friend with me before to these gatherings, and as you are not among their circle, I can't help but be concerned."

Her hard stare may have been unintentional, but it made Ryuichi feel ice begin to creep into the backs of his eyes. Blinking away the frost, he took a moment to think about what she had just said.

"Okay, but what's the uniform for?" he ended up asking before taking another sip of water.

"I was hoping that, if I introduce you as both my friend and bodyguard, they would at least see that you do have some affiliation with the Kirijo Group," she explained.

He took another long sip to process her argument. "That sounds more like I should just attend as your bodyguard," he pointed out, remembering that he wouldn't be bearing that job title for much longer. "So, what, they won't like it if I'm friends with you?"

There was hurt in Mitsuru's eyes. "It's not a personal thing targeted at you, specifically, but they aren't fond of those who are outside their social circles who try to get close to me."

Ryuichi began to piece together Mitsuru's concerns. "So, I'm a threat to them because I'm just a peasant who happens to be friends with you?" he asked, lingering on each word to make sure he understood her correctly.

She silently looked away. It was her quiet confirmation that told him everything he needed to know.

"I see." He flashed her a big smile. "So, does the charcoal suit sound good for a fancy party, or should I dress to match you?"

She froze for a moment, as if he had asked her something absurd. "Aren't you concerned about what they might think of you? They aren't like your old bullies; they do things behind your back."

"Yeah, well, if they do something, I'll just have Ajax send a nice little gust to ruffle their dresses a bit. They'll be more worried about everyone seeing their bear undies than about me."

"Ryuichi, please take this seriously."

He chugged the last of his water and began to disassemble the two bottles. "It just doesn't seem right," he told her. "I get that you're trying to protect me and I appreciate that, but if they don't like that we're friends, then why should I care? That's not going to stop you from being friends with me, is it?"

He rolled his eyes. "How kindergarten did that sound just now?"

Her lip started to curl at the corners, but she fought it off with a frown. "I see your point, but..."

Her voice trailed off as her face contorted with concern. Ryuichi grew frustrated with the other guests, seeing just how bothered Mitsuru was over the matter.

"They're trying to appeal to you, right? If you think about it, if they're gonna try to do stuff behind my back to make me look bad to you, aren't they just making themselves look bad?"

There was a tiny twinkle in her eye, but it was quickly obscured by worry. "I doubt that they will see things the way you do, but there is truth to your words," she agreed, her concern lifting slightly from her face. "But, after knowing all this, are you sure you still want to attend?"

He haughtily folded his arms over his chest. "Of course I'm going!" he announced. He quickly uncrossed his arms and leaned towards Mitsuru, cupping a hand to his mouth to loudly whisper: "Although, to be honest I'm really only going for the food."

A smile cracked onto her face. "All right, we'll leave at one o'clock tomorrow."

After discussing the dress code and what colors they would wear, Mitsuru headed upstairs to her room. Ryuichi let himself deflate from his cheery demeanor, feeling oddly exhausted from their brief exchange. He had been afraid that Mitsuru wanted to talk again about whether or not he still wanted to be her bodyguard, but her unusual request left him baffled instead. It made no sense to him why Mitsuru invited him to attend one of those fancy parties with her, especially when she made it clear that it was dangerous for him to go. Somehow, it seemed important to her that he attended.

The next day, Ryuichi accompanied his charcoal, three-piece suit with a bold, blue dress shirt and a striped silver and black necktie. He polished his leather shoes and shined his belt buckle until he could see his reflection. Every hair on his head was meticulously swept back with water, where he planned to let it dry naturally so his bangs would fall playfully over his eyes. Any unwanted facial hair was shaved off, Ryuichi taking a little extra time going slowly so he wouldn't nick himself. As a final touch, he took out his old pair of glasses that he had fitted with small, rectangular, non-prescription lenses to give him that intellectual look. He checked himself in his mirror to make sure that there was nothing the other party guests could nitpick about him, not wanting to make Mitsuru look bad by association. When he was ready, he took one last glance at his fedora and left it on his desk to go wait for Mitsuru in the lounge.

Everyone else in the dorm left after breakfast to see friends or just to hang out someplace. Even Koromaru went out on his own to walk the same route he used to take with his owner before he passed away. The dorm was eerily silent, save for the occasional crow yelling outside.

The quiet amplified Ryuichi's anxieties about the party. All his concerns were loud in his mind, practically screaming at him. What if he used the wrong fork for the salad? What if he mispronounced a word and embarrassed Mitsuru? And what if they asked him about his family?

"Ryuichi, are you ready?"

Just one look at Mitsuru and Ryuichi's breath was stolen away. She wore a royal blue dress that tied up around the back of her slender neck, leaving her creamy shoulders, arms, and back exposed. The skirt ended a little past her knees, showing off her slender legs and open-toed stiletto heels. Her red hair remained in its loose waves, flowing like a light shawl about her shoulders. She held a clutch bag in one hand and a white coat in the other.

"Whoa." Ryuichi's mouth hung open as he watched her descend the stairs. He forgot to blink, completely lost in her radiant beauty.

Mitsuru cocked her head to one side when she spotted him. "Why are you wearing glasses? I thought you didn't need them anymore?"

Her question was delayed in reaching his brain, as he was still in awe at her appearance. "U-Uh, I-I-I was—I thought it, uh, might make me look smarter," he uttered, quickly slipping the glasses off. "Plus, it's kinda nice wearing them again."

He excused himself to duck back into his room to put the glasses away. When he returned, he helped Mitsuru with her coat.

"You, uh, you look really, um—" The only word his brain would give him was "good", but it wasn't enough for him. "—um, you look damn fine!"

He winced. "W-Wait, that wasn't right. Let me try again. You look, uh, beautiful. Gorgeous!"

She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her coat and began fastening it around herself. "You must be nervous about today," she said kindly. "It's all right. Just stay close to me at all times."

Mitsuru turned around and got a good look at him, smiling. "You look quite dashing," she remarked, and he flushed red with no way to cover up. "But, no hat today?"

He reached up and felt only his hair. "Yeah. I didn't want to give them the wrong impression," he murmured, and she seemed to understand.

"Thank you for going with me today," she said to him as they waited for the car. "As I said before, as long as you remain at my side, they shouldn't be able to say or do anything untoward in my presence."

Ryuichi shrugged. "The protector becomes the protected," he mused, and Mitsuru seemed to carry herself higher, as if given a duty she was determined to uphold.

The car arrived. Ryuichi helped Mitsuru to her seat before getting in on the other side. As they went on their way to the party, Ryuichi began to feel his nerves prickling at him again.

"There's a lot more of the Lost out there," Ryuichi remarked as they drove past some of them. It did little to distract him from his worries.

Most of the Lost appeared to be young men and women who loitered around buildings, in the gutter, in the streets, and all with their eyes blank and mouths agape. Ryuichi watched as a little old woman tried to shoo one away from her window while prodding him with her broom. They were impossible to ignore now, no longer just hiding in the shadows or poking out from the back alleys.

Mitsuru squinted as they passed another one. "Were they all out during the typhoon?" she wondered aloud.

"Looks like it."

He spotted one whose plaid uniform skirt was flipped up, revealing her striped panties. She swayed on the spot, her blank eyes fixed towards the sky, as if burning out her retinas was more important than her modesty. Ryuichi pitied her, wanting to help her at least cover up, but they had already driven past her.

"We will rectify this at the next full moon," Mitsuru reminded him. "I just hope they stay safe until then."

The car ride itself took about two hours, which flew by quickly with the two chatting almost the whole way. They talked about school, the canceled culture festival, business with the Student Council, their respective sports, what Ryuichi missed, what Mitsuru would have liked to do, plans for their next food outing, and what to expect at the party. Their inexhaustible topics allowed for Ryuichi to forget all about his nerves, especially when Mitsuru gave him tips on how to socialize with such people.

"So, since I'm not an affiliate's son or anything like that, are they still gonna try to cut me out of the picture somehow?" he ended up asking at some point.

Mitsuru exhaled slowly, blinking as she calculated her answer. "It's hard to say," she concluded. "For those who are of the same social standing, they tend to attack a person's reputation to make them lose face with others. As I said before, since you are a friend of mine with no affiliation whatsoever with any of them, they might try to damage your reputation in my eyes in the hopes of elevating themselves to me."

Ryuichi wanted to roll his eyes, but even that wouldn't be enough to express his exasperation.

"It's not too late for you to introduce me as you bodyguard," he said with a shrug.

She looked to him in astonishment. "I thought you wanted me to introduce you as my friend."

"Yeah, but I didn't realize that something like that would cause so much trouble for you," he explained, his guilt souring in his stomach. "I don't want to cause you any problems, so I'm sorry I didn't take that into consideration when I wanted to go as your friend."

"That's not your fault," Mitsuru told him firmly. "I initially invited you as my friend, so that was the impression I gave you."

After that, she said nothing. Her silence made him worry even more, but he was too scared to ask her anything else.

They arrived at a home that was as grand as the Kirijo mansion, but somehow felt like it was trying too hard to impress. Upon entering the vast double doors, they stepped onto a plush rug with gold trim that weaved its way throughout the mansion, leading down different halls as far as Ryuichi could see. Cream-colored tiles not covered by the rug appeared to have gold for grout, making Ryuichi oddly grateful to have the rug so as not to step on anything too valuable. Paintings hanging from the walls were almost outshined by their golden frames, some of the more prominent pieces featured between marble columns with a spotlight shining on it. All of the furniture appeared to have come from the Victorian era, with intricate carvings embellishing the dark wood. Ryuichi almost wanted to take a closer look to see if there was any gold on the couch.

A pair of maids greeted them upon entry, and one of them offered to take Mitsuru's coat for her. Two more maids led them through the mansion, following one of the many paths the rug led them. When they came out to the garden, the afternoon light felt more bearable to Ryuichi's eyes than the stinging gaudiness of the mansion's interior decorations.

Off to the left side of the garden, a string quartet played classical music that Ryuichi recognized but couldn't name. The male musicians all wore coattails, blinking through their sweat to read their sheet music in front of them. The lone female musician playing the viola wore a long, black cocktail dress with a small cape attached at the shoulder, but like the men, she also had sweat collecting on her upper lip.

The twin fountains caught Ryuichi's attention next. Both were topped with golden statues of peacocks with their tail feathers fanned out for full dramatic effect. Water burbled beneath their feet and overflowed down to the lower tiers. Ryuichi didn't want to admit it, but he thought the peacocks were pretty cool.

Off to the right side of the garden, tables were set up in front of some hedges and were covered with various foods. Ryuichi's mouth nearly overflowed with saliva when he saw the chilled fruit, finger sandwiches, salads, cheese fondue, chocolate fountain, and a chef standing at one end of the table with a grill to serve fresh grilled meat upon request.

When Ryuichi overheard someone place an order for a "barbecue skewer", he flared his nostrils in quiet fury at the guest incorrectly calling the grilled meat skewer "barbecue". He sorely wanted to go over and lecture the chef and the guest on what true barbecue was, but obediently stuck by Mitsuru's side. For the moment, he cast off his anger towards the mistaken guest to recall all the advice Mitsuru gave him about how to conduct himself.

The guests were mostly middle-aged men and women, and many of the teenagers and young adults Ryuichi guessed had to be their children. The youngest among them were two elementary-aged children who seemed to get along with each other well, the little boy helping the little girl get some of the fruits on the refreshment table that she couldn't reach herself.

The girls and women wore dresses that fit to their curves—dresses with fluffy skirts, dresses with floral patterns, shimmering fabric, and other styles that would catch anyone's eye. Each dress looked to have been custom made, with no sections appearing too big or too tight. Some of them had their hair done up and decorated with accessories that twinkled in the sunlight. As lovely as they looked, both older and younger women had a sort of laugh that felt artificial to Ryuichi, as if they only did so to gain favor with the men.

The men wore nice suits of unusual colors, like plum or peacock blue. Just like the women, their suits were obviously designer labels and tailored to perfection. Many were quite handsome with perfect, pearly teeth, hair styled like celebrities, and physiques achieved with the help of personal trainers, though Ryuichi wondered if they had the personalities to match their appearances.

When Ryuichi and Mitsuru first stepped into the garden, it was clear that all eyes went to Mitsuru first. They looked to him next, and he noticed that some of them had conniving smiles like foxes upon spotting a hare. It was the same kind of smile he saw Sakai and his buddies wear the moment they saw him alone.

The first girl approached Mitsuru with a big, welcoming smile. "Mitsuru-sama, it's so good to see you again!" she greeted her.

"Kimiko-san, how nice to see you again, too," Mitsuru said cordially as she returned her smile. "You seem to be doing well. How's your grandmother?"

Others gathered around Mitsuru, pushing Ryuichi away from her. Ryuichi did his best to stay close to Mitsuru, but the girls swarmed and kept them apart.

"May I introduce a good friend of mine," he heard Mitsuru say above the crowd as she looked to him. "This is Ryuichi Okazaki, my friend and classmate from school."

Fear plucked at his nerves when the young men and women turned to look at him again. He could almost swear that some of them had fangs.

"Good afternoon," he said with a bow. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Wait, _the_ Ryuichi Okazaki?" one of the younger guys gasped. "As in the Okazaki ranked number one in the region in kendo?"

The handsome young man who spoke came up and shook his hand vigorously. "I'm Kazuhiko Tsuda. I've only seen you fight in competition a few times, but they say that you look as though you've been in a real battle before. You're almost untouchable!" he said with emphatic praise. "Is it true that at last year's competition, you fought on a sprained ankle and still won?"

There were a few girls who took interest in Ryuichi, joining in the kendo discussion. He felt like a fraud, the way they elevated him to such a high degree when he had to step down as captain just a few months prior.

"So, Okazaki-san," one of the girls said in a haughty tone over the others. "How did you come to befriend Mitsuru-sama?"

"Well—" He caught sight of Mitsuru's curious expression over what he was about to say. "—funny story, actually. Every time we were assigned new seats in school, I was always placed right behind her. It was almost inevitable that we became friends."

Mitsuru's face relaxed in approval of his answer. "I think it's time we go and greet our esteemed host," she said, more to everyone than to Ryuichi. "If you would excuse us."

It took a few promises to return and chat later for them to break free from the cluster. Each time they went looking for the host, they were met with more affiliates and their wives and more of the youths, all stopping Mitsuru to have a brief chat and inquire about her father and her companion of the day. Ryuichi began to understand why she often went hungry during such events.

"Oh, my! Is he your boyfriend?" one of the mothers gushed. "He's very handsome!"

"Oh, no, no," Ryuichi said with a bashful grin. He could almost swear he felt her lips kissing his ass just then. "We're just good friends."

The more people they encountered, the more they asked about their relationship, as if it was their one defining reason for existence. Each person they met, Ryuichi could detect the intrigue he piqued in them, but also the disdain that he was an intruder as a commoner among Japan's elite. Their delightful voices carried the weight of fake welcome as they spoke, but he just smiled through it all and remained cordial, drawing strength from his friend the entire time.

Mitsuru wasn't the cold, stoic person she appeared to be in school, nor did she carry the artificial facade that the other guests wore. Ryuichi couldn't believe the range of expressions in Mitsuru's face and in the inflection of her voice that she used while conversing with everyone. Everything she said and did appeared sincere, where she sounded genuinely interested in what the others had to say, no matter how dull the topic was.

She recalled intimate details about every person she spoke with, asking about one's health, or how a relative was doing after a minor sports accident, or some other event that Ryuichi didn't quite catch. The guests always seemed impressed that she remembered such minor information about them, but were pleased that she cared enough to ask. She was always serene, kind, and showed the right emotion for whichever situation she came across.

As fed up as Ryuichi was over the idle conversations, he was enamored with the way that Mitsuru forged ahead, never overdoing her emotions, never sounding forced, and always remaining cordial to everyone, including the girls who didn't even try to hide their derision towards other guests. Secretly, Ryuichi studied how Mitsuru dealt with each person, just in case he would have to do the same later.

Most of the time, once they got Ryuichi's brief introduction out of the way, the guests would focus on Mitsuru and appeared to have forgotten that he was even there. They were absorbed in asking Mitsuru about how she was, if her father was doing well, expressed their mild disappointment that he couldn't attend and whatnot, and somehow, Mitsuru always had some new variation of a single answer every time someone asked the same questions over and over again.

When they were caught in another conversation near the refreshment table, Ryuichi waited until the others were fixed on Mitsuru before slowly backing towards the platter of fruit. He palmed some grapes while nodding along with the conversation, and when the others were distracted, he popped a morsel into his mouth. Mitsuru caught him eating but said nothing, and he was certain he saw a hint of envy in her eye.

After meeting with most of the guests, they came upon a man in his thirties wearing a bleach-white suit. He had a smug sneer on his face and smiling eyes so thin he appeared to be laughing at his guests. His fingers were encircled by fat rings, all encrusted with precious jewels.

"Ah! Mitsuru-san!" The man's face lit up as he waded through the crowds to greet her. "How good of you to come!"

Mitsuru bowed, and Ryuichi did the same. "Miyashiro-san, you appear to be in good health," she said. "May I present to you my good friend and classmate, Ryuichi Okazaki."

She straightened up and gestured to the man. "Ryuichi, this is one of my father's affiliates, Yusei Miyashiro, and the host of this delightful gathering."

"A pleasure to meet you," Ryuichi said to Miyashiro even though he felt a griminess to the man's personality.

"My father couldn't make it today, so I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend along," Mitsuru told their esteemed host.

"Not at all! I know you're father is a very busy man," he said quickly. "Have you had anything to eat yet? Come, come! Help yourself to some refreshments!"

He ushered them to the table, almost as if his will pushed them to it while he continued his conversation with Mitsuru. He liked to hover over her, call to her attention the moment she looked away from him to fill a small plate with a few hors d'oeuvres, and hardly gave her a chance to speak at all, even when he asked her a question. It was like he was having a conversation with himself, and Mitsuru was just there to provide the illusion that he was talking with another person.

Unlike Mitsuru, Ryuichi had no problems filling his plate and eating everything he touched. He even helped himself to some of the grilled meats the chef offered him. When another guest called attention to Miyashiro, Ryuichi quickly placed one of his meat skewers onto Mitsuru's plate and winked at her. She was about to raise the sumptuous skewer to take her first bite when Miyashiro turned back to her and continued his one-sided conversation from where he last left off.

Mitsuru peered longingly down at the meaty morsel Ryuichi had gifted to her. He couldn't see why she didn't just eat, since she didn't even have to respond to Miyashiro at all. He knew that she was just showing respect for their host, where she kept her mouth free of food instead of speaking with a full one, just in case he eventually did let her talk. Through her serene facade, it was clear to Ryuichi that Mitsuru desperately wanted the guy to just leave her be, if only for a few moments.

"Miyashiro-sama, did you personally choose the music selection for today?" Ryuichi piped up when he noticed a violinist was performing a solo. "It's very good. I could sit and listen all day."

"Oh, thank you, Ogawara-kun," Miyashiro said curtly before turning back to Mitsuru.

Ryuichi wasn't sure how he felt about the new name the host gave him, but it was clear that he had irritated the man by interrupting his conversation with Mitsuru. It became obvious to him that his cordial greeting before was merely a chore he had to get out of the way first before he could latch onto Mitsuru for the rest of the afternoon.

But Ryuichi was determined to give Mitsuru a break. "So, Miyashiro-sama, the composer for this piece—he wasn't appreciated like the others despite his mastery of the violin."

The older man's face froze in a surly expression. "You seem to have a discerning ear, Otsuka-kun, but of course, he was truly a master of his art," Miyashiro said through a clenched jaw and forced smile. "He's not someone you would introduce in a grade school student's music lesson."

He quickly turned back to Mitsuru, who finally took her first bite of food. "So, you live in a dormitory, correct? During my days at university, I—"

Ryuichi felt bad that he couldn't distract him long enough for Mitsuru to enjoy her food, but it was the best he could do. Instead, while Miyashiro kept talking, Ryuichi pointed to various dishes for Mitsuru to pick whichever she liked, and he would place a few morsels onto her plate. Her eyes lit up when he coated a strawberry in chocolate from the chocolate fountain and gave it to her. Every now and then, someone would call to their host's attention, and Mitsuru would seize the opportunity to feast one bite at a time.

Before long, Ryuichi was swept up by some of the young men and a few girls who asked him who his master was in kendo, how long he had been training, and if they could have a chance to spar with him someday. Ryuichi sensed that they were genuinely curious, but regrettably told them that he wasn't in top condition anymore due to him having to quit kendo earlier that year.

"That's right!" someone exclaimed. "There were many teams who were upset that you didn't show at the last competition."

"They say that the lack of their champion was the reason why Gekkoukan High only placed second this year," another person said.

"Is it because of your injury last year?"

"From the car accident?"

"I heard you quit. Why?"

Ryuichi felt that he had been caught. "Well, it's because I had to help with my family's restaurant," he told them all truthfully. He got a few "Awws" out of some of the girls, making him question if they really were the malicious fiends he had been warned about.

"What kind of restaurant does your family run?" one of the girls asked.

"American. We mainly focus on burgers and barbecue," he said, trying to pass it off like it was nothing. "My father was part of an exchange program in college and got to spend a semester in the United States. He was inspired by the food there, so he opened his own restaurant here to share the flavors he tasted when he was there."

"What's the name of the restaurant?"

"Toshio's."

He suddenly remembered all the negative views. A drop of sweat traced itself down from his temple to his jaw as the others asked one another if they had ever been to or heard of the restaurant. His father's name echoed all around him as everyone confirmed that they hadn't been to the place, but had only heard of it when it was featured on TV or read about it in newspapers or magazines. So far, no one mentioned the bad reviews.

"I thought you quit kendo because your sister had a baby she needed help raising," one of the young men said to Ryuichi with a flippant smile.

"Where did you hear that?" one of the girls asked.

"At the kendo competition. The Gekkoukan team members were telling everyone that he had to quit to help his sister and the restaurant," the arrogant young man said loud enough for everyone to hear. With a smirk, he turned back to Ryuichi. "So, which is it, Okazaki-san?"

"Both, actually," Ryuichi answered, feeling oddly confident. "I help with the restaurant more, though."

"So, why doesn't the father help your sister?" another person shot.

He paused, trying to figure a way to say it without revealing too much about his sister's circumstances.

"He's still in college," Ryuichi said, figuring it might still be technically true.

He could see the distrust on their faces. They most likely figured out the truth and were either too polite to say anything or were planning to tear out his throat. Ryuichi instantly regretted not saying that he had to quit because of his arm and wished he had coached his kendo teammates to not say anything about Megumi or his sister, but it was far too late for that.

All their judgmental stares and smiles made him feel small, even though he was taller than most of them. Panic started to build up in his chest, but before anyone could ask him another question, Mitsuru called Ryuichi over to meet some more guests, rescuing him from a fate he hoped to never know.

From then on, Mitsuru kept him close. If he was ever swept away by the others, she would pursue him, even when she had other guests hounding her. It was strange for Ryuichi to be protected when he was so used to being the protector, but he knew that he was powerless against everyone at the party. It was a battle that Mitsuru was more suited for, one that she had years of experience for to be able to navigate the social battlefield. Even when she was caught between guarding Ryuichi, speaking with guests, and Miyashiro fluttering about her, she never let Ryuichi out of her sight, not even for a second.

As long as she was nearby, the others didn't try anything, failing many times to isolate Ryuichi. She kept such a vigilant watch over him that he couldn't believe she was still able to remain cordial with a placid smile on her face, maintaining command over every conversation she was dragged into.

At long last, the party was over. The Kirijo car came around to collect both Mitsuru and Ryuichi, who kept smiling and thanking the host until they were safe in the car. Ryuichi's cheeks ached, and when he finally tried to stop smiling, his face wouldn't relax.

"I think you earned about a month of my salary after today," Ryuichi gasped after shutting the car door.

Mitsuru sat back and let out a long, weary, well-deserved sigh. After so many hours of smiling and being social, she finally looked to be at ease.

"Tell me, Ryuichi: Am I this difficult to protect whenever we enter Tartarus?"

The car pulled out of the driveway, carrying them away from the mansion.

"Actually, I think Shadows might be easier to handle," he replied truthfully. "If I'd known how much trouble it was gonna be for you today, I—"

"I'm glad you came with me today," she said with an appreciative smile. "And it was thanks to you that I was able to sample some of the refreshments."

He tried to command his face not to blush, but there was no stopping it. "It's not really that hard to stick food on a plate," he murmured, but he drew some satisfaction from being able to help her to not starve at a party for once.

"You did very well today," she told him. "To be honest, I seriously considered introducing you as my bodyguard instead, right up until the moment we first arrived at the party."

Her confession surprised him. "Yeah? What made you change your mind?"

"In a way, you did."

"Me?"

Some slight tension returned to her face as she stared forward. "I thought about what you said before, about them having a problem with me associating with you," she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "It's true what you said, and while I did introduce you as my friend, I began to lean towards the idea that I probably should have introduced you as my bodyguard instead, for your sake."

Ryuichi slumped in his seat. "But, I really don't care what they think of me, as long as it doesn't bring you down."

"But _I_ care," she said, holding herself tighter. "I care because you are my friend.

"I didn't expect them to become so hostile towards you," she continued, becoming morose. "It was naive of me to think that keeping you close by would be enough to deter their ill behavior."

Her solemn expression struck Ryuichi. "Hey, I still had a lot of fun today," he told her with a gentle smile. "And thanks to you, they didn't get to go for the jugular when they had me surrounded."

He surprised himself by chuckling. "So, how mad are they that you befriended a commoner like me?"

The humor returned to Mitsuru's face as she loosened her arms around herself. "Furious, and I think you may have caused a panic in them."

"Ah, so your Marin Karin is more effective on humans than it is on Shadows?"

She flushed pink. "I-I thought I could incapacitate the Shadows if I just—"

"By casting it three times in a row?" he teased.

Mitsuru leaned in like she was about to retort, but settled back in her seat. "We learn from our mistakes," was all she could say about that, somehow maintaining her dignified demeanor.

"Sometimes that's the only way we learn, right?" he agreed, and Mitsuru relaxed once more.

"I'm really glad that you came with me today," Mitsuru said to him again. "That may have been the first time in a long time that I enjoyed myself at one of these social gatherings."

"Thanks for inviting me," he replied, beaming. "And you know, some of the guests didn't seem all that bad."

They chatted more about the party, where Mitsuru wanted to know what the others said to him during the moments they were separated. She wanted to know who they were, but while Ryuichi didn't know any names, he described their appearances and tried to balance the nasty people with the few nice ones.

When they talked about the food, Ryuichi went on a little rant about the actual definition of barbecue, getting Mitsuru to laugh when he became a little too passionate about his meats.

"It's grilled meat!" he hollered. "It's meat cooked at a high temperature over direct heat! That's called _grilling_ meat! Barbecue is cooked in low heat and smoked for hours!"

"You truly are your father's son," Mitsuru remarked, her smiling becoming so bright with amusement it was almost blinding.

His expression soured. "In this case, I'll take that as a compliment," he muttered, unhappy with the comparison. For now, he let her get even for his Marin Karin remark earlier.

When they arrived at the dorm, Kikuno was already there with Mitsuru's dinner. Ryuichi started for his room to change out of his suit when the maid invited him to join Mitsuru.

"I prepared a meal for you, too," Kikuno told him, smiling. "Thank you for accompanying Mitsuru Ojou-sama today."

Ryuichi wasn't sure what to think. "Thanks, but, I'm sure Mitsuru must be tired of seeing my face all the time now," he said half-jokingly.

"Not at all," Mitsuru replied, and gestured to the spot at the table across from her. "Have a seat. We still need to discuss what to do if they isolate you again next time."

"'Next time'?"

He took that as a good sign. Mitsuru might not want him to continue as her bodyguard, but it looked to him like she still wanted him as a friend, at least. She was giving him the opportunity to live a life without battle, where there would be no need for him to put his life in danger or end another's life for the sake of survival. It didn't seem like such a bad life, now that he thought about it, noticing only then that he was already somewhat used to having his life constantly in danger even before joining SEES, thanks to his old bullies.

That night, after the exquisite dinner that Kikuno brought for them, Ryuichi realized that he was thinking about Mitsuru more often than usual. Each time he tried to focus on something else, she would pop into his mind, where he would recall something amusing they had talked about, or some random fact she had mentioned with the significance lost to his memories.

"That's what happens when we spend a lot of time together," he sighed, but welcomed the next time his thoughts drifted back to her.


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

School resumed the following Thursday, and the students were in an uproar when they were informed that the culture festival wouldn't be rescheduled. Mitsuru tried to negotiate with the teachers on behalf of the students, but ultimately, they determined that postponement would be impossible due to the upcoming exams. The only consolation for the students was having their afternoon classes cancelled for the day so they could clean up the culture festival displays.

It was a sorry sight to see everyone's hard work get taken down without getting the appreciation it deserved. The seniors took it the hardest, as they were unable to enjoy their last high school culture festival. Mitsuru apologized to the student body for not being able to sway the teachers' decision, but no one blamed her for the cancellation, nor for the typhoon.

Ryuichi was sent to the auditorium to help tear down sets for the plays that the Drama Club and Akihiko's class were supposed to perform. The students were instructed to preserve as much of the wood and nails as possible, so that they can be reused for future plays. While everyone worked carefully, Ryuichi spotted Akihiko looking ready to put his fist through the tower he was supposed to climb as Romeo, but thankfully, he was stopped before he could do any damage.

After school, Ryuichi arrived at his dad's restaurant just as his sister was getting ready to head home. She grunted a greeting to him without waiting for him to reply, and he knew right away that something had gone on between her and their parents once again.

He found his father at the grill with his jaw clenched so tight that his silence alarmed Ryuichi. Everyone else worked around him, squeezing up against the opposite counter to get as far away from their boss as possible while they assembled orders.

"Hey, Dad," he said gingerly as he put on an apron. "Everything okay?"

The other workers braced themselves. His father flipped a burger and slammed the weight on top of it, sending juices spurting out and sizzling on the flat top.

"Your sister told us that she doesn't want to finish her degree anymore," he growled. "After all those years of us saving up, and all that talk that she wanted to get her degree in business and be something, you'd think she would go back, but no! It's just one damn semester she has to complete and she doesn't want to do it? Why? You know what she said? She said she already knows the basics and wants to learn how to manage the restaurant! She can barely put together an order and she wants to run the place? Ha!"

Toshio slapped a fresh patty onto the grill and smashed a weight down on top of it. "I tell you, Ryuichi, that sister of yours doesn't have any patience to do anything worth doing. She was so quick to learn how to do everything here that she got impatient and made plenty of mistakes! And during the typhoon, she just kept insisting that we cook something instant. We had all the time in the world to cook and she just wanted things done fast instead of putting in the time and effort into making something good! How can I trust her with something that took me years to perfect if she just wants to do something fast and easy?"

"What if Mom taught her the business aspect of the restaurant?" Ryuichi asked him. "If she's more interested in crunching numbers, wouldn't she be better suited to that than the kitchen? You said so yourself that she's not that great a cook, so you might as well put her where she works best."

"The restaurant isn't just about numbers, son," he said darkly. "And it doesn't matter where we put your sister because she's terrible at everything."

He clapped both hands down on Ryuichi's shoulders. "It's a good thing that you're taking over the restaurant instead of your sister!" his father guffawed, his laughter more like a ragged bark. "But not for at least a hundred years!"

Ryuichi cringed beneath the weight of his father's words, getting crushed by his expectations that he couldn't bring himself to shoot down. He wanted to speak up and say that he didn't want to take over the restaurant, but the thought of angering his father made him keep quiet. All he could do was let his father keep his boisterous mood while he complained some more about Shizue.

When he arrived at home late that night, Ryuichi went straight to his bathtub to fill with hot water. It was his reward for getting through the evening at work, where he quickly unbuttoned his vest and was about to fling it into a corner when his cell phone rang. He didn't even need to see the name on the little screen to know who it was, and granted himself a miserable sigh before answering.

"Mom and Dad don't know how to appreciate the little things, you know that?" Shizue said straight away.

Ryuichi sank onto the rug with his back against his bed. He sat with his elbows on his knees, daydreaming about his hot bath and warm bed while his sister shared her gripes that she had been holding in all evening.

"You try to do something nice for them, but they just think you're taking the easy way out," Shizue spat over the phone while Megumi cried in the background. "I just wanted to give them a break by suggesting that I cook some instant ramen and dress it up a little, but Dad got all high and mighty and complained that I was too lazy to try to cook anything else. Well _excuuuse_ me for not really knowing how to cook! Not all of us are amazing chefs like Dad, so they could at least appreciate that I was trying to do something to help them out!"

She kept him listening until the Dark Hour hit. Ryuichi took the time to shower and soak in the tub by candlelight, and when the Dark Hour ended, he was still in the tub while his sister continued her rant.

The next day, Ryuichi braced himself for more of his sister's complaints when he went to help her watch over Megumi. While he tried to play with his niece, Shizue repeated all the stories she had told him over the phone the previous night at half the rage. Her tales started all the way back to the start of the typhoon and spanned the entire week, giving her plenty to say and not enough breath to say it all.

"—And can you believe it? Dad doesn't think I have what it takes to run the restaurant!" Shizue exclaimed just as her brother was setting Megumi down in her crib for bed. Megumi awoke screaming from her mother's outburst, and yet it did nothing to dissuade Shizue from continuing her rant. All Ryuichi could do was throw his head back and groan.

"It's just, all he thinks is that the restaurant runs on food, but doesn't he know about all the stuff Mom takes care of on the business end?" Shizue asked exasperatedly as she took Megumi from Ryuichi. "He seriously thinks that all there is to run a successful restaurant is to make good food, so I doubt he even knows what Mom does for the place!"

Ryuichi yawned and stretched. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd defend Mom."

"Yeah, yeah, but see, Mom's actually trying to teach me something." Shizue lowered her voice beneath her daughter's screams. "She's swamped with the business side of things, so at least I can help her out a little bit until Dad drags me back to the kitchen."

Ryuichi had to think for a moment to make sure that he heard his sister right. If what she said was true, then maybe she really was trying to help the restaurant. Ryuichi started to ask Shizue about what their father had said about her not wanting to go back to college to finish out her last semester, but when Megumi let out a shrill cry, she left the room to walk her daughter up and down the hallway to try to calm her down. Yawning, he silently thanked his sister for sticking around to help out.

Later that same night, Ryuichi went with the SEES team to go to Tartarus. They explored the Tziah Block, where the floors were gilded in gold and had some red carpets with gold trim running through some of the rooms. Ryuichi mentally thanked Minato for choosing Koromaru, Yukari, and Shinjiro to explore, which allowed him to stay in the lobby with the others to fend off sleepiness and fatigue.

"We really couldn't just make it this weekend?" Junpei asked Mitsuru of the culture festival.

Mitsuru flashed him an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, Iori, but with exams coming up, there won't be enough time for everyone to study."

"I'm kinda relieved," Akihiko chimed in. "They tried to squeeze me into a pair of tights for our play."

"You were supposed to be Romeo, right? Did you even rehearse your lines?" Ryuichi asked, squinting hard at him.

"No way. I told them I had an event for my team, but they wouldn't listen."

Mitsuru looked at him in amazement. "What would you have done if the culture festival wasn't cancelled?"

He made a face. "Not go, of course!" he snarled. "I told them I couldn't do it, so it's their fault if the play fell apart!"

Junpei took off his cap to smooth his hand over his buzzed hair. "Speaking off falling apart, when we had to take down the displays for the photography club, Aigis tore down a display with her bare hands. She almost exposed herself as a robot! It took a lot of fast talking to get our team to believe that the display was already poorly made, but that thing was solid as a rock!"

"I was told to take the display down efficiently," Aigis explained, making Junpei shake his head.

Ryuichi looked around the lobby, feeling like someone was missing. He turned around and saw Ken standing off to the side, still and silent with one hand on his spear. He was like a little old man leaning against his staff, deep in his own little world.

Junpei let out a sigh. "Man, I wish I could've brought my Chidorita to the culture festival," he lamented. "I would've taken her to your class, Mitsuru-senpai."

"Mine? Why?"

"Well, everyone heard about the noir theme and that Ryuichi-senpai was performing, so I thought she might like it."

Mitsuru looked like she was about to remind Junpei that Chidori was still considered a threat to them. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, the exploration team returned, beaten and bloodied. Shinjiro wasn't among them.

"Where's Shinji?" Akihiko hurried to Minato.

"Death attacked, so we had to run for it," he panted. He didn't look shaken up at all, despite the ragged tears and spots of blood on his uniform. "He took a hit for Yukari, so he's still in there."

"You rest for now, Leader," Mitsuru said to him. "Ryuichi, Akihiko, Amada—get ready. We're going to get him out of there."

Ryuichi took a final glance at Ken's solemn expression before turning to follow the others to the warp. They teleported up to the floors with green walls right before the golden Tziah Block, where they raced past Shadows that were too slow to catch them.

"Hm. That's strange," they heard Fuuka say.

"What is it, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked her.

"I sense another person a few floors above you."

Akihiko grunted. "Is it Shinji?"

"No. It's someone else. Please proceed carefully."

Ryuichi checked on Ken. He followed them obediently with his spear over his shoulder, but his eyes were blank and he appeared to be oblivious as to where he was. His mind was far off somewhere, but somehow, he managed to keep up with everyone else.

They found the stairs. Soon, they reached the glaring, gilded hallways where stronger Shadows lurked at every turn.

"All right, Yamagishi. Do you sense anyone here?" Mitsuru asked.

"Not yet. I do sense someone two floors above you, but it's not Shinjiro-senpai."

She steered them to the next set of stairs. As they crept along the hallway, five goopy Mayas came right at them, climbing over one another to get to the foursome.

"They're weak to electricity and wind," Fuuka announced.

Akihiko put his Evoker to his head. "All right!"

Together with Ryuichi, they sent a maelstrom onto the five that swept them up off the ground, stabbing them with lightning bolts and shredding their tar-like bodies with wind. They fell with a wet _plop_ but did not move.

"I've been waiting for this!" Akihiko said with a smirk, and on Mitsuru's order the four charged forward. Seconds later, the Shadows were nothing but smoke.

"That was kinda easy," Ryuichi said with a satisfied stretch. "Good work, everybody."

Akihiko turned to Ken. "Hey, you doing all right? I didn't see you attack with us."

"I attacked!" Ken protested.

"No, I meant when Ryuichi and I used spells. You kinda just stood there. You okay?"

The boy looked away. "Y-Yeah. I just thought I saw something before the fight; that's all," he muttered.

"We have no time to waste," Mitsuru said to them all. "Amada, if you see something again, let us know right away."

He dutifully nodded and followed them up to the next floor. They encountered more Shadows there, and this time, Ken was focused during their battles. Ice exploded on impact, blades flashed and bit into their enemies, lightning sizzled in the air, and strong gusts pushed enemies back. Ryuichi and Mitsuru fought back-to-back with their swords raised, their Personas engaged in battles nearby. They struck together, never giving the Shadows a chance to fight back. Mitsuru delivered the final blow with a swift kick to a Shadow, driving her heel into its gut.

"The stairs are on your left!" Fuuka told them.

"Amada! Akihiko! Regroup!" ordered Mitsuru, and Ryuichi went with her into the room with the stairs to wait for the others.

When the rest of their team reached them, they headed upstairs to the next floor. Ryuichi blinked as he stepped through the threshold, but in that single blink, he was on the new floor all alone.

"Mitsuru?" he called out. "Akihiko? Ken-kun?"

"You've been separated!" Fuuka cried. "Hurry and regroup!"

"Mitsuru! Where are you?" he shouted again, bolting off.

Something snuck under his elbow and sliced his side. Ryuichi ducked into a room, feeling a cut along his blazer and warm blood when he felt for the wound. A little blue mage floated behind him, surrounded by several pieces of paper that formed a protective cube around it. It bobbed merrily in the air, as if laughing that it wounded him.

"I don't have time for you!" Ryuichi snarled, and tore its paper barrier apart with wind.

The Shadow retorted. In another blink, Ryuichi was encased in a thick block of ice with his Evoker still pointed under his jaw. He couldn't move or breath, fighting to squeeze the trigger as he watched the mage come up close to lock eyes with him. The ice shattered, and Ryuichi sucked air into his lungs as he shivered from his icy prison.

"Ken! Over here!" he heard Akihiko yell from somewhere far away.

"At least they're okay," Ryuichi grunted, turning his focus to the Shadow. "But like I said, I don't have time for you."

He dodged another Bufydyne spell. Fuuka shouted something as Ajax lunged forward at the mage. As he smashed it into the wall, Ryuichi turned and ran, calling for Mitsuru when—

"Oh, no! Mitsuru-senpai!"

"Where is she, Fuuka?" Ryuichi hollered, tearing down the hall.

"Go right! She's just up ahead!"

Somewhere else, Ken let out a pained cry. He kept running, hoping that Akihiko was close to Ken when he spotted Mitsuru clutching at a cut on her arm. Her sleeve was torn and bloodied as she glared up at two Killer Drives, the Shadows with spiked clubs for arms, legs that made wheels, and the muscular upper bodies of hulking men.

Ryuichi blasted them with Magarula before charging in. They batted their clubs, swinging, twisting as he slid past their wheels across the floor to reach Mitsuru.

"Come on!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist. He sent Ajax to distract the Shadows while they made their escape when a dull pain in his arms and chest made him stagger.

"What happened?"

He turned to see Ajax on the ground. Ryuichi was certain he attacked first, but—

"They repel strike attacks," Fuuka informed them. "They're weak to light!"

"We need Ken-kun," Ryuichi noted, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Mitsuru pressed her Evoker to her temple. "We can't dwell on what we don't have right now," she said, and fired off a round. Penthesilea appeared, sealing one Shadow in a massive block of ice. The other bore down on them, Ryuichi dragging Mitsuru away again, pushing her in front of him when something heavy thumped him on his back. His body pitched forward, almost falling onto Mitsuru as she ran ahead. He fell hard on all fours, and as he struggled to his feet, Mitsuru dashed back to help him up. She let out a gasp that made him look up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Her pupils shrank. Her breathing quickened as intense fear made her look back at the Shadows over Ryuichi's shoulder. He quickly dug into his pocket for a Patra Gem as he reached for her.

"You're gonna be okay!" he shouted into her terrified face. "I've got you!"

"N-No!" She shoved him away and bolted, knocking the gem out of his hand.

"Wait! Don't!"

She ran right towards the two Shadows they had just fled from. Ryuichi watched helplessly as one slammed her into the wall. She collapsed to the floor, her Evoker falling out of her hand. She didn't get up.

"No! Mitsuru-senpai!"

Ryuichi ignore Fuuka's cry as he fired off several rounds, sending the Shadows tumbling further down the hall with wind as he hurried to Mitsuru's side. While the two Shadows tried to untangle themselves from each other, Ryuichi held Mitsuru's unconscious form to his chest. He pushed a Revival Bead through her lips and fired more shots from his Evoker. Ajax hurled both Shadows further down the hall.

"C'mon, Mitsuru," he urged her. "Wake up!"

He tensed up when Ajax took some hits. A sharp pain stabbed his chest. Another under his shoulder blade. He summoned Ajax again just as Mitsuru's eyes fluttered open.

"Can you stand?" he asked, wincing as he helped her up. She clutched his arm to steady herself, and when she pushed her bangs aside, he noticed she had a small cut near her brow.

"Where are the others?" she murmured groggily.

Ryuichi cast Diarama on her. She straightened up almost immediately. "They're together, somewhere," he replied. "Are you all right? Nothing broken, or—?"

"How disgraceful," she muttered to herself as she bent to snatch her Evoker off the ground.

A second later, the two Shadows lumbering towards them were bombarded by Bufudyne. Once the frosty mist cleared, so did the black smoke that was once the Shadows.

The two hurried down the halls in search of their friends. As they ran, Ryuichi studied Mitsuru, checking if she was limping, if she struggled to breathe, or if she held anything that might hurt. The cut beneath her torn and bloodied sleeve appeared to be the worst of her injuries, and her wave of fear appeared to have gone when she was knocked unconscious. When they turned a corner, a painful twinge in Ryuichi's side made him press a hand to his forgotten wound.

They caught up with the others and hurried up the stairs. There, Fuuka directed them to the mystery person on the floor while Ryuichi reenergized everyone with Mediarama. When they encountered two more Shadows, all four of them struck with magic, not giving them a chance to counter. Lightning, wind, and ice thrashed and thundered, and when the mist cleared, there was nothing in their way.

"It's one of the Lost!" Ken announced when he found the mysterious person Fuuka notified them about.

In the corner of a room stood a shabby-looking Lost with his sunken eyes, hollowed face, and gaping mouth. He uttered a low moan as they approached.

"How did he get up here?" Akihiko asked in amazement.

"He must have wandered in somehow," Mitsuru reasoned. "Yamagishi, is there an exit nearby?"

"Not on this floor, but the next one does. Take him there and send him down to us. We'll be waiting."

Ryuichi put his hand on the Lost's back and gave him a gentle push. He took a step forward. "Hey! He can walk!"

"Good. That makes things a little easier on us," Mitsuru said to him. "Amada, guide him to the stairs and keep your Evoker ready. If you see any Killer Drives, use Hama on them."

He nodded. "Right!"

Akihiko watched the Lost with intrigue. "Hey, how many more floors until we get to Shinji?"

"I think I sense him on the next floor," Fuuka replied. "The stairs are going to be on your left this time."

Ken pushed the Lost forward once more. The others kept their Evokers out, creeping through so as not to attract any attention from the Shadows. When they reached the stairs, their charge tripped on the first step. They helped him back on his feet and tried again, but each time, he tripped on his way up.

"Pick him up and walk him through," Mitsuru instructed. Akihiko threw him over his shoulder, and the five proceeded upstairs.

"Be careful, everyone. I don't sense any Shadows on that floor."

"That means Death is close by," Mitsuru reminded them all. "Let's move quickly."

Akihiko still had the Lost over his shoulder as they briskly made their way through the floor. They followed Fuuka's directions and found an unconscious Shinjiro lying on the ground, bleeding from his mouth. Ryuichi knelt down by him and pushed a Revival Bead through his lips. A second later, he sat upright, spitting.

"No time to gripe," Mitsuru said, cutting him off as he swore from the bitter taste. "Death is still in the area and we have to move. Now."

"Yeah, yeah." He ignored the hand Ryuichi offered him. "Hey, what happened there?"

He pointed to the growing bloodstain on Ryuichi's side. "Just a paper cut," he muttered, covering it with his blazer. "It looks worse than it really is."

Mitsuru grabbed his blazer and pulled it open. "Why didn't you say anything before?" she demanded.

He patted his blazer down, wincing when his hand hit the wound. "We need to get out of here now," he snarled through the pain.

"You're right," she hesitated to say. "We'll discuss this later."

Fuuka led them to the warp point, and the team escaped without further incident. Astonishingly, Minato was still raring to go another round in Tartarus, this time choosing Junpei, Aigis, and Ken to accompany him. The new team took a few moments to check their equipment, and as usual, their leader headed to the left wall and stood completely still. It was a normal occurrence that everyone accepted, a sort of ritual he did before battle. While most of the SEES members watched and waited for their leader to finish, Yukari sat on the stairs, nodding off as she stroked Koromaru's head resting in her lap.

Mitsuru started to lift Ryuichi jacket again. "Let me see it," she ordered, but he pulled away.

"It's fine," he told her again. "Show me yours first."

She clutched at the cut on her arm. "It's nothing," she said to him. "You might've lost a lot of blood, so we have to take care of you first."

"I've got two shirts, a vest, and a jacket that's staunching the bleeding, so I'm fine."

"Stop arguing with me and let's treat it before it gets worse!"

She reached for his blazer again, trying to peel it off of his shoulders. Ryuichi wrenched his body left and right to keep her off of him, making his injury twinge again with pain.

Junpei made a noise. "Whoa! Get a room, you two!"

Yukari jolted awake, startling the sleeping Koromaru. "M-Mitsuru-senpai? What are you doing?"

Mitsuru stopped grabbing for Ryuichi's jacket. "Why are you being so stubborn?" she snapped. "We have to treat your wound!"

"You know why!" he blurted out.

"That's not a good enough reason!"

Ryuichi started to argue back when he saw everyone staring at them. He calmed down and locked eyes with Mitsuru, then glanced to the others, then back at her.

"I don't care what they think right now," she hissed. "I'm concerned about your wound."

Akihiko knocked on Ryuichi's shoulder. "Better do it before she executes you," he advised in a low voice.

Ryuichi hated to admit it, but it wasn't worth an execution. "Fine," he said, and went over to the back of the stairs, away from everyone's view.

He felt for his little first aid kit and stood with his back to everyone, not feeling the least bit secure with the lack of privacy. He unbuttoned his vest and nearly gasped when he saw the large bloodstain on his two shirts. Without removing his clothes, he lifted both of his shirts to see a thin cut on his side. The bleeding looked like it had already stopped several times, but all the running and fighting kept reopening the shallow wound.

He heard Mitsuru's heels click closer to him. "It's not a deep cut, so it'll heal just fine," he told her over his shoulder, and her footsteps stopped right by the stairs.

He sprayed on disinfectant that stung on contact and covered it with a self-adhering patch of gauze. "Okay," he said, dressing up again. "Let's see about that arm."

The other team had already gone to explore the higher floors of Tartarus by the time Ryuichi finished patching himself up. Yukari now sat wide awake, gently petting Koromaru's head as she watched the two seniors take a seat on the stairs a few steps below her.

"I'm sorry I raised my voice at you," Mitsuru said softly, rolling up her sleeve for him. "I was concerned that your injury was worse than you made it seem."

"I'm sorry, too," he sighed, helping her with her sleeve. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if I wasn't so slow."

Yukari beamed at them both. "Aww, look at you two," she gushed. The pair shot her looks that made her shut up.

Ryuichi spotted the cut on Mitsuru's brow. "Here," he said, and took out a clean tissue he sprayed with disinfectant to clean it.

She winced. "I wasn't even aware of that one," she muttered.

"It's a really small cut. It won't scar, so you're lucky there."

When he finished treating Mitsuru's injuries, Ryuichi turned away to pack up his first aid kit. As he yawned, he heard Yukari scoot down to whisper something to Mitsuru, to which she replied in a mildly disgruntled voice. He didn't catch what they were talking about, but he didn't care to ask for the moment. All he wanted to do was return home and get some sleep.

When the others returned, they all took a few moments to tend to their friends' injuries. Yukari helped Minato while Fuuka tended to Ken, and Ryuichi wound up taking care of Junpei.

"Ow! Why does everyone get a cute girl while I get a guy?" Junpei whined when Ryuichi applied disinfectant to the small cut on his face.

Next to them, Fuuka giggled at Junpei's complaint as she bandaged a cut above Ken's wrist.

"There," she said. "Does it hurt anywhere else?"

Ken kept his eyes to the floor. "I'm okay," he murmured in his hollow voice.

When he finished up with Junpei, Ryuichi pulled Mitsuru away from the others to speak quietly while he pretended to check her for more wounds.

"Ken-kun's been pretty quiet for a while now," he said to her, keeping his voice low.

"I've noticed that, too," she agreed, eyeing Ken past Ryuichi's shoulder. "I was hoping he would come out of his stupor if I brought him with us to find Aragaki earlier, but it didn't seem to help at all."

From the entrance, Akihiko waved to the two. "Hey! We're leaving now!"

As everyone headed out the door, Mitsuru whispered to Ryuichi: "We should keep observing him for now."

He nodded in agreement. They couldn't discuss more about Ken when he was close by, despite looking too worn out to care. Ryuichi couldn't observe Ken the next day due to work at the restaurant, but when he returned to the dorm late at night, Mitsuru informed him that Ken didn't return home until long after sundown and was in his room ever since. He rejected any food that Fuuka or Yukari offered him, which Ryuichi didn't question.

On Sunday night after returning home from the restaurant, Ryuichi was greeted by Mitsuru in the lounge. She had him sit down at the dining table, where a plate of food had been set aside for him. She told him that Shinjiro was kind enough to teach Fuuka how to cook, and the pair crafted several dishes that could have come from a pretty nice restaurant.

There were lamb pops that were still juicy and tender, seafood paella, salad niçoise, cajun seafood pasta, and for dessert, a cheese soufflé. Ryuichi stared at all the dishes, impressed with the level of culinary skill that Shinjiro (and partially Fuuka) possessed. At the same time, he felt a little tug of envy that his own culinary skills were nowhere near Shinjiro's.

As he ate, Mitsuru filled him in on Ken's behavior that day. He listened carefully, sometimes pausing with his mouth full so he could hear her.

"So, he was fine joining everyone for dinner?" Ryuichi repeated her words, thinking that Ken was startling to feel better. "I guess after skipping a few meals, his appetite came back."

"It's possible, but when it came time to eat, he seemed to purposefully choose the seat furthest away from Aragaki," Mitsuru said.

"Well, I mean, he's a kid and Shinjiro's not exactly kid-friendly."

"Yes, but do you think he's avoiding Aragaki because he remembers what happened back then?"

Ryuichi shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. I barely know the kid, so I don't know if he's just quiet, shy, or what."

Mitsuru sat in silence with her arms crossed, looking lost in her thoughts. Ryuichi became aware of how noisy his chewing had become and slowed down.

"We really don't know much about Amada, do we?" she sighed after a time. "Perhaps we're thinking too much and are looking for things that aren't really there."

He wanted to agree, but he picked up on the doubt in Mitsuru's voice.

Ryuichi finished his meal just minutes before the Dark Hour began. As he washed his dishes, Mitsuru reminded him of some upcoming events that he didn't want to admit he forgot about.

"The next full moon operation is a week from now," she said to him. "And a week after that, we have exams."

He could already tell that he was about to have a rough couple of weeks, especially when it came to exams. He wasn't looking forward to requesting a little extra time off from the restaurant to study, but Mitsuru was already asking him about which subjects he was struggling in so she could prepare some materials to tutor him. Between disappointing his family and disappointing Mitsuru, at least Mitsuru gave him some cushion to score a few points lower. With his family, there was no forgiveness for having to miss a day, and he wasn't interested in letting Mitsuru give him an excuse to skip out on work just to study.

For now, Ryuichi was content to have eaten something cooked by Fuuka that didn't almost kill him. And though he didn't want to admit it, Shinjiro's culinary skills were undoubtedly superior to his own. He never would have expected Shinjiro to cook for them, especially inviting Fuuka to cook with him, but he had a new respect for him, not just as a chef, but also as a pretty decent guy.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

After school the following Monday, Ryuichi went with Mitsuru to the school library to review for their upcoming exams. The place was already packed with students, but while some worked diligently, others were there just to chat with their friends. Mitsuru murmured her complaints about the chatty students taking up space and distracting others who trying to study while Ryuichi searched for a free table they could use. He found one already occupied by a pair of nervous-looking first-year boys with two empty seats across from them.

"Are these seats taken?" Ryuichi asked the boys.

Neither could take their awestruck stares off of Mitsuru, but one collected himself enough to shake his head. Thanking them, Ryuichi pulled out a chair for Mitsuru first before taking his seat.

They studied until the announcement came over the PA system notifying the students that the library was closing. When they returned home, they headed upstairs to the second floor common area to resume their studies. Mitsuru made sure to drill him on everything, from calculus to English grammar to historical dates and events and so on, and by the end of the night, Ryuichi was already having nightmares about his studies, where he either forgot everything he learned or put the wrong answers on his exams.

On Tuesday, they didn't bother to check the library for available seats and went straight home to study. They set up at the long table on the second floor, and the first thing that Mitsuru had Ryuichi do was take a practice quiz.

"Good work, Ryuichi," she announced when she finished looking over his answers. "You did much better on this one."

He could only manage a weak smile to celebrate. His brain was already so burnt out that he couldn't figure out how he did well enough to earn praises.

"Now, let's give you this one," Mitsuru said, handing him another quiz. He almost cried.

He did worse on his history quiz. Mitsuru reassured him that she would help him do better and began drilling him on dates, events, names, and the like, and for a while, they stuck in his brain. When they got to calculus, he started off well, but after about forty-five minutes, his brain refused to retain any more information. He couldn't even remember how to work his calculator to clear the screen.

"Why don't we break for tea?" Mitsuru suggested, and Ryuichi was so eager to take a break that he banged his knee against the table when he got up.

On his way downstairs, he heard Junpei come out of his room and start pawing at Minato's door.

"Come on, man! Help a buddy out!" Junpei pleaded.

In the kitchen, as Ryuichi prepared the tea, Mitsuru came downstairs with both their school bags in tow. He gave her a knowing look and invited her to his room where they could study without Junpei distracting them. He set up the low table and placed the tray of tea and cake on top. Their bags lay untouched for the moment, so that nothing would distract them from their break.

"It's good that Junpei's asking for help with his studies now instead of waiting last-minute," Ryuichi said of the spectacle upstairs.

"He wanted to copy Arisato's homework," she said darkly. "He tried to change his story when I confronted him."

Her curt answer made him worry that Junpei's idea of "getting help" might have fouled her mood.

"Um, would you care for some music?" he offered, and got up to scoot his desk chair over to his keyboard.

Mitsuru sat up straight without resting her back against Ryuichi's bed as he played a soft song. There was something about her that felt more rigid than usual—colder, distant—like she had to force herself to allow them to have a break. Calling her "tense" didn't even begin to describe it, from what Ryuichi felt, and it was then that he began to think that she wasn't irritated by Junpei's request to copy homework, but by something else.

Ryuichi started to think that that "something else" had to be him. It must be frustrating for her, having to tutor someone who started out strong and then began bombing on the recent practice quizzes. The thought of it clenched at his stomach, making him worry that he was wasting her time.

"Uh, everything okay?" he dared to ask after the first song.

She looked up from her cup of tea. "Hm? Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

He wasn't convinced. "It's just, I was just afraid I annoyed or offended you in some way."

Her stoic expression didn't change. "Why would you think that?"

He hesitated to answer as he started up a new song. "Just a vibe," he answered uneasily.

Even without looking directly at Mitsuru, her long stare practically commanded him to speak. "Fine," he sighed without missing a note. "I just feel like I've been a bother lately, making you study with me and me causing trouble when we go to Tartarus."

"Is this because I raised my voice at you last Friday?" she asked.

He kept playing, not wanting to drown in the silence. "Well, I deserved it, so that's on me."

Just like that, the energy in the room changed. The tension melted away, but now Mitsuru had a hurt look on her face that made Ryuichi feel worse than before.

"You didn't deserve that at all," she told him firmly. "I shouldn't have raised my voice at you, not especially in front of everyone. As for our studies, I actually feel like I understand the material better when we study together."

Ryuichi's shoulders relaxed with relief as his fear and guilt dissipated. "Oh. Okay, then I was totally off."

"Do I give you the impression that I'm upset with you?" Mitsuru asked, now looking as uncertain as he felt.

"N-No, not at all."

His fingers went numb over the keys. The song came out timid and weak, and the tension returned to his shoulders. But, keeping silent only made him even more nervous.

"I was worried about you."

Mitsuru's small voice startled him. He played softer so he could hear her.

"I didn't realize at the time that you were injured," she continued, grasping her arm. "I was upset with myself for not noticing sooner. If Aragaki hadn't noticed first, I wouldn't have known."

It took Ryuichi a few tries to find his voice. "We were all focused on finding Shinjiro," he uttered almost too softly for him to even hear over his own song. "And I was more worried about you, especially after you got hit by that Shadow."

Without even looking at her, Mitsuru's guilty stare sent frost up and down his back.

"My injuries were superficial," she said to him. "You should have taken care of yourself first since your wound was worse than mine."

And then, in a gentler voice, she added: "I'm sorry if my concern for you came across as disdain. Just remember that, before you are my bodyguard, you are my friend, and I would hate for anything to happen to you."

Ryuichi's face strained with guilt. "I'm sorry I made you worry," he said softly, hanging his head. "At the time, I was so worried about you that I completely forgot I got hurt."

"It seems that we were both focused on each other," Mitsuru remarked, letting her hand slide down her arm. "Then perhaps we both have to worry a little more about ourselves to prevent another incident like this."

Ryuichi thought he detected a smile from her warmer tone. "Yeah," he agreed, lifting his head slightly. "I guess you're right."

Encouraged by Mitsuru, he knew what song he wanted to play next. "Kiss of the Rain" filled the room, slightly melancholic, but somehow pleasing to the ear. He remembered that she had asked for it before, but he never got around to playing it for her. Now that he recalled it, he poured himself into the song.

The melody was as light as fresh dew that soon became a gentle shower accompanied by a distant, purring thunder. As the song climaxed, it was as though the sky opened up enough to let a halo of sunlight shine through the clouds. The last of the song slowed to a trickle, the droplets ending in a final, soft chord. When Ryuichi lifted his fingertips from the keyboard, he felt like he had returned to the heaviness of his body. Breathing almost felt unnatural, as if he had forgotten how to do so. It took him a few deep breaths to make it feel familiar again.

"Thank you," Mitsuru said with an appreciative smile. "I probably never told you this, but that song was the first one I ever heard you play at Chagall Cafe."

Ryuichi straightened up in his seat. "I was wondering why you were so interested in it," he replied as he lightly rubbed the pads of his fingers onto the plastic keys. "I always thought it was because it's a nice song."

"It is, but I've heard others perform it with only a fraction of the passion you do."

She took a moment to sip some tea. "The fencing team used to drag me to Chagall Cafe after school, so I was surprised to see you playing there. I was astounded that the quiet boy who sat behind me in class was so gifted with music. I was intrigued, to say the least."

Ryuichi bent low over his keyboard, blushing so furiously from all her praises that he was afraid his head might pop. He wanted to respond, but the words jumbled in his head. He didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing.

Mitsuru lowered her gaze to his hands. "And I've noticed that your performance was much more refined just now. If I hadn't known before, I never would have guessed that you had problems with your hand. It's as if you've already made a full recovery."

He flexed his fingers, showing her just how smoothly he could move them. "I think it's at about a hundred percent now," he told her. "I guess I didn't really notice it before."

He played a ballad for her from his favorite boy band. He wasn't sure why he started singing that one in particular, only feeling the melody in him and the urge to let it out. With all the rants he had to deal with, all the rage, and all the stress, he just wanted something relaxing that he could escape to, even if just for a few minutes.

"Could you play one more?" Mitsuru requested kindly. "If that's all right, of course."

He was happy to oblige. This time, he chose an older song about lovers having to go their separate ways. The lyrics were written as a lover speaking to his beloved, full of reassurance that they would meet again someday. Right before the final note, Ryuichi faltered, getting choked up by the song that he covered with a whimper of a chuckle. He managed to deliver the last word in the end, holding it out while his fingers finished the piece with a flourish.

"Ryuichi, do you have someone you like?"

He jumped. "What? Wh-Where did _that_ come from?"

Mitsuru circled her hands around her teacup. "It's just, the song selection, those lyrics, the way you play, and the passion in your voice—it just feels as though you're singing to someone you care for dearly," she told him. "And, there's so much sorrow, but—Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but that's just what I felt while listening."

Ryuichi turned off his keyboard and pushed his chair back under his desk. "No, there's no one," he said softly, avoiding her gaze as he sat back down at the table. "How about you? Anyone you like?"

"Me? No, not at all," she replied, picking her pencil back up. "I hardly even have time to myself, let alone time to dedicate to another person."

"Plus, you're picky," he teased, trying to shake off his nerves.

"Yes, I am," she chuckled. "Now, shall we—"

Out in the lounge, voices erupted in pleading whines while one snarled back. Both Ryuichi and Mitsuru quieted down to listen in, learning that everyone had descended upon Shinjiro to ask him to cook dinner.

"Come on, Shinji," Akihiko prodded. "It doesn't have to be anything hard. Just do a beef bowl, or something."

"Then go on one of your jogs and get one from the strip mall!" Shinjiro barked back.

"What about some curry rice? The _right_ way!" Junpei begged.

"I would say something back, but I can't argue with you for once," Yukari said glumly.

"Might I suggest some bouillabaisse?" Aigis piped up.

"You can't even eat!"

"Woof! Woof!"

Ryuichi slipped his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "It's already this late, huh?"

Mitsuru did the same. "I didn't realize it was almost dinnertime," she remarked, putting her phone away.

The commotion outside moved towards the stairs, but seemed louder than before as Shinjiro's temper flared up.

"I already said I'm not cooking for you!"

"But we're hungry!"

"Then cook for yourselves!"

"You saw what happened last time! They almost killed Ryuichi-senpai!"

"That was an accident and he survived! And Fuuka was able to cook something that we all ate and we were fine!"

"Then that means _you're_ the reason why Ryuichi-senpai almost died!"

"Why you—Hmph!"

"Ow!"

"Serves you right, _Stupei_!"

Ryuichi grimaced, hoping that Yukari didn't hurt Junpei too badly. "If I order a pizza, can I get it to my room undetected so I don't have to buy five more for everyone?"

They heard a number of doors slam shut upstairs, and then there was stillness.

"If you order now, I think you should be fine," Mitsuru told him.

He felt too bad about leaving the others to starve. "Nah. I'd better cook something before they eat Shinjiro," he said, getting up. "But this is all they're getting this week. They're going to have to figure things out on their own later."

"So you say," she said, smiling, "but knowing you, you're too kind to let them starve."

"Yeah, you're right," he groaned. "Then the best I can do is fill a giant pot so they'll have food for a few days."

While it wasn't a giant pot, he did cook plenty of curry rice, complete with pork tonkatsu and shredded cabbage. The curry itself had carrots, potatoes, and onions, and he even managed to sneak in a few leafy veggies.

"So, this is curry rice," Mitsuru said as she peered over the bar counter. "Are you okay to be eating this after what happened last time?"

"Not gonna lie: I'm a little iffy on eating it, even if I was the one who cooked it," he murmured, feeling his stomach churn from the memory. "But I guess, if I don't face my trauma now, I'll never be able to eat it again, will I?"

Everyone consumed the whole pot. There wasn't even enough left over to make curry bread. Fuuka had been wise enough to procure a plate for Ken before all the curry had been devoured. She took it up to his room for him, but he refused to open the door. She left it outside his bedroom for him to eat later. When Ryuichi went to check on Ken a few hours later, the plate had been touched with just a few bites taken, but then left outside his door again.

On Thursday, Ryuichi only had about two hours after school to study before heading to the restaurant. Mitsuru saw that it wasn't enough time for him to fully absorb the materials, especially when he had college entrance exams to think about on top of their upcoming exams. Three days a week wasn't enough for studying, Ryuichi knew, but when Mitsuru suggested that he cut back on his work hours at the restaurant, he refused, not wanting to incur his family's wrath.

When he returned to the dorm on Friday night, Mitsuru greeted him at the back door with news he really didn't want to hear.

"I called your parents to let them know that you won't be able to come in to work on Sunday," she told him.

He nearly cried. "Why?"

"Have you already forgotten? Sunday is the full moon. It's too dangerous having you go to work all day and fight exhausted," she explained. "I told them that you needed to study for exams, and they were more than happy to give you Sunday off."

"'More than happy', you say?" he murmured with a wry smile.

Looking at Mitsuru, he couldn't stay annoyed at her for meddling again. She was maximizing his safety by allowing him to have time to rest up before a big battle, and he desperately needed that break from his family, especially after three straight days of dealing with them. Still, he wished that he had the guts to request the day off from work himself rather than Mitsuru doing it for him.

"I guess I'm studying on Sunday, then," he sighed. "But seriously, they only tell you they're happy to let me have the day off because it's you they're talking to. When I see them tomorrow, they're gonna let me have it."

She blinked. "They will?"

He nodded, and she looked even more worried than ever. "They can't get mad at you, so you don't have to worry. I just don't want them thinking that I'm taking advantage of your kindness so I can be lazy," he explained to her. "My family likes you a lot, and I don't want them to get the wrong impression that I'm using you so I can be lazy or that you're abusing your power as my boss to let me be lazy."

Mitsuru was aghast. "They like me?"

He thought it was odd that she was surprised about it. "Yeah. Loads."

She took a moment to clear her throat. "Then it's settled. On Sunday, you and I will study all day. We can't disappoint your parents now, can we?"

He started to say something but choked on his own saliva. "All day? With no breaks? Exams don't even start until after next week! And like you said, shouldn't we be resting that day?"

"I did tell them that you needed Sunday off to study specifically, so the least I can do is honor that excuse and make sure that you score the highest."

"That's not even possible with you around!"

"You'll never know. This might be your chance to surpass me."

"Now that's just crazy talk!"

She kept her word. Early on Sunday morning, she came knocking at his door with her study materials in hand while he was still in bed. Before he knew it, he was plunked down at the low table with a pencil in his hand and no idea how or when he put on a pair of jeans.

They studied for hours, almost uninterrupted except for Kikuno's occasional visits to deliver tea and snacks or call them for meals. When Kikuno announced that dinner was ready, Mitsuru decided to end their study session for the day to give them a chance to rest and prepare for battle later that night. Ryuichi wept with relief, and Kikuno was ready with a packet of tissues for him.

As the time drew nearer to midnight, Ryuichi played some high energy songs to get him ready for battle. With his larger katana, he began to warm up with some swings, imagining how he would need to counter attacks, or move after he dodged, and so on. He swung and then blocked with the back of the blade, getting used to the weight of the sword with every motion. When he felt like he had loosened up enough, he sat down on his bed to inspect his sword.

Like his shorter katana, the larger one also bore the inscription "Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection" etched into the blade. Ryuichi always thought that the Kirijo family motto was a little ill-fitting of the Kirijos, especially when he had trouble imagining the fiercely independent Mitsuru abiding by it.

He sheathed the sword and went to get the shorter one when he thought he heard the front door slam shut. Ryuichi paused his music, plunging himself into a buzzing silence. With his sword drawn, he went out into the lounge. It was empty.

The only sounds he heard came from Akihiko pummeling his punching bag. Ryuichi hurried up the stairs to check for intruders, finding none. He tried the third floor next, listening for a struggle, and when he heard nothing, he checked the fourth floor, then the fifth. There was nothing unusual throughout the dorm, and when he went back downstairs, he saw that the front doors were still locked.

"Guess it was nothing," he muttered as he returned to his room.

He left the music off, his body still taut with the idea that someone might have entered the dorm. Slowly, he sat down on the bed, keeping his eyes fixed on his door. A minute passed, then another. All was silent, save for the occasional faint _thump_ from Akihiko punching his bag.

At last, he let out a sigh. "I'm losing it," he finally told himself, and started training with his swords again.

With his shorter katana, his moves were faster, snappier, and better for confined spaces. If a large Shadow bore down on him, he could get in close and deliver several blows before retreating. Ryuichi envisioned being attacked by such a Shadow, imagining the distance for optimal attacks. Too close, he couldn't strike properly. Too far, and—

The front door opened. Ryuichi straightened up and hurried to check who it was, but the door slammed shut when he reached the lounge. He vaulted over the front desk and flung open the front door, searching up and down the empty street for whoever left. He glanced back inside the empty lounge, then checked the street again.

"Hello?" he called out into the still night.

No answer. Whoever it was, they were already long gone.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

Pale, yellow moonlight illuminated Lucia's rotund body as Fuuka scanned the lengths of the city and the island for their latest enemy. The SEES team gathered in the command room as usual, checking their equipment and adjusting their clothes where their holsters for their Evokers pinched, using every slight movement to dispel their nerves for the upcoming fight.

"I've located the target. It's in the plaza in front of Iwatodai Station," Fuuka reported.

"This will be the tenth," Ikutsuki reminded them all. His voice jarred the silence, making them jump. "Only a few left, but let's worry about them one at a time."

"Assuming they come one at a time," Yukari joked, then meekly added, "Just kidding."

Fuuka's sharp gasp made them all flinch. "Yukari-chan, how did you know? I sense two of them!"

"A-Are you serious?" she yelped. "Me and my big mouth!"

Akihiko swept his hard gaze across the room with his jaw locked tight. "Where's Shinji?"

Ryuichi tensed up. He realized that Shinjiro had to be the one he heard leaving the dorm.

"He just notified me that he'll meet up with you later," Fuuka said. "I didn't ask any questions."

"Figures," he grunted. "He's always played by his own rules."

Junpei shrugged. "It's okay. At least he's coming, right?"

"Yeah. Not like someone I know who missed last time," snarked Yukari.

"Hello? I was tied up, remember?" Junpei made a face. "Sheesh, give a guy a break."

Ryuichi looked around the room to find that Shinjiro wasn't the only one missing. "Wait, Ken-kun isn't here, either," he told them all.

Yukari turned to Junpei. "Junpei, go get him. That'll be your punishment for last time."

"'Punishment'?" he snorted. "What is this, kindergarten?"

On his way out, Ryuichi heard him mutter, "That little shit is more trouble than he's worth."

"All right," Mitsuru said, and everyone turned to her now. "Let's move out. This time, there are two enemies. We'll determine our formation once we arrive."

As they went on their way to the station, Ryuichi wondered why Shinjiro decided to meet up with them later, especially during an important mission. He looked to Mitsuru to ask what she thought, but she was too busy discussing strategies with Minato. No one else seemed interested in the matter, everyone looking more focused on the upcoming battle as they followed Koromaru through the stale, cool air to Iwatodai Station.

Up ahead, they could hear what sounded like machinery grinding and whistling near the station. When they were close enough, they saw one Shadow with the appearance of a golden, mechanical sphinx wearing a green mask and a pair of wings, gleaming and glowing beneath the moonlight. Ryuichi couldn't help but think that it looked almost like Koromaru, who wore a white vest with a pair of wings on it.

The other Shadow was a young maiden shape in a long, white, short-sleeved dress, standing atop a tiny rose garden with a black, spiked fence enclosing her within. Her face was hidden behind a blue mask, and her long, white hair flowed from her head as a twisted halo spun above her. Her long, black, graceful arms stretched out beyond the fence, a red rose held in each hand.

"There they are!" Fuuka announced as they drew near. "This is the way to the school! We've gotta protect this place!"

She summoned Lucia once more. "It seems like they've been waiting for us," she said, scanning their enemies.

Mitsuru turned to Junpei. "Where's Amada?"

Junpei scratched at the nape of his neck. "He wasn't in his room, so who knows?"

Akihiko pounded his fist into his palm. "Dammit, Shinji. Where are you?"

"Um, I think we should hurry," Fuuka advised them. "They look like they're about to make their move."

The robotic sphinx pranced around the maiden, who waved her rose at it. It was like watching a girl playing fetch with her dog, like they weren't murderous Shadows at all. Ryuichi almost felt bad for having to fight them.

"All right, let's decide on a team and engage the enemy," Mitsuru called to their attention again.

Minato looked everyone in their eyes, as if trying to figure out who was the most eager to fight. Ryuichi clenched his jaw and drew his sword to appeal to him more, wanting to fight, but also wanting to keep Mitsuru safe. Next to him, Junpei had a hand on the lapel of his blazer and had his chest puffed out.

"This time, I want Mitsuru-senpai, Ryuichi-senpai, and Koromaru."

Those who weren't chosen groaned. Ryuichi didn't feel their pain this time, only eagerness to end the battle quickly and to protect his charge.

"Everyone else, guard Yamagishi," Mitsuru said to the others.

"Ryuichi-senpai, start with raising our attack and defense and focus on healing," Minato commanded. "Mitsuru-senpai, Koromaru: elemental spells on the robot dog thing first."

Ryuichi cast Rakukaja and Tarukaja on everyone. He pulled the trigger eight times, feeling his energy drain rapidly with each spell, but power coursed hotly through his body in exchange. They approached the Shadows as he munched on some Snuff Souls, the four standing in a half-moon formation. As they drew near, the maiden summoned a mass of light orbs and a flourish of rose petals, letting them drift over the sphinx Shadow to surround it in a dull, white light.

"I don't detect the Fortune one anymore!" Fuuka cried. "The Strength one must have done something! You can't attack it right now. Concentrate on the one whose Arcana is Strength!"

"We're aiming our fire at the girl!" Minato shouted to them. Behind them, another battle raged as smaller Shadows came out of hiding.

Koromaru howled, and fire exploded onto the maiden. As she screamed and writhed, Minato switched Personas to Succubus and bombarded the girl with an even more explosive Agidyne that nearly threw the girl backwards. Mitsuru's frigid blast toppled the Shadow, and she grasped onto the fence for dear life.

The Fortune Shadow reared up on its hind legs with a mechanical whine.

"Look out! Above you!"

They all glanced up as a thick, red carpet rolled out underneath them. They hopped about in a panic and fled the area as an enormous wheel with red and blue panels dropped from the sky. The moment it hit the ground, the metal sphinx attached itself to the wheel and spun it around.

"It's like a game show!" Ryuichi realized.

"Wait, Mitsuru-senpai!" Minato yelled when she raised her Evoker to her head. "We don't know what'll happen if you attack."

To the Shadow, he yelled, "Stop!" and the wheel slowed down until the arrow pointed to a blue section with a blue ghost-like symbol on it. The Strength Shadow shuddered, holding herself.

"It looks like you damaged it," Mitsuru said to Minato.

"That wheel's effects depend on where it stops," Fuuka explained. "Red is bad luck. I hope it doesn't come up."

The wheel and carpet disappeared, and the battle resumed.

"Ryuichi-senpai, use Garudyne and keep it going!" Minato ordered, switching Personas again. "Mitsuru-senpai, make ice! Lots of it!"

They obeyed. A tornado with ice chunks as big as basketballs swirled all around the maiden. Their attack tore and bludgeoned the Shadow, but she kept thrusting back with the broken spikes of her fence. The sphinx unleashed a spray of metal shrapnel like bullets in retaliation. Ryuichi covered Mitsuru as Ajax shielded them, but despite the protection, a sharp pain pierced into Ryuichi's leg. He felt blood trickle down his calf.

Powerful winds launched them high into the air. Ryuichi and Mitsuru clung to each other with flashes of a bloodied Koromaru tumbling near them. Ryuichi wrapped his arms around Mitsuru, covering her head. He hit the ground first, crushed by Mitsuru on top of him. As Koromaru whimpered nearby, Mitsuru got back on her feet to attack while Ryuichi lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He blinked and saw the maiden slash Minato's arm with her fence.

Mitsuru bombed the maiden with more ice, and Koromaru did the same with fire. Minato's lightning bolt pierced her. Ajax bashed the maiden with his shield. When Ryuichi staggered to his feet, he healed everyone, feeling the pain in his leg and torso dull.

The carpet rolled out again. The four fled and replenished their energy as the wheel fell. Minato shouted for the wheel to stop, this time landing on a red spot with a fiery marking. The team shook with fury.

"Oh, no! You're all enraged!" Fuuka cried.

"Hhrrrrrrraaaaaahhhhh!" Ryuichi charged at the maiden and tried to rip off her fence with his bare hands. Next to him, Mitsuru thrust her blade through the bars. Minato ran around behind the Shadow to slash at her legs as Koromaru took a running leap, using Ryuichi as a spring board to jump up and slash at the Shadow. Fuuka shouted at them in their minds, but her words didn't reach them as the Strength Shadow bashed Koromaru in the face. The Fortune sphinx rained arrows down on them that slashed their bodies and clothes. All four staggered, wounded, but didn't relent.

Minato was the first to snap out of his rage. He threw a Patra Gem at Mitsuru, who in turn threw one to Ryuichi while Minato helped Koromaru. Ryuichi quickly cast more buffers on them, gasping when he saw what a bloody mess they were all becoming.

Ryuichi whistled to Koromaru. "Do that thing again!" he shouted to him as he dropped to one knee. The dog barked and charged, leaped off of Ryuichi's shoulders, and slashed the maiden's throat with his knife. Her screams faded as she turned into smoke, and the mist and rose petals surrounding the metal Shadow disappeared.

"Um, I detect Fortune again!" Fuuka told them. "So you can attack that one now!"

"Good work, Koromaru!" Ryuichi told him just as the wheel dropped down again. This time, only a sliver of the wheel had a blue panel while the rest was red. Both bore pictures of an explosion with little stars.

"That's just not right!" griped Fuuka.

Minato watched the wheel carefully while Ryuichi shoved some Snuff Souls into his mouth. He felt his energy return and saw Mitsuru also unwrap some of the candies. When their leader shouted "Stop!" they all held their breaths as they watched the wheel slow down. They already knew it wouldn't land on blue and braced themselves before feeling like they had all been punched in the gut. They were all still on their feet, gasping and nursing their stomachs while Ryuichi cast Mediarama on them.

Koromaru slashed the sphinx from face to tail. Penthesilea sealed it in ice. Minato's Odin struck it with Ziodyne, splitting the ice with a devastating bolt of lightning, and Ajax crushed its metal body with his shield. Minato switched Personas just as Fortune sent them flying with Magarudyne again. This time, Mitsuru grabbed onto Ryuichi first as they hurtled through the air. As they fell, Ryuichi used Magarula to cushion their fall. He cast it too soon while they were still too high off the ground. He landed hard on his back just as Mitsuru's knee smashed him between his legs.

Ryuichi stayed down for a few moments in excruciating pain as Minato and Mitsuru both struck at the Shadow with their swords. The sphinx darted past Minato, ruffled Mitsuru's skirt, not once getting so much as a scrape from either of them. Another wheel appeared with six unequal sections of red and blue, all with either large or small explosions. Fuuka's cry of foul play went unnoticed as they watched the wheel stop abruptly before the arrow rightfully landed on blue. Everyone's strength drained without injury.

"Mitsuru-senpai! Fence it in with ice!"

Penthesilea appeared. As Koromaru chased Fortune, a hunk of ice appeared in the Shadow's path, metal clattering as it slammed into it. Mitsuru rapidly fired more rounds and trapped the sphinx in a small iceberg. The four summoned their Personas to loom over it, with fangs, swords, spears, and shields at the ready.

"Mitsuru-senpai and I will strike first," Minato said to them. "Koromaru, have Cerberus attack next. Ryuichi-senpai, finish it. Everyone got it? On three: One, two, three!"

Mitsuru dismissed the ice, and Odin and Penthesilea stabbed the Shadow. Cerberus' three heads clamped down on it, crushing its mechanical body with his fangs. As metal whined and screeched, the underworld beast hurled the Shadow to the ground. Ajax came falling from a high jump and smashed his shield down onto the mangled metal. When the Persona stood up, all that was left was smoke.

"Good job, everyone," Fuuka said, and everyone let out a weary sigh.

Ryuichi fired off a few more rounds to ease any pains they had. The aches, the shrapnel wound in his leg, all the cuts all around his body, and the pain in his groin eased up. It was a little easier for him to walk now, where he could put a little weight on his bad leg. The other team that defended Fuuka was almost as beaten up as they were, all with their own cuts, bruises, and scrapes with a few burns here and there.

"Man, talk about exhausting," Junpei groaned when they all regrouped.

Aigis glanced around. "This time, those two who call themselves Strega did not interfere," she observed.

"It must be because we have Chidori," Yukari figured, and Junpei's expression turned somber. "Anyway, I'm glad everything went well."

Ryuichi managed to stride up to Mitsuru without showing too much pain on his face or in his gait. "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked.

"Speak for yourself," she replied, eyeing his wounds. She also sported her own cuts, scratches, and a few tears in her clothes like the rest of them, but nothing looked too serious. The bloodstains on her clothes were enough to rattle Ryuichi until he realized that some of it was probably his.

Ryuichi took out his handkerchief to tie around the wound on his leg. He winced in pain when he made the first knot, and after tying the second one, he could barely put his foot on the ground.

"Here, let me help you."

Mitsuru went under his arm to support his weight off of his injured leg.

"I-It doesn't hurt that much," he protested, and cast another Diarama spell on himself to dull the pain.

"That's the spell and adrenaline at work," she said without releasing her hold on his arm. "If the shrapnel's still in there, we'll have to make sure to remove it and disinfect the wound thoroughly when we get back."

Yukari took another look around while everyone cast healing spells and shared bandages. "But, what happened to Shinjiro-senpai and Ken-kun?"

Fuuka looked up from the cut on Minato's shoulder. "The Chairman doesn't seem to be too concerned, so he went home."

"Yamagishi," Mitsuru said, "where are those two?"

"I'm sorry. I haven't been able to locate them yet," she replied just as a cloud passed between the city and the moon, casting them in darkness.

"Let's return to the dorm and then go from there," Mitsuru told the others. Everyone agreed, save for Akihiko, who seemed to be far off in another place as he stared deeply into the distance.

"Hey," Ryuichi called to him. "You okay?"

Akihiko let out a sigh as he cast his gaze to the ground. "Today is October fourth, huh?"

It was an odd thing to say, Ryuichi thought. "What of it?"

He started to jog away from them. "Just go back without me. I'm gonna go look for them for a while!" he called over his shoulder. Yukari called after him, but he didn't turn back.

"Akihiko." Mitsuru uttered so softly that only Ryuichi heard her. She glanced back to everyone else. "We're going back to the dorm."

Koromaru had to be carried home. Once Fuuka bandaged the worst of his injuries, Junpei carried the dog in his arms. Yukari clutched a cut on her side, sucking on her teeth before muttering her hopes that she wouldn't need stitches.

"Are you in need of assistance?" they heard Aigis offer to Minato. "I can carry you back to the dorm."

"N-No, I'm good, thanks," a nervous Minato said. He started walking away from her, but she followed closely behind him.

It was a short walk back to the dorm, but it felt longer to Ryuichi, who limped heavily while Mitsuru supported his weight. Every step he took made a dulled pain radiate from his leg. It wasn't so bad that he couldn't walk on it, but Mitsuru refused to let him risk worsening his wound.

By the time they reached the dorm, the effects of their combined Dia spells wore off, and Ryuichi began to feel the sting of his injuries again. As everyone headed up to the command room, he let go of Mitsuru so he could haul himself up the stairs with the banister while favoring his bad leg.

"Huh? No one's here," Yukari said as they entered the large room.

Junpei shrugged. "Anyway, why was Akihiko-senpai acting so weird? What's so special about October fourth?"

Ryuichi and Mitsuru turned to each other, both with horrific realization of the date's ties to their missing teammates.

"October fourth!" Ryuichi exclaimed.

"That's right!" Panic crossed Mitsuru's face. "I was so caught up in the operation that I didn't realize it. This was the day Amada's mother was killed!"

"You serious?" gasped Junpei.

Mitsuru turned to Fuuka. "Yamagishi, I need you to find the two of them immediately. There's a good chance that they're together. Akihiko must have already realized that."

The frightened girl uttered "I-I understand" while Ryuichi cast another healing spell on them all. He firmly planted his foot on the ground, testing it, finding little more than a stinging twinge, but at least he could walk.

"If he knew, why didn't he say anything about it to us?" he snarled as Lucia materialized around Fuuka.

"Um, what's going on?" Yukari asked Mitsuru.

Mitsuru gripped her arm so tightly she trembled. "Although her death was officially listed as an accident, we're the ones who killed Amada's mother," she admitted to them all.

Ryuichi's stomach writhed as the others' gasps and cries and swears sounded off, but it was the truth from Mitsuru's lips that hurt him the most.

"It was two years ago, when we were pursuing an unusual Shadow that had escaped into the city," Mitsuru began. She bowed her head, her face hiding behind her bangs. "We were in a residential area, but the Shadow was all we were thinking about. Aragaki was still new, and he momentarily lost control of his power. Unfortunately, there was a casualty—"

"Ken's mother," Ryuichi finished for her, and she dropped her face even lower.

"Are you shittin' me?"

"Then, to Ken-kun, Senpai is—"

Mitsuru nodded, looking to the juniors. "Amada volunteered to join us. But, now that I think about it—"

"I've found them!"

Everyone looked to Fuuka. "They're together, and another Persona-user is nearby."

"Akihiko?" Hope rose in Mitsuru's voice.

"No. It's—it's a member of Strega!"

Junpei shook his head. "That's not good."

"It's an absolute nightmare!" Mitsuru cried, and bolted out the door. Ryuichi followed close behind her, his panic bolstering the healing spell numbing the painful bombs going off in his leg.

"Yamagishi, tell me where they are!"

The team burst out of the dorm, leaving the doors wide open. Ryuichi and Mitsuru took the lead as Fuuka directed them, everyone racing as fast as they could go. The night came alive with raw fear as their feet pounded the pavement, their shouts for their friends echoing off the buildings and into alleys. They ran down streets, past the Lost, around cars and mailboxes—

 _Bang._ A single gunshot shattered the night. Ryuichi held his breath as they all surged towards the sound. They turned a corner to see Akihiko racing with them.

"Akihiko!" panted Mitsuru. "Where are Amada and Aragaki?"

"Exactly where we think they are!" he snarled, and sped ahead.

They dashed into a familiar residential area, one they had avoided for two long years. Ryuichi's stomach churned as they ran, recalling that night so vividly his fingers ran cold. He could still smell the smoke in the air, heard Shinjiro's agonized yells, Ken's screams—

 _BANG._ A second shot rang out as they turned down an alley. A cloud covered the moon overhead, and when it passed, they saw the ugly, rancid spotlight shine on a bloodied Shinjiro, down on one knee. Ken stood before him, his spear forgotten on the ground by his feet, and there was Takaya, holding a smoking revolver.

"Shinji!"

"How very disappointing," Takaya murmured, and slipped into the shadows.

Ryuichi started to run after him, but Mitsuru caught his arm.

"No!" She yanked him back, pulling him to their group that stood around Ken, who stared down in wide-eyed horror at their dying teammate. Ryuichi glanced back to where Takaya had gone, his body twitching ready in case he attacked again.

"Shinji," Akihiko uttered, kneeling behind him as Fuuka dropped to her knees next to him.

Shinjiro flashed a grin. "What's with the long face?" he chuckled to Ken, his voice raspy and pained. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

Everyone stared at him in horror, shocked that he could laugh while badly injured. His laughter turned into a throaty cough, and Shinjiro hacked up blood at the boy's feet.

"No, Senpai!" Fuuka took hold of Shinjiro's shoulders to steady him. He tried to gently brush her off, but she held on.

"It's all right," he told them, his weak voice trying to be strong. He looked to Ken, still smiling. "Give yourself time. Let your anger be your strength. Come on, kid. You're just a kid. You've got your whole life ahead of you, so don't waste it. Make it your own."

He let out an agonized gasp and a grunt. "O-Okay?" he asked of Ken.

"B-But, I-I—" Ken's voice came out strangled as he stood in shock.

Shinjiro staggered to his feet, somehow still towering over all of them even with his pained hunch. "Aki, take care of him," he said to his friend—his brother.

Akihiko dutifully nodded. "I will."

Shinjiro turned and took a step away from the group. "This is how it should be."

He took another step, staggering, then another, and pitched forward. He hit the ground without resistance, a peaceful smile on his face.

"Shinji!"

"Shinjiro-senpai!"

"Senpai!"

"Shinjiro!"

No one could do anything. Dia spells didn't mend wounds, and he had already lost too much blood. Ken dropped to his knees and slammed his fist into the concrete over and over as his hot tears spotted the ground. He let out a scream so mired in despair that it was beyond anything any of them could feel. Fuuka and Yukari tried to calm Ken while Akihiko shook Shinjiro's shoulder, urging him to get up.

His body grew cold in that putrid alley, his sin-stained blood purified the moment it was spilled onto the filthy cement. Shortly after, the Dark Hour ended for the night, leaving behind the nightmare that none of them could awaken from.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

The next morning, Gekkoukan High held a service for Shinjiro. All students and faculty gathered in the auditorium, where the stage had been decorated with pale flowers surrounding an old school photo of Shinjiro, with his signature black beanie low over his brow and his eternal scowl on his face, as if he disapproved of all the flowers around him and all the attention he was getting. The principal stood before the auditorium to give his sorrowful speech, blaming himself and the teachers for not reaching out to Shinjiro enough to keep him from running wild in the streets and dying so young. They didn't know the actual reason for his death, only making him sound like the delinquent everyone in school thought him to be.

Ryuichi didn't hear a word of the eulogy. He was seated near the front next to Mitsuru, who sat hidden by her curtain of bangs that covered half her face. Somewhere to their right, students whispered loudly, and Junpei stood up and yelled at them. His teacher hissed at him to sit back down, and he obediently did, but not before throwing one last seething glare at the chatty students.

On their way back to their classrooms, the chatter started up as though they had just come from a normal assembly. People who had only seen Shinjiro a few times before called him "a troublemaker" or "that one scary guy who hung out with Akihiko", as he would almost never show up for school even before dropping out completely. They questioned why the school even bothered to hold a service for him when he was practically nonexistent. For a brief moment, as Ryuichi limped by them on his crutches, he wanted to smack them all, especially those who made up wild rumors about Shinjiro.

When the stories and lies followed them into the classroom, Mitsuru stood up from her desk. The sound of her chair scraping on the tiles caught their classmates' attention, but it was her arctic glare that shut them up.

"Please respect those who are no longer with us," she said in a soft yet commanding voice. She sat back down, and no one else dared to say a word after.

When class began, Ryuichi couldn't think of anything else except for last night's events. He could still hear the gunshots resounding throughout the city, Shinjiro's final words, Ken's anguished cries, and Takaya's annoyed murmur. It was all he could think about since last night, not having been able to sleep at all. The memory haunted him, becoming more vivid when he started nodding off to sleep.

"Okazaki, pay attention."

Ryuichi was called up to the board to solve a problem there. He hobbled on his crutches and took the chalk from his teacher, seeing the equation but barely registering it at all. His hand manipulated the chalk with slow strokes. Halfway through, his crutch slipped from under his arm, hitting the floor with a deafening clatter. He muttered an apology as his teacher picked it up for him. Thanking her, he finished the problem and returned to his seat.

"Not bad, Okazaki," his teacher said, and called on someone else to do another problem.

At lunch, Ryuichi followed Mitsuru down to the second floor to talk to the juniors. Junpei, Minato, Aigis, and Yukari were all seated at their desks, none of them with any lunch out, and all with the same blank, exhausted looks on their faces.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Mitsuru asked them softly. They looked her way briefly to acknowledge her. "When you get back today, please meet me in the lounge. You know what it's regarding."

"Yeah," Yukari sighed, answering for the group.

Mitsuru gripped her arm. "I don't expect you to have collected your thoughts," she told them all. "In fact, I am still at a loss, myself. I'll see you then."

They went to Fuuka's class to deliver the same message. She gave a single nod, and Mitsuru dismissed Ryuichi to get something to eat.

"I'm not all that hungry," he murmured. "You eat."

She shook her head. "I can't, either."

They went looking for Akihiko at the little store in the foyer, but he wasn't there. In fact, Ryuichi couldn't remember even seeing him come to school at all. Mitsuru sent him an email instead, then advised Ryuichi to go change his bandages in the infirmary if he wasn't going to eat. He watched as she disappeared into the girls' bathroom and took it as a sign that she wanted to be alone for now.

After changing his bandages, Ryuichi headed back upstairs, hearing laughter in the hallways like taunts and jokes like jeers, everyone having moved on quickly from the passing of one of their fellow students. It was a normal day to them, and Ryuichi couldn't blame them one bit.

Back at his desk, he saw that Mitsuru still hadn't returned. As he let his crutches rest against the edge of his desk, Shiori came up to him with compassion in her eyes.

"You knew him, didn't you?" she asked. "You and Mitsuru-san. You both knew who he was, huh?"

She pulled up Mitsuru's chair and turned it around to sit across from him. Ryuichi kept his head down, wishing she would go away.

"Yeah," he sighed. "We knew him."

"What was he like?"

She opened her bento box on his desk and offered him some. He just stared at it, at the apple slices cut to look like rabbits, the small, fluted cup of potato salad, and the rolled omelet, but none of it appealed.

"He was hard on the outside, but he was actually a nice guy."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

She lifted the upper section of the bento box to reveal the bottom, giving him a view of karaage fried chicken, octopus sausages, and some onigiri. None of it appealed to him.

"How long have you known him?"

"A few years now."

He let out another sigh. "Everyone thought he was a scary guy just by looking at him, but everyone who got to know him grew to like him, especially the things he cooked. The guy was talented in the kitchen, like a professional chef.

"But, more than that, he was a normal guy. He didn't blame the world for his life. He blamed himself, but you could see that he was trying to make amends for his mistakes. He hurt like the rest of us, maybe even more, but he never showed it. Everyone just saw him as a street punk without getting to know him. If only they knew..."

He lifted a hand to wipe at the tear in his eye. Shiori offered him a pack of tissues, but he waved them off. She nudged the bento box towards him again, and this time, he took a piece of rolled omelet. The sweetness overpowered the salty soy sauce, offsetting the balance of flavors.

"It's probably not as good as—"

"It's good," he said, and saw her smile. "Thank you."

Back at the dorm, Ryuichi prepared tea and sandwiches for Mitsuru and brought some upstairs for Ken.

"Ken-kun, there's food here, if you're hungry," he called through the door.

When he didn't answer, Ryuichi just left the tray outside his door and hobbled back downstairs to feed Koromaru. He found Mitsuru already getting Koromaru's food for him.

"Go sit," she told him. "Your leg won't heal if you stay on it like that."

He went to take his seat on the couch while Mitsuru brought Koromaru a bowl of wet dog food. Koromaru lay next to the TV with his head down, his stomach and front leg wrapped up in bandages. When Mitsuru set his food down in front of him, he didn't lift his head. He flattened his ears and put on the saddest eyes Ryuichi had ever seen.

"You miss him too, huh?" Ryuichi asked Koromaru, who only whined in reply.

Mitsuru sat down in her usual chair and poured them both some tea. "I know it's a bit soon, but we have to talk about what to do with Amada," she said to him. "I want to know your thoughts on the matter."

Ryuichi took the teacup from her but let it rest atop his knee. "Well, you're right that it's still too soon for me to gather my thoughts," he sighed. Even he couldn't begin to process the events of the previous night.

"He said, 'Isn't this what you wanted?' which I believe he directed at Amada," Mitsuru said, her gaze lost far off on her thoughts. "As much as I don't want to believe it, I think the purpose for their meeting was so Amada could seek revenge for his mother."

The idea turned Ryuichi's hands to ice. Even the hot teacup couldn't thaw them. "So, he waited two years to get his revenge," he muttered. "Two years, and he was only what, eight, nine years old when it happened? Do you think he could've gone through with it if Takaya hadn't—?"

"I wonder the same, but seeing as the Dark Hour passed without him striking a blow, I imagine that deep down inside, he couldn't do it."

"Unless Shinjiro said something to him to make him think."

"That's a possibility. Amada always struck me as the type to be more for thought before action."

Ryuichi took his first sip of tea. It burned on the way down. "And Shinjiro met with him, so he knew what he was walking into."

"Yes, it seems that way." Mitsuru set her teacup down on the table without taking a sip.

"So, what do you think we should do with Amada?" she asked him again.

Ryuichi took a slow, deep breath to clear his head. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with someone so young who was seriously contemplating killing someone," he told her. "I feel like we've been letting him slide by saying 'he's young', 'he's a kid', and all that."

"Then, do you think he was fully aware of what it was he was planning and the repercussions of his actions, had he succeeded?"

"I don't know. Hell, I don't even know if he'd been planning it for two years, or since Shinjiro rejoined SEES."

He set his fedora down on the sofa and exhaled in frustration. "I seriously don't know what to do," he said to her. "On one hand, I want to believe that he really didn't understand what it was that he was doing. But on the other hand, we lost a friend because of him. If he hadn't called Shinjiro out—"

"Aragaki died by blood loss from two gunshot wounds and had not sustained any stab wounds. The one who killed him wasn't Amada, but Strega."

He yawned, feeling his energy leave with his breath. "That's true, but it still scares me that he had the intent to kill him."

"So, what do you want to do with him?"

"I..."

Ryuichi sat forward, wincing when he put weight on his injured leg. "Shinjiro was the only one who was shot, right?" he asked her. "Takaya shot him twice, but does that mean he meant to kill Ken also? Did Shinjiro protect Ken, and if so, why didn't Takaya finish them both off?"

Mitsuru lifted her head, as if spotting the truth in the distance. "You raise some good points. If his intent was to kill both Aragaki and Amada, then we must have arrived in time to prevent him from doing so. And if Aragaki did sacrifice himself to protect Amada, then that might explain why he was shot twice."

Ryuichi set his teacup down. "Then I guess, if we kick Ken out of SEES now, it would be an insult to Shinjiro."

"Is that what you truly want?"

"No." He picked up one of the sandwiches. "I want our friend back and Strega stopped; that's what I want."

As he nibbled on his sandwich, Mitsuru received a call from Ikutsuki to discuss what they should do with Ken. From what he could hear, the choices were to either keep Ken in SEES, or dismiss him and send him back to the regular dorms on campus. It was a lenient sentence he was getting, depending on what everyone decided, but Ryuichi couldn't get it out of his head that Mitsuru was right about Ken ultimately not being the one who killed Shinjiro.

When everyone arrived at the dorm, they all sat down on the sofas, and Koromaru sat dutifully by Mitsuru's chair. They all had their heads down, still mourning the loss of their friend. No one reached for the snacks on the table, even when Fuuka offered to pour tea for them.

"You all know the reason we're gathered here," Mitsuru began. "We need to discuss how to deal with Amada. I've already consulted the Chairman."

No one said a word, nor looked her way. "Aigis," Mitsuru said, "bring Amada here."

"Understood." Aigis headed upstairs to the second floor. The way they spoke, it was as if Ken was to receive the death sentence.

"It's my fault," Fuuka murmured. "When Shinjiro-senpai told me he'd be late, I thought it was strange, but I said nothing. If only I had listened to my intuition."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Fuuka," Minato told her.

"It's not your fault," Mitsuru agreed, letting out a pained sigh. "If anyone should have realized it, it should have been me."

"And me," Ryuichi also sighed. "I heard him and Ken leave last night, but I didn't go after them."

Junpei reached for a sandwich, letting out the third collective sigh. "I knew this wasn't a game, but I never thought it'd end up like this," he moaned. He just held the sandwich, not even bothering to bring it to his lips.

"There's no point in dwelling on the past," Akihiko said, keeping his gaze fixed on the table. "Shinji's last words were 'This is how it should be'. He was a hell of a guy. He even faced death head on. That's why, from this day forward, I'll face things head on, too."

Ryuichi nodded, in awe of Akihiko's resolve and Shinjiro's courage that held out to the end.

"That's cool, man," Junpei said softly, his voice filled with admiration.

"Senpai," Yukari uttered, but said nothing else after.

Heavy footsteps thundered overhead. Everyone looked up, tracing the noise to the stairs as Aigis came dashing into the lounge.

"Allow me to report: Amada-san is not in his room!" she informed them.

"He's not?"

"What?"

"There are indications that the window has been pried open," she told them all. At that, Fuuka ran to the front door and flung it open.

"Wait, Fuuka!" Yukari yelled, popping off the couch. "Do you know where he is?"

Fuuka was halfway out the door with her hand still on the handle. "Well, no," she answered in a small, panicked voice. "But we can't just let him go off on his own, right?"

"So where do you plan on looking?"

"I don't know!"

Fuuka's lip quivered as tears filled her eyes. "But, we have to find him! He must feel so alone!"

Yukari shook her head. "Fuuka," she said, trying to calm her down, but the other girl raised her voice.

"You of all people should understand!" she cried, shocking everyone. She flinched, as if startled by her own voice as she closed the door. With her other hand, she wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Akihiko stood and threw his school blazer over his shoulder. "Let Ken do what he wants," he growled at them. "Bringing him back won't change anything, and we can't keep treating him like a kid."

"Akihiko." Mitsuru stared at him in astonishment.

He turned to her next. "It's his choice. He's the only one who can decide how he's going to live his life. The same goes for all of us."

Akihiko's words resonated within Ryuichi. He sat quietly, meditating on what he had said, but somehow, his words felt like they were too far beyond his reach.

Akihiko stepped out, and Yukari busied herself comforting Fuuka. Ryuichi left the tea and sandwiches on the table to retire to his room, where he lay in bed for a long while before finally falling asleep. He dreamt about the moment they found Shinjiro dying in the alley until he awoke to Mitsuru knocking at his door.

"May I have a word with you?" she asked, and he called her in. He rolled onto his back, covering his face with his pillow as she stood over him.

"How's your leg?"

"It's fine."

"Then, how are you?"

He ignored her question. "What did you want to talk about?"

He heard his chair roll over to his bedside. "Yamagishi told me that she eavesdropped on Amada and Aragaki last night after she located them. She overheard them say that Amada's plan was to be a murder-suicide, so that confirms that he was planning to kill Aragaki to avenge his mother."

Ryuichi's chest was gripped by frozen claws. It was like he was being crushed slowly beneath freezing cold, where he could barely breathe.

"According to Yamagishi, she heard Strega demand who our support was, and Amada tried to offer himself up to protect both Aragaki and Yamagishi."

Ryuichi exhaled hotly into his pillow. "Does that mean he changed his mind about killing Shinjiro if he did it to save him and Fuuka?"

"It seems that way. I can only imagine that Aragaki said something to him that made him change his mind."

Ryuichi peeked out from under his pillow to look at her, seeing the dark bags under her eyes, the paleness of her face, and felt the heaviness in her rigid posture.

"You look terrible," he said, sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't really know," she replied, and the weight seemed to be crushing her, too. "So much happened last night that I don't know where to begin to process my thoughts."

"Well, talk to me about it," he said, getting to his feet. "Here, I'll go make some tea—"

"No. You sit and let your leg rest; I'll get the tea."

After Mitsuru left, Ryuichi sat in the stillness, thinking about what she had just told him. Something had to have happened between Ken and Shinjiro that prompted Ken to change his mind and attempt to sacrifice himself for Shinjiro and Fuuka. He began to believe that Shinjiro had indeed protected Ken, taking two fatal bullets for the boy's sake.

His mind wandered to all the things that his classmates and teachers said at school about Shinjiro, where everyone seemed to think that he was just a textbook "problem child" who ran wild for the hell of it. He shook his head at them all, none of them having any idea of the sacrifice he made to protect the person who intended to kill him for revenge. They didn't know. They couldn't know. They never would.

He was still lost in thought when Mitsuru returned with a tray of tea. She poured him a cup first, which he automatically took but didn't drink.

"Can I just say, thanks for getting our class to shut up earlier today?" he said to her as she took a seat.

"I couldn't just sit by and let them speak ill of him," she said, giving her teacup a few stirs before setting her teaspoon down. "I overheard what you told Hayabusa about Aragaki. I didn't know that you viewed him so highly."

Ryuichi lowered his face. "I didn't realize it either until she asked."

When he looked up again, she appeared to be deep in thought. "What's on your mind?"

"I was just thinking—But, it couldn't just be a coincidence—"

"Just say it. What's up?"

Mitsuru set aside her tea to cross one leg over the other. "These past few months, there have been reports of people being found shot dead late at night by a .50 caliber revolver."

"That's not a gun that anyone can wield so easily, nor is it so accessible," Ryuichi said, remembering shooting one once in training and almost dislocating his shoulder.

"That's right, and it's because it's such an unusual gun that makes it so strange as to why the police are having difficulty locating the one committing the murders. The newspapers say that the murders all took place late at night between eleven o'clock and midnight and in locations that are usually populated. Some of the witnesses say that they were just having a laugh with their friends around midnight, and in the blink of an eye, they were face-down dead on the ground. Autopsy reports would say that they had been dead for almost an hour by the time their bodies were discovered."

The tip of Ryuichi's tongue fuzzed when he burnt it on the scalding tea. "Let me guess: You think Strega's been going around killing people during the Dark Hour? Are there others besides us who are conscious during the Dark Hour, or are they just shooting coffins?"

"That's what I don't know," Mitsuru said, reaching for her teacup. "And what is their motive for killing others? That's of course operating under the assumption that they are the ones committing the murders, but seeing as we lost a friend of ours through the same means the murder victims died, it's not so difficult to connect the two.

"And worse still, they're taking advantage of the Dark Hour to cover their tracks. Whatever their reason is, we can't possibly know, and I'm sure Chidori won't say anything about it, either."

Ryuichi nodded, then realized that she avoided talking about how she felt in regards to Shinjiro's passing. "So, how do you feel?" he asked again.

She lowered her teacup from her lips. "I don't quite know how to put it in words," she said breathily. "We never saw eye-to-eye, but I would still call him a teammate of sorts."

They both fell silent, taking the time to sip some tea and let their numbed minds have a chance to rest. In the few minutes that they spoke, Ryuichi noticed that his tea had grown tepid from the coldness of his bedroom. He drank it anyway, and Mitsuru refilled his cup without asking him first.

"So, now that we know what Amada planned, what do you think of him now?" Mitsuru asked, pouring herself more tea.

Ryuichi tried to tug the wrinkles out of his rumpled shirt and failed miserably. "The kid still scares me," he told her. "I'll give him another chance, but he still scares the crap outta me. If he wants to come back, that's fine, but I hope he doesn't seek revenge on you or Akihiko or me next."

"I don't think he will," she said quietly. "Aragaki was the one he wanted to take his revenge on, as it was his Persona who killed his mother. He probably remembers only him and none of us. I understand your concerns, Ryuichi, and I appreciate your honesty and your willingness to give him another chance."

"Yeah, well, how about you? How do you feel about all this? What would you do with Ken?"

She squeezed her arm, somehow balancing her teacup on its saucer with her free hand. "To be honest, I wasn't sure myself of what to do with him," she said. "I wasn't sure if the others would feel safe working with him after what happened, but we would be losing another Persona-user by letting him go. His desire for revenge is understandable, but as you said before, his being so young makes his plot to seek revenge terrifying."

"So...?"

Mitsuru didn't look up. "I think I want to give him a second chance, too, but like you, I would only grant it if he's willing to come back. I won't force him to stay, not especially if he makes you or the others uncomfortable."

After all that, Ryuichi still didn't know how Mitsuru felt about Shinjiro's passing, but even he wasn't sure where to begin to understand how he felt about it, either.

The next day, everyone gathered in the lounge in the evening to discuss whether or not they should look for Ken. He had been missing for a whole day, and some of them were beginning to worry. The team was split on whether or not they should search for him, but just as Fuuka announced that she was going to try to find him, Ken entered the dorm shivering, pale, but otherwise unharmed. Fuuka hurried to him with a big hug that he didn't return. The look on his face seemed to say that he thought himself unworthy of such a warm welcome.

"Amada, are you able to fight?" Mitsuru asked him in a stern voice once the others finished telling him how worried they were.

Ken looked to her with determination in his eyes. "Yes," he answered dutifully. "I won't run off again."

Mitsuru told him that she would have to talk to Ikutsuki about him staying, but it looked like it was already decided. She told him to go upstairs and rest, to which he agreed.

"And take a bath!" Junpei teased. Yukari slapped his arm. "Hey! It's cold out there, so he should warm up before he catches a cold!"

Ryuichi stood by the far end of the front desk, watching as Ken started towards him to head to the stairs. He stood hunched with his crutches, briefly meeting the boy's eyes until Ken cast his gaze to the ground. As he passed by, Ryuichi said to him: "I'll have dinner ready when you're done with your bath."

Ken looked up to him and nodded. "Thank you, Okazaki-san," he murmured in a hollow voice, and continued towards the stairs.

Ryuichi watched him go, noticing a change in him. He didn't feel the ominous aura he had before, and as gloomy as he was right then, it felt as though he was determined to earn his place back with everyone. He was like metal purified in fire, stronger than ever before.

Mitsuru came up beside Ryuichi, keeping her eyes on the boy.

"Does he still bother you?" she asked him softly so the others wouldn't hear.

"No," he sighed, hanging his head. "I take back what I said before; he belongs here with us."

"What made you change your mind?"

He exhaled heavily. "He's different now," he replied. "Like, he's grown, somehow. He's completely different from before."

Mitsuru looked to him now. "Are you okay with that? If you're still not comfortable having him around, you can tell me."

"I'm fine," he told her. "Besides, we all deserve a second chance every now and then, don't we?"

By the time Ken came back downstairs from his bath, everyone was gathered around the dinner table with plates of omurice in front of them. They called Ken over to join them, and everyone peppered him with questions on his whereabouts.

"Sheesh, Ken-kun. You shouldn't make us worry like that," Yukari scolded him like an older sister.

"We were so worried about you," Fuuka piped up. "I was about to go search for you."

Across the table, Junpei giggled to himself. "It's true what they say about bad boys," he remarked. "They really do get all the ladies."

For the first time in days, they all managed weak chuckles at Junpei's joke, relief numbing their pain for the moment. Even Ken managed a faint smile through his mouthful of omelet, joining in the conversations and letting them know that his Persona had transformed into Kala-Nemi.

"You, too?" Akihiko asked him in amazement. "Polydeuces also transformed. He's Caesar now, and he's stronger than before."

The others marveled at the news, asking how and why their Personas were able to change. Mitsuru didn't have the answers for them, telling them that it had never occurred before.

"I suspect it has to do with a person's resolve," was all she could offer, and it seemed clear to everyone that the recent events were the cause.

They weren't defeated by the loss of Shinjiro, but it dealt a blow to them that a few smiles and laughter couldn't heal right away. The wound was still too fresh, and as dinner progressed, the conversations grew cold. Ken was the first to leave the table, eating only half of his omurice. The others couldn't finish their meals, either, saying instead that they would have it for breakfast the next day.

Time was too cruel, marching ahead and dragging them with it while they were still trying to make sense of Shinjiro's death. All they could do was press on and hope that next month, the horrors they had been living through would finally end.

 **End of Arc 2**


	62. Chapter 62

**Arc 3**

 **Chapter 62**

Exams were less than a week away, but no one was in any mood to study. The dorm was so quiet that Mitsuru decided it was best for Ryuichi to study with her up on the second floor, where they could spread their books out on the long table and work with no distractions. Ryuichi didn't mind the change in scenery, especially since he didn't have to sit on the floor anymore with his injured leg sticking out awkwardly when they studied in his room. As grateful as he was to Mitsuru for pushing him to focus on his studies, the loss of Shinjiro was still too fresh a wound to him and to everyone else in the dorm.

"Cast aside your feelings for now and focus on the task at hand," she told him. "I know it's difficult, given the circumstances, but you have to try."

"Yeah," he sighed, not feeling the urgency for his studies.

Mitsuru pushed him harder than ever this time. He made so many mistakes that he kept apologizing to her every time she had to correct him. He struggled to keep up with her intensity as they reviewed the stuff they went over last week, but he eventually started to catch on. Concepts, names, dates, events, equations—All became familiar when Mitsuru immersed him so deeply in his studies that he didn't notice when anyone passed them to go to the bathroom or get a snack. The only time he was roused from his concentration was when Kikuno arrived with Mitsuru's dinner, and Mitsuru informed him that he should also eat something and get some rest.

The next day after school, he went with her to the school library, where every table was full of students hunched over their notes. Mitsuru had Ryuichi wait by the librarian's desk at the center of the room while she searched for a table, so he wouldn't have to wear himself out on his crutches. He tracked her with his eyes as she went around, and as she headed for the tables furthest from the entrance, he spotted Shiori waving to him. He saw that there was only one open seat at her table, so he smiled in apologetic appreciation and declined her offer with a wave just as Mitsuru returned from her search.

"I'm afraid there aren't any seats for us," she said, disappointed.

"That's okay," he replied. "We'll just have to study at home, then."

Back at the dorm, Ryuichi brought out the small cake he made the previous night and made some tea before heading to his room to check on his leg. The wound had closed already, but the flesh underneath still ached, especially when he put weight on his leg. The numerous cuts and scrapes on his body had long since scabbed over, so it was only his leg that still bothered him.

They had less than an hour to study together, as Ryuichi was expected to still show up for work. Mitsuru offered to confirm for his parents that he had sustained an injury that would prevent him from working effectively, but he told her that she was going to start losing credibility with his family if she kept getting him off work, even if he really was injured.

Their study session went by too quickly. Ryuichi was soon back in his father's restaurant, balancing himself on one crutch while his right hand manipulated the spatula at the grill. Anyone who asked about his leg was told a lie, that he had been riding his bicycle when he was hit by a car that drove off without stopping to help. When asked why he was riding his bicycle and not his motorcycle, he told them that he was just out for a short ride to the store for a snack as a break from his studies.

His injury didn't spare him from his father's complaints. While he worked, Toshio wouldn't stop telling him what an idiot he was for getting hit by a car. In a firm, forceful voice, Toshio told him how he could have avoided getting injured, naming numerous possibilities and treating all of his suggestions as solid fact. Shortly after, he started complaining about Shizue, offering nothing new to convince Ryuichi that his sister was completely at fault for the restaurant's failures.

The next day, he was still on crutches when he went to watch Megumi. His sister acknowledged his injured leg once before launching into another series of complaints about their parents.

"Hey, you don't look so good. Everything okay?"

Her sudden change in topic and tone surprised him. He drew in a breath, finding himself staring out the window as the rain fell. Megumi wriggled in his arms, grabbing his thumb and holding on tight.

"You've been pretty quiet this whole time," Shizue said to him. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

Ryuichi looked back to the rain outside. "I lost a friend this past Sunday. He died protecting another friend of ours."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier? Ryu-chan, I'm sorry."

She sat down next to him and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry, Ryu-chan," she said again. "I'm so, so sorry. Do you wanna talk about it? Here, I'll make some tea."

He wasn't sure what to talk about, not having planned a fake story to cover up what really happened. Shizue took Megumi from him, freeing up his hands while he stared out the window some more. He sipped the tea his sister made for him, watching the rain continue to fall. For now, all he wanted was the quiet, to just listen to the patter of rain.

"Ryu-chan, mind if I ask you something?"

He turned to her, sipping his tea without a word.

"Well, it's just, sometimes it gets pretty scary here, living by myself, so I was wondering if it's okay if a friend of mine from college could rent a room here with me."

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at her. "A friend from college?"

"She's the good one! I swear!" Shizue blurted out. "Actually, she's the one who tried to get me to stop going to those kinds of parties. When I was too scared to leave my apartment, she would come check on me all the time and brought me food. She's looking for a place closer to where she works, so I thought I'd offer her a room here, if that's okay with you. She's willing to pay rent, too!"

"You already told her about it?"

"Well, I mean, it was just an idea. Oh, and she's great with kids, too. Her parents had a baby when she was in middle school, so she had to help take care of her little brother all the time.

"Please, Little Bro?" she begged. "She works in an office on Port Island, but she lives three cities away. It's just more practical if she lives here."

Ryuichi wasn't in any mood to think about letting someone he didn't know into his house. "I'll think about it," he said, but never touched the thought again that night.

On Saturday after school, Ryuichi and Mitsuru headed straight for the dorm without bothering to check the library. He no longer needed his crutches, feeling just a tiny twinge in his leg when he walked, but it was so minute that he hardly cared for it. They went for the second floor common area once again to study and already solved a calculus problem when their dorm mates returned from school.

"How the hell are you guys so fast?" Junpei griped when he saw them already at work.

"We're not fast," Ryuichi said without looking up. "You're just slow."

"Tch. Whatever."

He slammed the door to his room. Ryuichi was glad he left so he could focus on his studies in the short time he had before he was needed at work. Moments later, Junpei came out with one of his books and asked for help.

"This one?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah. Could you help me, please?"

"Certainly. Have a seat."

That was just the beginning. Yukari came up next, then Fuuka, then Minato and Aigis. Akihiko came out of his room to complain about all the noise they were making, but quickly joined the study session, bringing all his books out and taking a seat. Ryuichi soon found himself tutoring them with Mitsuru and Minato, the three of them getting pulled every which way to help their friends with their studies while trying to not trip on Koromaru, who laid down on the floor next to the table. The most difficult one to teach was Aigis, who asked questions for things that should have been learned back in elementary school. None of the basics had been implemented into her system, it seemed.

"Ryuichi, shouldn't you be heading to work by now?" Mitsuru asked him at one point.

He checked his phone and groaned. "Yeah, you're right," he said, but was in no hurry to go.

"It's all right. We still have Monday to study, so please take care of yourself."

He wished them all good luck in their studies before heading out. When he arrived at the restaurant, he saw people fleeing the building. His father's and sister's shouts grew louder each time the door opened, and softened when it closed.

"—at least she's trying to teach me something!" Shizue yelled at their father.

"You can't even put the right orders out!" Toshio boomed at her. "You wanna learn how to run the restaurant, but you can't even do the simplest things!"

"You never notice when I do something right! You only have something to say when I mess up!"

"Everything you do is wrong! If you do it right, I'll notice!"

"You haven't noticed at all! You need to get your head out of your ass!"

"Don't you talk to me like that!"

"Why not? You do it to us all the time!"

Ryuichi quickly ushered his father and sister to the office and shut the door behind them.

"Guys, you need to stop arguing in front of the customers," he said to them both as calmly as he could manage.

Toshio flared his nostrils. "Your sister was messing around on the computer when she should've been cooking burgers—Which she still isn't cooking right!"

"Because nobody likes it the way _you_ cook it!" she shot back. "And I wasn't goofing off! I was—"

"You have to cook it through or else people can get sick!" Toshio raged, cutting her off. "You know what happened to my friend in Texas? Someone got sick and sued him! His restaurant got shut down! Do you want that to happen to us?"

Shizue started to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

"We're not putting out raw food, Dad," Ryuichi tried to reason with him. "We cook it to the point where it's cooked through, but it's still juicy. Just look at—"

"I told you to cook it the way I taught you! If you can't do that, then I don't want either of you on the grill!"

Toshio threw the office door open. "You're both fired!" he yelled, causing fat veins to pop out on his forehead and neck. "Get out! I don't need you two screwing things up anymore!"

"That's fine with me! Fuck this place!" Shizue hollered at him.

She stormed out first. Ryuichi felt like his chest had caved in, but held a stoic face as he left the office.

"I had high hopes for you, Ryuichi," Toshio told his son as he passed by. "Now I can't even trust you."

Ryuichi kept his head down as he continued out to the kitchen. Their newest and youngest worker, Risa, fearfully approached him first.

"Please don't go," she squeaked. "We'll fail without you."

"I'm sorry, Risa-chan," Ryuichi said to her. "I guess the best you and the others can do is just do everything Dad says from now on."

He turned to the rest of the staff. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said, bowing. "I apologize for my family's behavior."

The others pleaded with him to stay, telling him that they read the reviews online and saw the customers' reactions whenever they ate the food. Ryuichi kept telling them that there was nothing he could do, and when he lingered for too long, Toshio yelled at him to leave again. The customers all watched as Ryuichi left. Some of them left after him.

When he returned to the dorm, he found Mitsuru and Minato still frantically trying to tutor their friends, with Fuuka taking on the monumental task of tutoring Aigis. He took a quick peek at them from the stairs and left for his room before they could see him, figuring he would fare better with his studies if he didn't have any distractions.

He couldn't focus. He had suspected that his father would fire him eventually over the burgers, but he didn't anticipate that it would hurt as badly as it did right then. He wasn't mad at his father, strangely enough, instead feeling overwhelming guilt for breaking his father's trust. Regret nibbled at him, making him question why he even bothered to go against his father's cooking style at all. As if that wasn't enough to worry about, he feared for the workers, knowing that things were only going to get worse for them.

And of course, not long after finally settling down to study, his sister called in a rage.

"Did you see the reviews?" she yelled at him. "We got some new ones, and now people think the place is serving raw burgers! Dad thinks he knows best, but he keeps forgetting we're not in fucking America!"

Ryuichi turned on his laptop to check the reviews online. Shizue was right about there being concern among the patrons about raw meat being served, while others complained about the burgers being dry and disgusting.

"If the restaurant fails, he can't blame us for it anymore!" she shouted haughtily. "He did that to himself! Maybe if he learned to cook a damn burger for once, he'd—How'd he even sell so many before with dry, nasty burgers?"

"What if the burgers were always dry and I screwed it up by making them juicy?" Ryuichi sighed.

She hesitated. "I do kinda remember him cooking them all dry when we were kids, but hell, that's like fourteen years of him putting crap out for the customers. All you did was help the blind see what they were missing by cooking them all juicy!"

He heard her typing something on her keyboard. "Okay, according to a bunch of professional cooks, you were cooking the burgers right. Dad's just so delusional that he thinks it's impossible for his son to cook anything better than him!"

"I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate that, but that still doesn't change the fact that he fired us both because of me," Ryuichi sighed.

"Getting fired might be the best thing to happen to me," she gleefully told him. "Like I said before, Dad was driving me crazy! Hell, he drove Mom so crazy that she and I actually started bonding whenever I brought Megumi over. We'd actually vent together!"

Ryuichi was shocked when he heard that. "Yeah, but now you need to find another job."

"That's fine. I got my work experience as a server, so I can probably work at Chagall, or something."

He scrolled down further on the page, reading more reviews. "You're pretty upbeat about getting fired," he noticed.

"Because now I don't have to deal with him anymore. Why're you so unhappy about it? Didn't you wanna go back to your normal job with Mitsuru-san?"

"I do. I just hate that we left things like that with Dad."

His sister still had plenty more to say. She vented about their parents and the restaurant, cracked a few jokes, laughed at some of the reviews online that ridiculed their father, and all without apology.

"I don't find that funny," Ryuichi grumbled after a time.

"Why not? After all that shit they put us through? I'm just dealing with the pain with laughter. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?"

Ryuichi shook his head. "That restaurant is the reason why you were able to attend college. I have to work to give myself that option."

He hung up. "And you wonder why Mom and Dad are so pissed at you," he sighed.

His phone rang, and when he saw it was his sister again, he ignored it. She called him two more times before giving up.

He looked through more reviews. There were some that advised others to "look out for the owner's son" who came in the afternoons, letting them know that Ryuichi made the burgers "juicy and delicious". Another questioned Toshio's credibility as a chef in regards to the burgers, but also praised him by saying that his barbecue was the best they ever had. More complained about the constant yelling, the belittling, and the drama that went on in the kitchen. Some shared the best days and times to go to the restaurant, and expressed that they would only go to pick up food instead of staying and eating. Some refused to step into the restaurant anymore.

He frowned at the overall rating. They had dipped from a respectable three-and-a-half stars to just a little under two.

"What's the point?" he asked himself as he shut off his laptop. "We can't run a restaurant like this, so maybe getting fired really was best for all of us."

Despite saying that, he couldn't tear his worries away from his family and the restaurant as he attempted once again to immerse himself in his studies. Exams were still coming up in a few days, and he couldn't afford to get sidetracked. He remembered Mitsuru's advice to push his emotions and worries aside for the time being, straining against the thoughts that penetrated his concentration each time.

It didn't work. Through all the hand-copied notes, the flashcards, and the practice problems, Ryuichi often glanced up to see the numbers on his clock tell him that time only crawled in small increments towards the next hour. The first few hours went in that manner, but eventually he found his rhythm and focused on his studies long enough to get some actual work done.

Hours later, he sat up and arched his back to feel the series of pops all up and down his spine. Yawning, he found satisfaction in his hard work when he remembered all that had transpired only hours before. A heaviness overcame him, where the contentment he felt from his accomplishment was replaced with worry and woe. He could still hear the wrath of his father in his mind until voices in the lounge caught his attention.

"—I mean, I think I should be okay if I just spend tomorrow and Monday studying, but it feels like my head's about to explode."

"You did very well on those practice quizzes, so I'm sure you'll do fine during the exams."

It was Yukari and Mitsuru he heard. He recognized the sound of plates being set out on the coffee table, the tinkling of a teaspoon stirring tea, and forks clattering against plates.

"Um, we didn't crash your studies today, did we? Sorry if we did."

"It was no trouble at all. If anything, tutoring everyone was like review for me, so it was a good way to recall concepts that overlap with what we're going to be tested on."

"I guess so. But, ugh, enough about studying. I need to work out a few kinks and take it out on some Shadows."

"That sounds like a good idea, but Ryuichi hasn't returned yet, and I imagine he might be worse for wear."

"Yikes. Not to mention Strega's out there, but—Who would've thought they'd be capable of, um, you know—?"

"Yeah."

A pause. "But, why didn't they attack us before? They knew what we were doing, but they didn't try to stop us."

"It's probably due to our numbers. They may have been observing us first, and when Aragaki and Amada were vulnerable, that's when they decided it was the optimal time to strike."

Ryuichi closed up his notes. He stretched his arms up and out, rolled his shoulders, and arched his spine backwards and forwards to loosen up a little more. Sighing, he decided it was time to make his appearance. He emerged from his room and let out an exaggerated yawn that made the two jump.

"When did you get in?" a surprised Mitsuru asked as she got up from her chair. "I didn't hear your motorcycle."

"I came in hours ago," he groaned through a stretch, approaching them both.

"What? Hours ago? What about work?" asked Yukari.

"Oh, that? Yeah, I got fired today."

"You what?"

Shrugging, he took a spot on the couch and yawned again. "Yup. Dad thinks that Shizue and I were out to poison his customers by serving perfectly cooked and juicy burgers instead of the dried, crumbly leather he serves, so he fired both of us."

Yukari had a bewildered look as she studied him. "Um, you seem pretty happy about that."

His guilt tugged at him, but he covered it by keeping his voice casual. "Well, getting fired never feels good, but I guess I'm kinda glad, since I don't have to deal with the restaurant anymore."

"And so, you were in your room this entire time?" Mitsuru asked in a questioning tone.

"I've been studying since I got home," he said, pushing himself to sound proud of his accomplishment. "Except for the first hour when Shizue called to talk about what happened."

He fell silent, getting consumed by his guilt. He didn't have long to think about it, as his phone started to ring on his desk where he left it.

"Excuse me for a sec." He hurried back to his room to see "Mom" flash on the small outer screen. Bracing himself, he answered.

"Hi, Mom."

"What did you and your sister do?" were the first words out of Ayumi's mouth.

He closed his bedroom door as he began the story of how they got fired. It wasn't a very long story, but he kept insisting that the people who reviewed the restaurant had a lot of negatives to say about it, from the food to Toshio's and Shizue's endless arguments.

"Then why didn't you just cook the burgers the way he said to?" she demanded. "You already knew he wanted it a certain way, so why not do it his way?"

"Because the customers hated it that way," Ryuichi repeated for the fourth time. "They complained that the meat was too dry, so I started cooking it so it's cooked through but still juicy."

"Your father's been cooking those burgers the same way for years. You love those burgers, so what made you think it needed changing?"

"Because even back then, I felt like it was weird how dry they were. We have to think about the customers, Mom, and they want burgers as juicy as the barbecue."

"They were buying the food just fine! Why is it only now that they don't like it?"

"Oh, it's not just only now, Mom," he said, propping his feet up on his bed. "They haven't liked it for a while."

Somehow, his mother ranted about him having never wanted to work at the restaurant in the first place, saying that he was purposefully trying to bring it down just so he wouldn't have to work there anymore. She accused him of hating the very establishment that allowed him to attend a good school, take piano lessons, and provided him with food to eat, giving him a more seething and lengthy version of what he told Shizue just hours before. All he could do was let her talk.

When she was finally done, Ryuichi stepped back out of his room into an empty lounge. Yukari and Mitsuru had already gone up to their rooms, allowing Ryuichi to breathe a little without them bombarding him with more questions about what happened. He dragged his feet to the kitchen to finally get something to nibble on, though it was more to distract himself from his thoughts than for nourishment.

It took him all evening to even begin to accept that his own father had fired him, and now all he could think about was what his mother told him over the phone. She left him with the promise that she would talk to his father to see if he would be willing to let him and his sister work at the restaurant again, and on top of that, she urged Ryuichi to apologize to his father and ask for his job back, so that it at least looked like he wanted to return. He didn't have the heart to tell his mother that he had no desire to work for his father again.

He took out a cup of instant noodles to fill with boiling water. Unsurprisingly, only air spurted from the water boiler, as someone had forgotten to refill it for the next person. He held back curses in case it was Mitsuru who used it last, and as he finished refilling it, all the lights went out when the Dark Hour started.

"Well isn't that peachy," he muttered, standing in total darkness. He left everything and went back to his room, his shins making sure to find some furniture on the way back.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63**

The next morning while checking his notes with Mitsuru's, Ryuichi received a call from his mother that he knew was bound to come sometime. He held his head in his hand as Ayumi told him that his father wanted both him and Shizue back at the restaurant in time to start their shifts.

Ryuichi checked his phone for the time. "Um, my shift starts in less than ten minutes, Mom," he told her. "I don't think I'm going to make it in—"

"Just get here as soon as possible," she urged him. "And when you get here, be sure to do everything _exactly_ as your father tells you."

She hung up before he could protest. Ryuichi closed his phone, groaning as he set his face down on his notebook.

"Next time, don't fire so many people at the same time," he muttered, then sat up to start packing his things.

Next to him, Mitsuru set her pencil down and had a look of concern etched on her face.

"You're going, aren't you?"

"What choice do I have? They give the orders and they expect me to obey."

"You have the choice to refuse, don't you? You don't have to acquiesce just because they're your parents."

"It's because they're my parents that I don't have a choice." He got up from the table. "Sorry about today. Thanks for all your help."

As he headed for the stairs, Mitsuru stood up. "There's still tomorrow," she reminded him. "We can study then, so don't feel like it's too late for you to get a good score."

For her, he put on his best smile. "Thank you. Whatever score I get, I owe you big."

She returned his smile with a determined nod. "Then let's make it a celebration for when you score within the top ten."

It was a high goal, but after two weeks of getting tutored by her, scoring at least within the top ten didn't seem all that impossible anymore. He wanted to succeed for her, to show her that all her efforts weren't wasted. Even after Shinjiro's death and everything his family put him through, he had to do what Mitsuru did and push through the agony to come out on top.

...Or at least in second place.

At the restaurant, almost every last shred of his determination died away the moment his father opened his mouth.

"—because you refused to follow what I said before! Ever since your mother made me take an extra day off and put you in charge, our burgers haven't been selling well! Why? Because you went ahead and let your pride get in the way! You thought you knew better than your old man, but all you ended up doing was screwing up and chasing away customers! Now _I_ have to clean up the mess you made, so you'd better follow my directions this time!"

"Yes, Dad."

"Good! Now, get to work and do it right!"

It was as if his love for cooking had been eviscerated by the man who first taught him how to cook. When Ryuichi laid down the burger patties, there was no fervor, no pride in his work. Whenever his father told him to press down on the meat with his spatula or with the weight, it was like squishing his own baby to get the juices out and give it a nasty char.

Shizue showed up past noon, more than two hours after Ryuichi received the call from their mother. Ryuichi anticipated that she would receive a similar speech from their father for all the staff and all the patrons to witness. When she arrived, all Toshio did was throw an apron at her and told her to "Get to work and do it right" without raising his voice. The lack of his father's rage from before made Ryuichi want to take one of the burger weights and smash himself in the head with it.

Every burger he cooked, Toshio inspected before sending it out. He would remark that Ryuichi could have cooked it a little more, or that it was passable, but never said anything if he made the burger to his liking. The whole day, Ryuichi kept his head down and murmured a "Yes, Dad" whenever he was told to do something. He noticed that Shizue was doing the same. They never spoke to each other unless it was necessary, and even the other workers were more subdued than usual.

"Not bad, but you can do better," Toshio said to his son by the end of the day. "See, that's how you please the customers! All you had to do was follow what I said. You just can't beat good old-fashioned experience!"

It was the most peaceful day of work Ryuichi could ever recall. He hated every moment of it.

The next day after school, Mitsuru made sure that she and Ryuichi were uninterrupted in their studies, where they wouldn't have to tutor their dorm mates, nor would they get kicked out of the library at closing time. They studied up in Mitsuru's room, where no one could barge in on them, no one would dare to knock on her door to ask for help, and there was plenty of room for them to work. Their only break was for dinner, and Mitsuru had Kikuno bring a meal for Ryuichi, as well.

"Wow. I was only expecting to have instant noodles tonight," he said when he saw the slices of seared duck Kikuno brought.

"I never would have forgiven myself if you failed due to an empty stomach," Mitsuru murmured darkly. Ryuichi made sure to eat every last scrap of food given to him to make sure that Mitsuru didn't worry too much.

The week of exams went by. Ryuichi survived both exams and his family, but after the last exam on Saturday, he kept making simple mistakes at work. To make things worse, Toshio didn't take the day off like he was supposed to, and stuck around to yell at Ryuichi every time he made a mistake. It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go right, no matter how many times he tried. He just hoped that his exams weren't as riddled with mistakes as his sloppy kitchen work.

The following Monday during lunchtime, the exam results were posted. One of their classmates came running into the classroom to let them all know that it was time to see their scores. Ryuichi kept his head down on his desk, not wanting to know.

"Come now, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said, already on her feet. "Whatever your score, you worked very hard for it, given the circumstances."

He got up from his desk. "Yes, Boss," he muttered, keeping his head down as he followed her out into the hallway.

On the stairs, one of their classmates bumped into Mitsuru. Her foot slipped, and as she fell, Ryuichi's hand shot out, pulling her to safety.

"Th-Thank you." She smoothed out her blouse and skirt. "Impressive, Ryuichi. Your reflexes are as sharp as ever."

He didn't respond. He kept his head down all the way to the faculty office, where students clustered to see their rankings. One girl ran back to her friends cheering "I'm not the worst!" and was congratulated for her accomplishment. When they reached the crowd, Ryuichi lifted his head and had to lean over to see around a very tall second-year boy. As expected, Mitsuru's name was at the top of the senior list, continuing her flawless streak. He searched for his name next, feeling a strong shock of panic surge to his stomach when he couldn't find it.

"There you are!" Mitsuru exclaimed.

He squinted hard at the board. "Where?"

"Near the top. Do you see it?"

"Near the—" It took him a few moments to realize that he had skipped over the first few slots below Mitsuru's name. There was his name right beneath hers in the number two spot, a position he had not held since finals of their second year.

"Congratulations, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said to him with a proud smile on her face. "You worked hard for that position despite all your setbacks. I knew you could do it."

He lowered his face once again, making sure his fedora covered his blushing face.

"Couldn't have done it without you," he mumbled.

He had done it once again, but there was little enjoyment in his victory. He was too brain-dead, too exhausted to care much at all.

"Congratulations on getting the highest score, Mitsuru," he said to her, forcing his face into a weary smile. "So, how would you like to celebrate?"

They left the packed hallway, some students brushing their arms against theirs in passing. Ryuichi closed his eyes briefly when they got stuck in the traffic, but forced them open when he started to fall asleep. He knew he was tired, but he wasn't about to take away Mitsuru's victory just so he could rest.

"After everything we've gone through, I think I would like to just go home and watch a movie to relax," Mitsuru said with a satisfied sigh. "Would you care to join me?"

It sounded like a good idea to him. "Wanna order a pizza while we're at it?"

He witnessed the elation spread across her face. "Shall we share one?" she suggested.

By the time school let out, the clouds had overtaken the sky and sprinkled gentle raindrops over the artificial island. Some of the students had to run out into the rain with their bags held overhead while others were prepared with their umbrellas. Two girls pressed in close underneath a single umbrella that was clearly meant only for one, and one of them kept playfully bumping her hips against her friend's as if to knock her into the rain. Her friend returned the bump in kind, the two giggling.

When they reached the shoe lockers, Mitsuru excused herself and headed towards the faculty hallway, where Ryuichi figured she was going to use the restroom. He changed his shoes and prepared his umbrella, watching other students leave as he waited by the front doors. Already, he cringed at the thought of packing onto a train filled with soaked people and their drenched umbrellas.

He didn't have to wait long for Mitsuru to return, but he was surprised to see Minato also emerge from the faculty hallway. The junior tucked something away into his pocket before changing his shoes, and with a quick nod to Ryuichi, he left ahead of the seniors.

"Sorry for the wait," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi when she was ready.

When they arrived at the train station, the platform was already crowded with people eager to get on the train. Ryuichi and Mitsuru hung out at the rear, away from the mass of people that pressed forward, ready to hurl themselves into the train the moment it arrived.

"So, shall we talk toppings while we wait?" Ryuichi asked, glancing towards Mitsuru's direction. As freezing as the weather was steadily becoming, she still refused to wear her uniform jacket. "Um, aren't you cold?"

She let out a small chuckle. "You've known me for how many years and you still ask me that?"

He shrugged. "Okay, but that pretty much says I can make fun of you whenever you do feel cold."

"I won't give you the satisfaction."

"I accept your challenge."

The platform trembled as the train neared. Everyone except Ryuichi and Mitsuru surged forward, a few of their toes crossing the yellow safety line. They watched as the train pulled into the station, and just as the doors opened, everyone shot forward, shoving, trying to grab something to pull themselves inside the cars. Those who were quick enough planted themselves firmly into seats while others grasped for overhead straps—not that it mattered, since they would all be crammed too tightly to not even get jostled during the ride. Any passengers who arrived at Port Island somehow managed to slip out of the train before they could get trapped by the incoming flood of new passengers.

The station crew began throwing their weight against those who were still stuck outside the train, wedging in as many people as possible until the doors closed. Through the large windows, it was clear to see that everyone was packed so tightly that there were even some struggling to not sit on the laps of strangers.

Ryuichi ushered Mitsuru to the yellow line when it was clear. "There's another big group coming, so we'd better get ready," he whispered to her.

She glanced back to the entrance. People were shaking down their wet umbrellas and wringing out their soaked hair and jackets, coming in droves.

"So, which course of action should we take?" Mitsuru asked.

He tried to imagine the safest spots on the train. "I think the seats nearest the doors might be best," he told her. "Or any seats for that matter."

"All right, we'll aim for the seats nearest the doors," she agreed. "Now, what were you saying about toppings? Are you referring to blouses?"

He wanted so badly to press his palm to his face. "Pizza _toppings_ , not tops," he corrected her, and he could see the flustered blush blossom on her face.

"O-Oh. Yes, um, well, what are our options?" she asked, her cool demeanor crumbling quickly. Ryuichi found it cute.

"We can look online, since there's a lot to choose from," he offered. He leaned in and added, "And for the record, you _can't_ wear them—Oof!"

Her elbow caught him in the ribs. It was obvious she was trying to hide her embarrassment, but it still shone through her frown.

"Can I file a report for boss abuse?" he joked, rubbing where she struck.

"And turn it in to whom, exactly?" she asked in amusement. "Your boss will simply say 'you deserved it'."

"Gee. Thanks, Boss."

The next wave of passengers began to crowd around them, squishing in close on the platform. Ryuichi scooted over so he stood behind Mitsuru to block her from potential danger.

"You seem to be in better spirits now," Mitsuru remarked as they waited. "Or perhaps you were just exhausted earlier?"

"Both," he admitted, his frown returning.

"Oh? What helped you lift your mood?"

"A certain boss thinking you wear things that go on pizza," he teased. She struck again with her elbow, but he guarded with his bag.

"I'll never live that down, will I?" she sighed as she lowered her arm.

"Nope! And before you ask, ranch dressing is not a gown—Ow!"

Her strike didn't hurt, but just caught him off-guard. "In my defense, you started the pun war," he protested.

"I did no such thing." She crossed her arms with such vehemence that Ryuichi swore he saw some people shudder from the cold she exuded just then.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." Ryuichi looked back to the others on the platform, seeing a blend of people in suits, fellow Gekkoukan students, and people weighed down with grocery bags. "So, what movie are we watching?"

She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Well, what do you feel like watching?"

There was a definite change in her tone, one that wasn't annoyed at all.

"Not sure," he replied. "What's a good genre to watch after surviving two of the worst weeks of my life?"

"That's a good question. Personally, I'm in the mood for a feel-good movie that doesn't require too much thought," she answered honestly.

He blinked. "Porn?"

She shot him a glare so icy his chest seized up, leaving him gasping for air. "I was kidding!" he yelped, and she relented.

Somehow, they managed to hold a conversation without Ryuichi cracking a dumb joke that would have been deserving of another elbow from Mitsuru. When the platform rumbled again, there was a change in energy all around them, with everyone consumed by a competitive spirit to secure a spot on the train. Ryuichi bounced slightly on his toes to warm up.

"Get ready!" he told Mitsuru.

When the doors opened, he gently pushed Mitsuru forward to enter first, the two claiming the seats just inside the door. Ryuichi took the outer edge nearest the doors while Mitsuru planted herself firmly next to him, and the wave of passengers surged inside, filling in the furthest corners of the car. One rider knocked Ryuichi's fedora off his head, but Mitsuru managed to catch it before it got trampled underfoot. When people started to crowd them, Ryuichi held out a protection arm over Mitsuru. He grimaced as one older man's butt pressed against the inside of his elbow. A disgusting warmth spread on his sleeve from the man's rain-soaked clothes.

"It's all right, Ryuichi," Mitsuru told him as his muscles strained against the flood of passengers.

"Not with this crowd, it ain't," he grunted. He shuddered when someone's damp jacket brushed his hand.

The ride was only about five minutes long, but it was a long, agonizing five minutes. Ryuichi braced his back against the wall for leverage while he pushed the other passengers away from Mitsuru. His arms and shoulders burned, weakening the longer he held them up. When his elbow dipped, Mitsuru supported his arm the rest of the way.

"Thank you for your efforts, but it really wasn't necessary," Mitsuru said to him once they got off the train.

As much as his muscles burned, he did his best to not show it by letting his arms swing normally at his sides. "And let you get a face full of that old man's ass?" he asked, grinning.

At that, Mitsuru didn't argue further.

During the walk back to the dorm, Ryuichi told Mitsuru of all the available pizza toppings he could remember, mostly to keep her from getting trodden by her guilt for letting him hold the other passengers at bay. She listened intently, wanting to try everything while verbally trying to figure out which flavors would go best together. She consulted Ryuichi's opinion a few times, asking what his favorite toppings were.

"I can choose the crust, too?"

"Yeah." He began to think that he should have just waited to show her the website. "Thin crust, hand-tossed, pan, deep dish, stuffed crust, and their featured crust for this month is apparently squid ink. I've never had it before, so I don't know if it's any good."

He told her about the different sauces, cheeses, and sides, but all he did was confuse her. When they made it back to the dorm, Ryuichi showed her the website so she could see for herself all the possible combinations she could make. When he saw the shock on her face, he pulled out his desk chair to let her sit and process the vastness of the menu.

"How do you decide what you want?" she asked, stunned.

"Well, I've had a preference for many years now, so I guess that helped me figure what I like," he said with a shrug. "I guess it just means that you have many years' worth of pizza to sample."

He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Good luck."

She waved him off. "Do you already know what you're ordering?" she asked. "I can probably order something different from you so that we can maximize the different combinations. Look here—if we order two pizzas and do this option, it would be as though we are making four different pizzas if we choose to customize the two halves differently."

Mitsuru smiled, and as tired as he was, Ryuichi had some appreciation for how much she seemed to be enjoying herself. She kept changing her orders, taking out a pencil and paper so she could keep track of what she already put on another half, and occasionally consulted Ryuichi on his opinions of how a combination might taste.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, I'll give you half of my pizza to make however you want, but I still get my half!" he laughed when she started working on the second pizza.

"Sorry." She deleted the items she already put on the second pie.

"No, you can keep that. Just save me the last half."

Mitsuru muttered to herself as she worked, treating each section of the pizzas as though they were maps of battlefields. She carefully planned out the flavors for three of the halves with the intensity of organizing battle strategies for each terrain. While she worked, Ryuichi browsed his selection of DVDs to try to narrow down which one they should watch. After choosing a few, he splashed water on his face to try to wake himself up when he felt sleepiness creep into him again.

"—Oh, if I add this, it might not pair well with—Ah, I should have put this over here, but—"

She started switching around the toppings on the first pizza and took notes on what she had already used and what could go on the remaining half. She didn't even notice that Ryuichi left the room to go bake a small marble cake. He covered it with vanilla frosting and added dark chocolate shavings on the sides. On top in red gel letters, he wrote "Congratulations!", mainly to celebrate Mitsuru's latest consecutive number one rank on exams. When he returned to the room, Mitsuru had only just begun the first half of the second pizza, debating if she wanted to try the crust stuffed with cheese or the one made like garlic bread.

"The garlic bread one might be too salty," he told her when he saw her click back and forth between the two. "And the cheese crust one has a really thin crust, but it's not crispy, so it just kinda flops."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, but there's no harm in trying stuff out, I guess."

She agreed, but then she went back to the other pizza to change the crust again. Ryuichi sat on his bed with his guitar and started to softly play whatever chords sounded right together to keep himself awake. He hadn't realized how tired he was until his body had a chance to sit and rest. He felt more rundown than usual, but then again, after Shinjiro's passing and dealing with everything at the restaurant, he wasn't too surprised at his exhaustion, not especially when he had Mitsuru tutoring him the past couple of weeks.

"Thinking about someone?"

Ryuichi looked up to see Mitsuru smiling at him, her pizzas finally assembled to her liking. He hadn't realized that he had been softly singing a love song, but he just chuckled and got up to put his guitar back on its stand.

"You know, it's questions like that that make me kinda glad I quit my job at Chagall Cafe," he remarked.

"Why's that?"

"Everyone kept teasing me, saying I could woo any girl I wanted by serenading her."

"And why don't you? Surely there must be someone that caught your eye."

He chuckled again. "I'd only disappoint anyone who dates me," he said, and went to assemble the blank pizza half with his favorite toppings in just a few clicks.

"You want any sides with your pizza?" he offered. "We can do breadsticks or dessert."

He showed her a list of sides to choose from. "Oh, maybe next time," Mitsuru said. "But, why do you think you would disappoint the girl who dates you?"

"Well, she'd probably think I'm cheating on her with you."

"But, we're just friends."

Chuckling some more, he said to her: "I know that, but she might not, just like everyone else in school."

She frowned as he submitted their orders. "Okay, we'll see them in about half an hour," Ryuichi announced, and closed his laptop before Mitsuru could see the price.

"Is the place far? How will we transport the food in the rain?"

"They'll deliver it. It just costs a little extra."

"Is that how it works? How convenient."

Until the pizzas arrived, the two picked two movies to watch upstairs on Mitsuru's giant flat screen TV. While she headed to her room ahead of him, Ryuichi prepared them some tea. He was humming the love song again when Minato came down the stairs.

"Mitsuru-senpai's afternoon tea?" he asked when he spotted the tray.

"That's right," he replied.

"And, you're joining her?"

"Yup."

Minato smirked. "In her room?"

Ryuichi looked to him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing." He strode away to the bathroom. "Just remember to use protection."

There went the jokes again. "You forget: I _am_ the protection," he said gruffly to the mischievous second-year, but Minato just slinked into the bathroom without another word.

Ryuichi was aware of the rule they had at the dorm about guys and girls not being allowed in each others' rooms, but he and Mitsuru had broken that rule so often it was normal for them. Granted, he had permission to vacuum her room and take care of her whenever she was ill, and she often came to his room to discuss important matters or watch over him when he was sick, but nothing weird ever happened.

"I swear, people keep assuming the worst," he muttered, retrieving the little cake he hid in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer.

Upstairs, he saw that Mitsuru bought them some cans of soda from the vending machine and already had the first movie ready to play.

"Should we wait for our food to arrive before we start?" Mitsuru asked as he set the tray down on the coffee table.

He checked his phone for the time. "It's still about twenty minutes before it gets here, but—"

"Oh? When did you bake this?"

She admired the little cake. "It smells divine," she said, waving the scent of chocolate and vanilla towards her.

Seeing her so happy made his annoyance with Minato ebb away. "I made that while you were deciding on what you wanted on the pizzas," he said, grinning.

"You baked this in that short a time?"

"Are you kidding? You gave me more than an hour to bake it from scratch!"

"That long? You must be joking!"

After checking her cell phone to confirm the time, she called Kikuno to cancel her dinner. As she spoke with her maid, Ryuichi shed his blazer and draped it over the couch's arm. He withdrew into his thoughts when he remembered what Minato had said to him downstairs. He had hoped that their leader would have been sensible enough to not fall for those rumors about him and Mitsuru, but if even he poked fun at them, then maybe they were looking a little too close.

"I was just thinking," Mitsuru said as she put away her phone. "We won't be able to hear when the pizzas arrive if we're watching the movie, so it might be best if we waited downstairs for it."

"Both of us?"

"Why not?"

He squinted hard at her. "You just wanna see how the delivery part works, don't you?"

When the pizzas arrived, Ryuichi took them from the delivery man without handing over any money. He thanked him and closed the door, and when he turned, he saw Mitsuru standing with her credit card in hand.

"Oh, you won't be needing that," Ryuichi said to her. "I already paid online."

"Now why did you do a thing like that?" she asked, looking annoyed. "I was going to pay this time."

"But you paid last time."

"That was different. Those were groceries for everyone when the typhoon hit."

"Well, you can get the next one."

She glowered at him. "I don't know if I can trust you to uphold that promise."

He started for the stairs. "That's okay. It means that you're just gonna have to be faster next time," he teased.

Ryuichi took a last glance around the lounge and noticed just how empty it was. "Hey, is everyone up in their rooms, or something?"

Mitsuru paused to also look. "I think I heard Takeba sneezing earlier, so it could be that cold that's been going around."

"Uh, oh. I hope it's just her that's sick."

As they passed by the second floor, they heard Akihiko pummeling his punching bag and Junpei swearing at his video game. There seemed to be sniffles coming from Ken's room, and neither could hear anything from Minato's room at the end of the hall. On the third floor, they heard Yukari sneeze and Aigis doing some work with heavy machinery. More sniffles came from Fuuka's room.

"Yeah, that won't make it hard to watch a movie," Ryuichi muttered sarcastically at all the noises.

The punching bag was worse, now that they were directly over Akihiko's room. Still, they settled on the couch, Mitsuru sitting on Ryuichi's left, and began the movie.

The story was about a young girl whose family was whisked off to a world of spirits. The girl begged her parents to leave, only for them to turn into pigs as they gorged themselves on the food they found in a seemingly abandoned restaurant. Ryuichi and Mitsuru opened the pizza boxes as they watched, both of them hesitating to choose a slice as they decided which of the four styles they wanted to try first.

Ryuichi started with the one Mitsuru topped with squid, corn, and mayonnaise, finding the squid to be a little rubbery, but overall enjoyable. After the first slice, he tried the half that was dressed like fettuccine alfredo, with white cheese sauce, pieces of grilled chicken, and parsley. After that slice, he grabbed one from the section he made, savoring the simplicity of pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms that he knew and loved.

"For a child, she's quite savvy with what to do," Mitsuru commented about the main character. "And yet, she is still characteristically a child. It's an interesting contrast."

"Right?" He took a sip of soda. "If it were me, I'd just sit in a corner and cry the whole time."

Though he had seen the movie so many times before, watching it with Mitsuru was like watching it for the first time, where she would point out details he had missed in his previous viewings. He ended up getting absorbed in the movie with her, enjoying the new interpretations she brought.

"Isn't that the song you put on your CD?" Mitsuru asked him with glee as the song played in the background.

"That's the one," he said, glad that she recognized it.

"So, this is where it's from." They both quieted down so they could enjoy its orchestral majesty.

By the end of the movie, the girl was able to restore her parents to their normal selves, and together, they left the spirit world and continued on their way to their new home in a distant city.

"I can see now why it was so popular back then," Mitsuru said as the credits rolled. "To be honest, I find it difficult to appreciate something when everyone keeps exalting it to such great heights."

"You mean, when they hype it up?" he asked, reaching for another slice of the corn and squid pizza. "Yeah, it just kills it for me, too. Like, that's what they say about everything that's popular."

"Precisely. And then when I get a chance to see something for myself, I always feel let down."

A door opened down the hall. The two fell silent, listening for whoever it was. The door closed shortly after, and they heard footsteps and a miserable groan go towards the stairs. When the person had passed, Ryuichi felt the tension lessen like threads coming loose in his chest.

"Now that I think about it: Technically, I'm not allowed on the girls' floor," Ryuichi said, remembering Minato from earlier.

"True, but I see no harm in it, as you've never done anything unscrupulous that I'm aware of," Mitsuru told him. "We do have rules, though, and I suppose it wouldn't be fair if I gave you permission to violate those rules, despite being a trustworthy friend and butler."

They both stared down at the table, which was now quite a mess with half-full greasy pizza boxes and open soda cans.

Ryuichi snatched up the other movie on the table. "Wanna watch another one?" he asked so quickly that Mitsuru seemed caught off-guard.

She gave him a confused look. "But, what about everything we said about rules and upholding them?"

"Well, we kinda suck at that now." He took the remote control and pressed the stop button. "Besides, you've been to my room a lot, and as far as I know, I'm not missing any underwear."

"Wh-What? I would never—"

He changed out the discs. "I kid, I kid!" he laughed, not putting the new movie in just yet. "But, if it really is a problem, I'll start cleaning up. I don't want any more rumors about us starting up again."

When she said nothing, he closed the DVD player without putting the new disc in. He was a little disappointed, wishing he could hang out with his friend some more without anyone accusing them of breaking rules or dating.

"What's that movie about?" he heard her ask as he closed up the DVD case.

"This?" He held it up to her. "Well, are you up for mysterious girls with magical powers being hunted by pirates and government officials? It's more of a feel-good kind of movie, so it doesn't quite have the depth of—"

"Let's watch it," she said, and picked up the teapot to refill.

Ryuichi remembered hearing the movie's opening theme song play, but sleepiness quickly took over. Between fatigue, stuffing himself with food, and then warming his stomach with tea, it wasn't long before he passed out. When he awoke, the movie was nearing the end, with the two main characters cornered by a man with a gun. It took him a few moments to let his eyes adjust and register where he was, gradually becoming aware of the weight against his arm. When he looked, he saw Mitsuru leaning against him with her head on his shoulder, fast asleep.

He didn't want to wake her. But, he knew he couldn't stay and wait until she woke up. Gently, he eased Mitsuru away from him and held her there until he was certain that she stayed put. He covered her with his blazer, her slumber uninterrupted even as he lowered the volume on the TV. Bracing himself, he hit the stop button on the DVD player, and the song playing during the credits ended abruptly. Mitsuru slept on.

Any leftover slices of pizza were put into one box, the empty one thrown out. Unfinished sodas were drained in the sink. Ryuichi worked swiftly and in silence, managing to make a few trips up and down the stairs without alerting their dorm mates or waking up Mitsuru.

The last thing he needed was his DVD. He held his breath and hit "Eject". Fearfully, he glanced back to Mitsuru. She moaned as she turned, pulling his blazer tighter around her.

Before he left, he put a sticky note on the table, thanking her for the enjoyable evening. He couldn't bring himself to wake her just so he could have his blazer back, nor did he think he could slip it off of her. Even if he could, leaving her in the cold wasn't an option, immunity or not. For now, he let her hold on to it.

Back in his room, he returned his DVDs to his shelf and went to sit down at his keyboard. For about a minute, he let his fingertips lay on top of the keys without pressing a single note. He thought about the songs from the movies they watched, remembering the CD he made for Mitsuru's birthday and how terrible he sounded. He knew he could do better, now that his hand was back a hundred percent.

He started off with the light, bouncy song from the first movie they watched. The few missed notes were from pure forgetfulness, but each note was smooth and played when they needed to be. His fingers didn't stick, and the only spasmodic notes came from his own mistakes, not from a lingering injury.

The next morning, he emerged from his room to find his blazer hanging from his doorknob. It was on a hanger and covered in plastic, indicating that it had been dry-cleaned. He took his blazer and stared at it, blinking, until Koromaru's soft whine to be let out prompted him to go and let the dog out.


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64**

Later that same day after school, Ryuichi got a call from his father, telling him to come to the restaurant to help him with a new menu item that he had been working on. The restaurant was closed that day, so at least whatever yelling his father needed to do at him wouldn't be in front of any customers. He agreed to go without question.

"It's just as well. I also have business to attend to," Mitsuru said as she packed her school bag. "However, this is supposed to be your day off. Shouldn't you have reminded him about that?"

Ryuichi grimaced. "Whatever Dad wants, I just have to go along with it," he murmured. She only shook her head at him without a word.

He walked her to the Kirijo car waiting just beyond the school gates and got the door for her. She looked about as happy as he did, having to return home for a dinner her father was hosting with some of his affiliates, which usually meant that there would be sons and daughters—future business leaders and future wives of said future leaders that needed to be entertained. They went their separate ways, wishing each other good luck before parting.

At the restaurant, it was just his father and mother there. Ayumi was in the office, taking care of some of the business while Toshio worked in the kitchen. When Ryuichi saw the large, round pan filled with a massive hunk of ground beef, he knew right away what his father was planning.

"No way."

"You'd better believe it!" his father said proudly. "A bunch of other restaurants have some kind of food challenge and they draw in the crowds, so I thought, 'Why not?' and figured it would have to be something truly unique that screams that it's a Toshio product!"

Together, Ryuichi and his father loaded the gargantuan burger patty onto the flat top grill. It took forever to cook just the one side, and when it was ready, Toshio had Ryuichi try to flip it over with giant okonomiyaki spatulas. When it didn't work, they had to slide the patty off the flat top grill and onto a cookie sheet to finally flip it over. When it was cooked on the outside, they put the burger patty in the oven to finish.

"All right! Time for the next stage!"

He had Ryuichi make fries and onion rings while he shredded some pulled pork. When the pork was done, he cut up slices of brisket until he had a nice little mound. The one ingredient that Ryuichi had not expected was the equally colossal burger bun that his father had baked earlier.

"Sourdough?" Ryuichi gasped when Toshio sawed it in half. "Did you buy it? Or did you make it? Where did you—?"

"I baked it," his father said with a grin. "I've been experimenting on sourdough recipes for weeks now."

When the bun was cut in two, Toshio told Ryuichi to spread mayonnaise on the bottom half and put pickles down. The burger patty went next, and on top of that went tons of slices of cheese and crispy bacon. Next went the slices of brisket, barbecue sauce, and pulled pork, and then they mashed the fries and onion rings on top. A squirt of more house barbecue sauce went down before the top of the bun. To hold it all together, Toshio had to shove a few bamboo skewers in.

The thing was a monster. Ryuichi got heartburn just looking at it and anticipated cardiac arrest soon after. The bun was already humongous on its own, but the thick patty, all the meats, the fried stuff, and the sauces made the burger taller than his head and about as wide as his chest.

"So, what do you think?" Toshio asked his son.

Ryuichi swallowed hard. "I think, um, I think it needs lettuce and tomato."

"Nonsense!"

He handed Ryuichi a fork and knife. "Okay. Get to it!"

His pupils shrank. "You want me to eat this thing?"

"It's a food challenge! I have to know if a regular person can handle it, or if I can let two people take it on. And since you're a big eater, I thought you'd be the right man to try it!"

With the air of an angel of mercy, Toshio brought over a big bucket. "Just in case," he said with a wink.

He was timed. Ryuichi shed his blazer, rolled up his sleeves, and cut the first triangular slice. He abandoned the utensils to pick up the slice with his hands, but it fell apart the moment he tried to pick it up. He ate the top bun of the triangle first and worked his way down the layers, dropping fries, onion rings, and meats with every bite. The burger patty was unsurprisingly as dry as any of the other burger patties his father ever cooked. As tasty as the patty was, it was still a massive, crumbly brick of dried meat that Ryuichi had to get through.

"So, how is it?" Toshio asked him as he ate.

"If goo," Ryuichi uttered through a full mouth. His father grinned big; that was all it took to please the man.

Meat, meat, and more meat. If it wasn't meat, it was fried. If it wasn't fried, it was bread, and so on. Ryuichi was a pretty big eater, but as much as he liked meat, bread, and fried stuff, the burger was just too much. His father urged him to eat more as he neared the halfway point, the burger somehow still holding its beautiful shape from one side, but was a crumbled, gooey mess from where Ryuichi had been eating.

The chunks he speared on his fork gradually became smaller and smaller as his stomach filled up. His jaw hurt so badly from grinding so much food that he had to stop for a moment with his cheeks full. He sipped water to help the food go down easier, but he was already so sick of all the meat and fried stuff that he started to gag.

He had to undo his belt and the button of his pants. He abandoned his vest, removed his necktie, and unbuttoned and untucked his shirt to let his body expand. At that point, he was long since exhausted from the taste, and moving was near impossible. He wiggled his body, hoping to shake the burger down a bit. He thought he could manage a few more bites, but little else.

"Come on, Ryuichi! You made it halfway! Just another half to go!"

He couldn't do it. Ryuichi shook his head, stuffed beyond what he could handle as his head swam with nausea. His cheeks were still plump with food, and he thought he could smell burger and meat and smoke on his sweat.

"If a normal guy like you was able to eat halfway, then maybe it needs another patty," Toshio said as he turned the plate to see the remaining burger from every angle. "No, the patty's fine, so maybe we just need to add some curly fries and—"

Ryuichi's stomach had expanded so much that he looked like a barrel on legs. He waddled painfully to the nearest table to sit down, leaning back to give his stomach some room. Groaning, he closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to vomit as he rubbed his oversized belly.

"Onions!" his father exclaimed. "Well, if we're doing onions, we're gonna have to caramelize them. Maybe it needs some coleslaw, or—"

Ryuichi pulled himself out of the chair and went diving for the bucket. He dropped hard to his knees and stuck his head in just as he threw up what felt like a week's worth of food. His stomach kept thrusting everything out, his body squeezing, constricting to get every last bit out of him. His eyes watered and snot dripped as more bitter bile and chunks left him, some even through his nostrils. It wouldn't stop.

A warm hand rubbed his back. His father knelt down by him, muttering softly to himself about what else he could add to the burger. Another wave of vomit came up. His father continued to massage his back, helping to ease the strain as his stomach constricted again and again. When it finally ceased, Toshio handed Ryuichi some paper towels to clean himself up before taking the bucket to the restroom to dispose of the contents.

Ayumi came out of the office when she heard all the noise. When she saw how ill Ryuichi was, she fussed over him as she helped him to a seat. She gave him a glass of water, and he took it to the men's restroom to rinse out his mouth.

"Why did you push yourself to eat so much?" his mother asked when he returned.

"We had to make sure it was difficult for customers to finish," he uttered, limp-tongued and with an aching jaw. He wanted to remind her that she was the one who told him to do whatever his father asked of him, but he was too sick to say anything more.

When Toshio returned from rinsing the bucket outside, Ayumi berated him for making their son sick. Ryuichi was already feeling better but said nothing, too shocked to see his mother actually defend him for a change.

"It _has_ to be difficult," Toshio explained to his wife. "Ryuichi's a big eater, so out of all of us, he—"

"He is our son!" she raged at him. "You can't just force him to eat more than he can take!"

"I didn't force him! He ate of his own accord!"

"Because you told him to!"

While his parents argued, Ryuichi let himself lie down in a booth. He closed his eyes again and groaned, still feeling the room spin as he kept checking himself for any sensations of nausea that might come up.

While his father cleaned up, Ryuichi joined his mother in the office, who was still muttering her annoyances about her husband. He was amused at some of the colorful language she used, having never heard it from her before.

"Mom, does Dad really think this giant burger thing will help the restaurant?" he asked meekly.

"You know your father," she grumbled. "Instead of fixing the problem, he just makes things worse or walks away."

Her fingers hammered on the buttons of her calculator. Ryuichi kept quiet as he sat in the corner on a cushioned folding chair, wondering if any of his efforts were worth anything anymore in a dying restaurant. At the desk, his mother would jam out the same rhythm of buttons, twice, thrice, until a fourth time made her pause.

"We're losing more money," he heard her whisper.

He got up. "How much?"

She pointed to a number she scribbled, making him groan.

"But I've been following what Dad says!" he griped. "I don't try to cook things my way anymore, so shouldn't his better mood not drive customers away?"

"His attitude has improved but"—Ayumi checked through her calculations—"burger sales are down, and people aren't really orders the burgers anymore, so why—"

Staring at the numbers, it was clear that something wasn't adding up. "How can we be selling less but still have only that much left in stock?" Ryuichi asked, pointing to some of her calculations.

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out."

"Could someone be stealing food?"

"It's possible, or perhaps someone's been giving bigger portions than they're supposed to."

"No way. Dad and I are the only ones allowed to measure out the patties, and I always use a scale."

He remembered that his parents didn't use their security cameras, but asked about it anyway. "What about the security footage? We can use that to see if anyone's been taking meat."

"We don't have anything like that," she answered.

"What? Why not?" he asked, feigning surprise.

His mother scowled. "Because your dad thinks he's got a sharp eye for anyone who might try to steal from him," she hissed, shaking her head. "The truth is, he doesn't know how to work the cameras and just never bothered with them since we had them installed."

Ryuichi's head filled with many names he could only dream of calling his father, but none of them escaped his lips.

"Mom, you've gotta tell him that we need those cameras up and running again," he urged her. "We gotta show him these numbers."

Clearly, Ayumi didn't want to, but Ryuichi went with her to show Toshio that their inventory numbers didn't add up. Ayumi shared her speculation about the possibility of portion sizes being too big, but Toshio stormed into the refrigerator to tear the covers off the containers to check their supply of meats. Just a glance was all it took for all of them to see that the numbers in the books didn't match what was in the containers.

"Who's stealing from me?" he hollered, throwing one of the container covers. The cover struck another container, cracking the plastic. "It's your sister, isn't it? She's stealing food, thinking she can get a free meal—"

"Dad! We can't blame her for anything until we have proof!" Ryuichi shouted over his father's rage.

"It's always your sister! I've been telling your mother that bringing her back was a mistake and now look who's paying for it!"

"We don't know if she or anyone else is taking food," Ayumi said calmly to her husband. "That's why we need to—"

But Toshio was far too gone in his rage. He stormed out, running his hands over his silvery-gray hair, huffing and yelling while pacing around outside behind the restaurant. Ryuichi and his mother could still hear him while they returned the covers to the containers.

"We gotta get those cameras up and running again," Ryuichi told his mother on their way back to the front counter. "We need to figure out what's going on with the missing inventory."

Ayumi let out a frustrated sigh. "Convincing him to learn how to work those cameras isn't going to work. You know he doesn't care about anything that has nothing to do with cooking."

"Then let Shizue handle it," he suggested. "She's pretty good with computers, so at least we'll have someone on security watch."

He rubbed a finger to his upper lip. "And I'm sure Dad wants to know if someone really is stealing meat," he added.

She touched her son's shoulder. The look in her exhausted eyes was grim, hopeless, sending a chill deep into Ryuichi's chest.

"Even if we have the cameras, I don't think the restaurant can hold out if we continue like this," she said to him in a small voice. "Your father and sister won't change, and it's obvious that the our staff and customers can't stand either of them. The missing food we can fix, but those two..."

She squeezed his shoulder, and Ryuichi thought he felt a little bit of her pain just then. The anguish on her face made him feel horribly that she had to be the one to deal with their family the most.

"The way things have been this past year, I don't know if I can stand it anymore," Ayumi whispered, her voice fearful as she glanced to the back door. "Your father and sister become completely different people whenever they're around each other, but I feel so helpless that I can't do anything to help them. Shizue needs this job so she can support herself and Megumi, but your father also needs to be able to run his restaurant."

She looked to be almost in tears. "I can't choose between them, so I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help them."

Ryuichi gave his mother a gentle hug, letting his chin rest atop her head. "I don't know what to do with them, either," he murmured. "All I can do is follow whatever Dad says and hope he doesn't get into another fight with Shizue."

"But how long will they go without another argument?" she asked, speaking into his chest. "You know as well as I do that they never stay civil for long. They're bound to argue again, especially now that your father thinks that your sister stole food from him."

"Mom, if he really cares about the restaurant, then why doesn't he try to save it?" he asked her. "And I'm not talking about the giant burger challenge thing. I'm talking about why he doesn't seem to care that the restaurant's failing—"

Ryuichi paused. "Mom, Dad does know the restaurant's failing, right?" he asked her tentatively.

Ayumi pulled away from her son.

"Ryuichi, I think you should sit down," she advised.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Just sit down, please."

She guided him to a seat at one of the booths as fear plunged its blade into Ryuichi's chest.

"Mom, what's wrong?" he asked again in a hoarse voice.

His mother breathed in deeply, then exhaled as the concern on her face reduced by a small fraction.

"Your father didn't want me to tell you this, but you know how stubborn he can be," she murmured, keeping her voice so low he had to lean in towards her. "A few years ago, he suffered a heart attack, so I—"

"He what!"

"Ryuichi! Shhh!"

Ayumi went to check the rear door for her husband. She returned, looking mildly relieved that Toshio hadn't heard anything.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me before?" Ryuichi uttered, feeling so useless right then.

"You know how he is, where his pride gets in the way of everything," she said with a sigh.

Her expression became somber, tinged with guilt. "But also, since your father was also still upset with you and your sister, I thought it best to not cause him any more stress than he was already under."

"Me? What did I—"

He choked on his words, knowing exactly what he did.

His mother lowered her face. "He was already under a lot of stress with everything that Shizue had done," she murmured, not a trace of accusation in her voice. "When he was struggling with restoring the restaurant's reputation, he was devastated to hear that his own son didn't want to work at the restaurant anymore. You were already living in the dorm when he had his heart attack, so it was easy for him to hide that he was ill."

Her words pierced through him, tearing him apart inside.

"I don't blame you for quitting the restaurant back then," Ayumi told her son softly. "It was a difficult time for all of us. But, I think now, we need you more than ever."

A lump formed in Ryuichi's throat. "So, you didn't tell Dad the restaurant's failing because you're afraid he might get another heart attack?" he asked, already anticipating her answer.

She nodded. She didn't shed any tears, nor did she look like she was about to cry anymore. It looked to him like she had already run out of tears, having dealt with all the family's troubles for so long that Ryuichi could only guess how many thousands of tears she cried while the rest of them slept peacefully. Seeing his mother so forlorn made him get up and pull her into another hug.

"So, what can we do?" he uttered. "How can Dad not notice that we're not doing as well anymore?"

"I'm sure he knows, but I don't think he knows how bad things are," Ayumi replied, her voice muffled against him. "If we tell him the truth, I don't know what might happen. You can see how stressed out he is already."

"But we're not helping him by hiding the truth," Ryuichi told her. "Someone's gotta tell him that it's not bad burgers that's scaring off the customers. We need him to stop yelling at people, especially Shizue."

Ayumi looked up at her son with desperation in her eyes. "And how will we do that?" she asked him, the hope waning in her voice. "We've already tried talking to him about it and nothing's changed."

Ryuichi had no answer for her. It seemed like there was nothing they could do to help his father, that no matter the solutions they came up with, everything came down to the one man who was at the center of all the problems at the restaurant.

The back door banged open upon Toshio's return. He started tossing dirty dishes and pans into the sink, water running over them as he muttered angrily to himself. For the moment, they took comfort that he was still alive.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65**

"Have you decided which university you want to attend?"

Ryuichi and Mitsuru were upstairs on the third floor common area with their study guides, practice quizzes, notes, and flash cards spread out on the table, studying for their upcoming mock exams in November. Mitsuru was the one who asked about Ryuichi's choice of university, and he was all too happy to have a reason to set his pencil down and give his cramping hand a break.

"I might be aiming a bit high with this one, but I was thinking of trying for Kawaguchi University," he answered shyly.

Without looking away from her work, Mitsuru's face lit up. "I'm hoping to go there, as well. Are you going for the music program? I heard they're among the best in the nation."

"Actually, no." He gave his pencil a few spins. "I figured it might be best if I go for business."

Her pencil stopped. "Does that mean you're planning to take over your family's restaurant?"

"Well, that's what Dad wants, so..."

Mitsuru looked up from her notes, her disappointment showing most in her eyes. "Ryuichi, I appreciate that you care about what your father wants, but have you ever considered what _you_ want to do?"

He sensed a lecture coming. "What I want isn't important," he muttered, letting his jaw rest against his fist.

"That's ludicrous. It's your life, and you're free to do as you please."

"Yeah? Well, if I recall, I told you before what I wanted to do, but you told me that I should do something else. So, I took that advice and chose something else."

He resisted a shiver caused by one of her frosty glares. Had he looked directly at it, it would have hurt more.

"I was hoping you would pursue a career that not only doesn't involve you endangering your life, but also something that you enjoy, like your music," she explained, her voice steady without the anticipated harshness. "After we defeat the final Shadow next week, there will be no need for you to endanger your life for my sake. We will all go back to our normal, peaceful lives."

Just thinking about his life before SEES speared him in the chest. "Well, okay, if I can't continue as your bodyguard, then can I at least have a letter of recommendation so I can find work as someone else's bodyguard?" he asked, panic sizzling within him.

Mitsuru's hard glare collapsed. "You would rather work for someone else?"

"Do I have a choice?" He started copying down notes again with a shaky hand. "I want to continue working as a bodyguard, but if my skills aren't wanted, then I have to find work somewhere else, right?"

"It's not that they aren't wanted. I just don't want you to put yourself in danger anymore, even if it is for the sake of another," she answered him in a firm voice.

Ryuichi felt like he hit a wall from just talking to her. "Well, that's part of the job and that's what I want to do," he replied, and Mitsuru's bewildered look made it appear as though he had slapped her across the face. "But since what _I_ want to do isn't what everyone else wants me to do, I have to just go along and do whatever everyone else wants me to do, right? Chances are, I'm going to end up working at the restaurant for the rest of my life, and I'm just going to have to live with it."

Just saying those words rattled him. "I guess, I just figured it's best if I try to do the job I actually _want_ to do for a few more years until I have to do the job I _have_ to do," he murmured, crushed by what he had just said.

"But you have many skills and talents you can explore," Mitsuru insisted. "Your sister can take over the restaurant and you can—"

He chuckled wryly at the thought. "You really think they'll actually let Shizue run the restaurant?"

She frowned at him. "What I'm trying to say is that you have many talents that can lead to many different careers. You can be free to choose your own path."

Ryuichi spun his pencil again. "So what you're saying is, I can choose my own path, just not the one I actually want to do, right?"

He burned with frustration, and he felt the same from Mitsuru. They had reached a stalemate, neither of them willing to budge.

Mitsuru closed her notebook, her glare fixed on the table. "You have your whole life ahead of you," she said, her voice low and seething. "You shouldn't let what other people want determine what you do with your life. Since you want it so much, I will give you that letter of recommendation so you can find work as someone else's bodyguard, but you will have to wait until after you've completed your service to me."

He wasn't sure what to think, too stunned that she would be so willing to give him the letter after she was staunch against him being a bodyguard at all.

"Hey, so does that mean you're okay with—"

She snapped her textbook shut, cutting him off. "I have some business to attend to," she said, and gathered her things before heading to her room. He flinched when she slammed her door.

Ryuichi found no satisfaction in Mitsuru conceding to his request for that letter of recommendation, feeling more like he lost his friend's support in his decision. Sighing, he put away his books and notes and sulked on his way downstairs to his room.

That evening, the SEES team decided to go to Tartarus to train in preparation for their final full moon operation. When Ryuichi came out of his room, the energy in the lounge became noticeably heavier, where he felt the tension between him and Mitsuru pushing down on his head and shoulders, threatening to snap his spine. He noticed that she was purposefully avoiding him, standing apart from him and keeping him out of her line of sight.

"Okay, what did you do this time?" Akihiko whispered to Ryuichi after the train ride to Port Island.

"I won an argument," he muttered in reply. He didn't bother to elaborate when he saw the confusion on Akihiko's face.

When the Dark Hour struck, the clouds overhead were outlined with rotten yellow moonlight, drifting lazily across the sky as the SEES team entered Tartarus. Everyone warmed up and prepared themselves for battle while Minato planned out who would make up the first team for the night. He started with Junpei, Aigis, and Yukari, leaving the others on standby.

Fuuka summoned her new Persona, Juno, who had a similar globe-shaped body like Lucia, but now wore a wine-colored gown and had large, colorful wings sprouting from her back. As she guided the exploration team through the tower, the others shuddered from the terrifying, frosty aura Mitsuru exuded, everyone too scared to approach her. When Ryuichi glanced over to her, she met his eye, and he felt like he had been shot in the chest with an icy bullet.

"Whatever you did, you better apologize," Akihiko said to Ryuichi in a low voice.

"I don't even know what I did," he grumbled back. "She'd only get madder if I sound like I'm apologizing just to apologize."

He still couldn't understand why Mitsuru was frustrated with him when he was only taking her advice. It seemed that no matter what he decided, she didn't approve, even when she insisted that he pursue something he absolutely wanted to do. Just thinking about the recommendation letter she promised him made him regret everything he said to her before.

"Oh! There's a Shadow outside of Tartarus," Fuuka said to everyone. "It's a small one, and it's by Port Island Station. Can someone take care of it?"

"I'll go," Ken said dutifully as he brandished his spear.

"Don't go alone," Mitsuru said in her commanding voice. "Take a team with you."

"It's just a small one. The two of us can take it," Akihiko told her, already heading for the door.

"Yes, but Strega might be nearby. I don't want to take any risks. Understood?"

That was enough to make them obey. Akihiko was put in charge of the dispatched team, taking Ken and Koromaru with him. Only Mitsuru and Ryuichi were left in the lobby with Fuuka.

"It went into the alley, Akihiko-senpai," Fuuka said aloud. To the other team inside Tartarus, she instructed them to regroup.

Ryuichi tingled with the urge to talk to Mitsuru, but he couldn't find the courage to try. He rehearsed in his mind what he should say, constantly revising how to start up a conversation with her. When at last he felt like he put together the right combination of words, he nodded to himself and turned to Mitsuru. His heart raced, and he felt like he was floating out of his body, but he turned to Mitsuru and—

"Good work, guys," Fuuka said to Akihiko's team. "Hurry back. The others are coming down soon."

Just as she said that, the Tartarus team appeared on the warp point, battered but otherwise fine. Ryuichi abandoned his plan, relieved to have a distraction as he helped Minato with a small cut on his leg.

"Where'd everybody go?" Junpei asked as he sat down on the stairs.

"They went to take care of a Shadow outside," Ryuichi answered, still tingling from before.

When Minato's leg was patched up, he thanked Ryuichi and took up his sword again. "No time to wait for them," he said. "Mitsuru-senpai, Ryuichi-senpai, you ready?"

"Just the three of you?" Yukari asked. "Are you guys going to be okay?"

"Pfft. Are you kidding? Look at who you're talking to," Junpei pointed out.

Mitsuru readied her rapier. "Let's not waste any time," she told Minato.

They were back up on the gilded floors, their twinkling facades visible even from the opposite end of the hallway. The first Shadows they crossed were Conviction Swords, Shadows that were nothing more than stone arms wielding fat stone swords. Ryuichi struck them all with Magarula to stun them, and Minato gave the order for a full assault to finish them off. The next Shadows they met were Order Giants, stony creatures that towered over them. Mitsuru didn't have to wait for Fuuka's analysis to strike them all down with Mabufula.

Throughout their ascent, there was no need for Ryuichi and Mitsuru to speak a word to each other. They followed Minato's orders and any advice Fuuka offered, speaking only to them. The pair never crossed words, the tension keeping Ryuichi light on his toes.

"Hold on."

They all stopped when Fuuka spoke up. "There are three Scarlet Turrets up ahead. Don't forget that they're weak to electricity."

The three Shadows looked like red tanks milling about in the room on their right. The SEES trio peeked around the edges of the door to assess their plan of attack.

"Remember that slash attacks don't work," Minato said to the other two as he switched his Persona to Odin. "Their mortars have a wide blast range, so don't get caught in the explosion."

With their weapons rendered useless, they all armed themselves with their Evokers. Ryuichi enforced their strength, defense, and speed, then popped a Chewing Soul candy into his mouth. When everyone was ready, Minato cast Maziodyne on all three tanks. Mitsuru and Ryuichi followed up with ice and wind. As the three tanks righted themselves, Minato struck again with lightning while chomping down on Snuff Souls.

"Ryuichi-senpai, make a tornado!" he ordered when his mouth was clear. "Mitsuru-senpai! Ice!"

The three braced themselves outside the room against the doorway, Minato and Mitsuru on one side, Ryuichi on the other. The room came alive with shrieking winds as Penthesilea shot hunks of ice into the tornado. They heard ice smash against metal, and lightning exploded above the Shadows in thunderous booms. More explosions shook the ground that none of them cast.

Ryuichi peeked in first. The tanks were all flipped over with their main guns sweeping back and forth, trying to right themselves.

"Were they always this troublesome?" Ryuichi asked Minato.

"Yeah, but at least we had Aigis and Yukari with ranged pierce attacks to help it along."

One tank turned its gun towards them.

"Get down!" Ryuichi yelled.

It fired a round out the door that exploded against the opposing wall. Smoke, dust, and gold sprayed everywhere, with blistering heat that made Ryuichi's eyes water and lungs burn. The coughs of his comrades reassured him that they were alive.

When the smoke cleared, Ryuichi saw Ajax kneeling over Minato and Mitsuru, his shield raised towards the blast and using his powerful body to cover them from behind and above. As his Persona stood up, Ryuichi's gut writhed when he saw Mitsuru enveloped in Minato's arms, his back towards the explosion.

Rage flared up within Ryuichi's chest. He was supposed to be the one to protect Mitsuru, and yet...!

Ryuichi turned back to the doorway and cast Magarula over and over. The winds howled, sending the tanks tumbling. The tornado hurled leftover ice chunks at the tanks, spraying frost everywhere. He summoned more wind, the cyclones spinning so fast that Ryuichi had to brace himself against the doorway to keep from getting sucked in.

The tanks swirled off the ground. They bashed into one another, flipping wildly in the air. Main guns snapped off, metal plates were ripped away, and gold was scraped off the walls. Ice and lightning exploded upon the Shadows, and soon, there was nothing left but debris.

Breathing hard, Ryuichi rigidly turned back to the others. "Are you guys all right?" he asked them.

"I'm fine," Mitsuru said, dusting herself off. "Arisato, thank you for your quick actions earlier."

Minato shook his head. "Ryuichi-senpai protected us with Ajax, so you should be thanking him."

Her eyes flickered to Ryuichi. "Yes, thank you, Ryuichi," she said stiffly, and started down the hall.

Ryuichi pictured his failure again, seeing Minato holding Mitsuru in a protective embrace. If their leader hadn't acted quickly, or if Ajax hadn't appeared in time, she could have been gravely injured. Harm had come too close to Mitsuru, and Ryuichi could only accept that he was at fault for that.

The next Shadows they encountered, Ryuichi lashed out first with sword and Persona. Whatever didn't resist, he destroyed before they could even tell he was there. Any Shadows that he couldn't take down in a few strikes or spells, Minato and Mitsuru eliminated shortly after. Between battles, he remained a few steps behind the other two, keeping watch and listening for enemies that might attack from the rear. When Fuuka warned them of a Shadow, he was always the first to strike.

"Fuuka, do you see a warp point anywhere?" he heard Minato say after a number of battles.

"Yes, there's one all the way at the end of the hall on your left."

"Thanks. We're heading there now."

Ryuichi turned to him, surprised at how brief their time in Tartarus had been. "We're done?" he asked in disbelief.

Minato gestured to him. "Look at yourself," he said.

He looked down, seeing a few dark stains and rips in his clothes from injuries he hadn't felt at all.

Mitsuru stepped up in front of him, her expression twisted up in anger. "I don't know what's gotten into you tonight, but you could have gotten yourself killed with your reckless behavior," she lashed at out him. "Think about your actions tonight and reflect on them."

He wanted to yell something back to defend himself, but even he couldn't understand what was stirring within him. He just felt angry, angrier than he had ever felt before, as if he could raze buildings with just his bare hands. It was Mitsuru's look of anger at him along with her infuriated but calm tone that took away the tension in his shoulders and chest, leaving him with nothing but the shame and guilt he didn't know was there until she looked at him and called him out on his foolishness.

Downstairs, Minato prepared the next team while Ryuichi went to take care of the injuries he had sustained. There were bruises and cuts, none of them serious, but enough to cause anyone to worry from just the sight. He couldn't remember how or when he got any of his wounds, save for the one moment when he was tossed into the air by a Minotaur.

"Senpai, are you okay?" Yukari asked when she came over to check on him.

He couldn't even look at her as he let out a sigh. "It's just one of those days," he murmured.

"Akihiko-senpai said that you and Mitsuru-senpai had a fight earlier. What happened?"

"We didn't have a fight. We just had a little difficulty seeing eye-to-eye."

Junpei cringed. "It's like knowing your parents are having an argument, but they're trying to hide it from the kids."

Ryuichi made a face. "Better not let her hear you, unless you want to experience one of her executions."

The trip back home was much more silent than usual, with less yawning going on and more uncomfortable stares shifting around. Nobody talked, but there was obviously plenty to talk about. Again, Ryuichi and Mitsuru stood apart from each other on the train ride back, everyone else getting caught in the crossfire of their silent war.

The next morning, Ryuichi nibbled on burnt toast while Mitsuru ate her breakfast in silence. He would sometimes look her way for just a second, and other times, he thought he could feel her watching him when he turned his gaze elsewhere. Their dorm mates didn't linger in the lounge for too long, some of them saying they would grab something to eat on the way to school.

When Ryuichi finished his meager breakfast, he waited for Mitsuru at the front desk. They were the only two left in the lounge, apart from Kikuno, and when Mitsuru finally finished, the two only addressed the maid before heading out. Their only acknowledgements of each other was when Ryuichi got the door for Mitsuru, who murmured a "Thank you" with a dour look on her face.

He hated that they weren't talking. Despite how frustrated he had been with Mitsuru, he had done what she told him to do last night and reflected on his behavior in Tartarus. He had to admit that he could see why she was upset with him for becoming reckless in battle, but part of him still stood by what he thought before during their discussion yesterday.

But somehow, he felt that he should apologize anyway. Somehow, he just knew that he was at fault for everything. Mitsuru not speaking to him hurt more than all the things his family had said to him combined. He couldn't bear it anymore.

"Um, I'm sorry about last night," he said to her barely above a murmur. "And for yesterday."

She didn't say anything. Her silence made his nerves prickle all over his body. "I'm just really confused right now," he continued. "Everyone wants me to do whatever it is that _they_ want me to do, and when I finally got your support to do whatever it is that I wanted to do, suddenly you tell me that I shouldn't go for it. So, I figured that I should go somewhere else to pursue what I want to do."

He blinked, feeling more like he was complaining again rather than apologizing. "I mean, isn't it supposed to be _my_ choice of what I want to do with my life?"

He didn't expect her to respond. He didn't even expect her to speak to him anymore, especially now that he came to realize that he might have sounded like he was accusing her for angering him before. It was yet another thing he had to apologize for.

"Do you really want to work as someone else's bodyguard?"

When he looked up, he saw the hurt in her eyes. "Of course I don't," he told her. "You're the only one I want to work for, but I thought you didn't want me around anymore."

"I never said that." Mitsuru shook her head. "Of course I still want you around; I just don't want you endangering yourself for me or anyone else just because it's what you're trained for."

She stopped, and the wave of students walking behind them had to maneuver around them. "Just because the Shadows will be gone doesn't mean that you and I have nothing tying us together anymore," she said to him after the students had passed. "It just means that we're free to live as friends now, instead of as comrades in arms. The Shadows just happened to bring us together, and I'm grateful that they did."

A warm bead of hope grew hotly in Ryuichi's chest. "That's, that's good," he said dumbly with relief. "That's—I can live with that."

The street darkened as a cloud passed between the earth and the sun. Ryuichi started to feel a small smile creep along the edges of his mouth, embarrassed that he had misheard Mitsuru before.

His relief didn't last long, as he still had some concerns. "That still doesn't change much, does it?" he asked, feeling his hope fade away again. "I still want to be a bodyguard, even if you don't want me to."

They continued on their way to school. "I suppose I should take it as a good sign that you know what you want to do," she sighed. "Furthermore, if we're both aiming for Kawaguchi, then I will likely need a bodyguard during college, as well. At least in that way, you'll still be getting your education."

There was still a look of apprehension on her face. "I'm curious about what you intend to do after you graduate," she said. "If I let you remain as my bodyguard now, does that mean you will push to continue as such after college?"

"I'll stay for as long as you'll have me," he offered, hoping he didn't sound too forward as he flashed her a smile.

"And what about your family's restaurant?"

The smile disappeared, leaving him in a cold place. "We'll just have to see when we get there," he murmured, not even sure if the place will still be around, judging by the way his father and sister continued to carry on.

Even after their talk, Ryuichi felt like he had to earn his place back as her bodyguard. Just because she said she wanted him to stay didn't mean he was worthy of the job. He needed to train harder, to keep his emotions under control, and to make sure that she was safe at all times. He knew he failed the previous night, but he vowed that he wouldn't fail her again.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66**

The following Tuesday marked the day the Dark Hour was to come to an end. It was the day the SEES team anticipated for months, especially the seniors, who had looked forward to this night after many years of combating Shadows. With the final battle looming just hours away, the energy among the team was itchy, twitchy, and charged with nerves firing off with spasmodic fidgeting. Everyone was advised to return home directly after school, but while Ryuichi was serving tea to everyone back at the dorm, he received a most unwanted call from his father.

"What's taking you so long?" Toshio demanded. "Your sister's already here! We need you both to test the new Mount 'Murica!"

Everyone was looking at Ryuichi now. He had to hold his phone away from his head to keep his ear from bleeding from his father's voice.

"Uh, Dad?" he said on his way to his room. "I already gave you guys a heads' up about not being able to make it today. Remember?"

"Cancel your plans! This is important for the restaurant!"

"I know, but I have business to attend to with Mitsuru, so I can't just—"

"She's got maids, doesn't she? Let her take one of them instead!"

"Dad, I can't—"

"Tell her it's a family matter! She's always been understanding about family, so maybe it's her turn to let us have you for a change!"

He closed his bedroom door behind him. He couldn't miss the final battle, but he also couldn't risk his father having another heart attack. He felt like two ropes were pulling him in different directions, ready to tear him apart.

"If I go, I can only stay for about an hour," he told his father.

"Good! We were thinking the challenge should take about an hour, depending on how quickly you and your sister finish!"

Ryuichi hung up and leaned back against his door, thinking about his predicament. There was no way he could eat a giant burger and still be well enough to fight, even if he threw it all up afterward. Though, with Shizue's help, they might be able to make it look like they ate a lot of the burger to satisfy their father.

The timing was also a concern. If he could finish eating, reviewing, and discussing the burger challenge within two hours, he would still have time to rest before their battle. He just hoped he could eat enough to convince his father that he tried hard to eat as much as possible, but not so much that he couldn't move fast enough to fight.

He took up his keys and his motorcycle helmet, not in any mood to go. But he had to. He already promised, and he couldn't risk endangering the other workers the next day by making his father's wrath flare up again.

"You're going, aren't you?"

Mitsuru's voice was low and frigid when Ryuichi came out of his room. They all stared at him, and he could see disappointment in their eyes burning holes in his body.

"I'm sorry, but if I go now, I can make it back with time to rest and prepare," Ryuichi said, continuing on his way to the back door. "I promise I'll be back as soon as possible. It should only take about two, three hours tops."

"Your dad picked a bad time to make you work," Akihiko grunted. "Why can't you say no to him?"

"Senpai, this is the most important battle of our lives," Yukari urged him. "Are you going to be okay for tonight?"

He made it to the back door, his hand resting on the doorknob. "I'll come back as soon as I can," he said again without glancing back. "It shouldn't take long. I promise I'll be able to make it."

He left, knowing he was letting everyone down. But, there was nothing more he could do to try to appease both parties.

The restaurant was closed as usual on Tuesdays, making the Okazaki family the only occupants. Ryuichi spotted Shizue sitting at one of the tables, breastfeeding Megumi with a blanket covering her. She acknowledged him with a nod, not looking happy to be there, either.

"I don't get why he needs us to keep testing his burger," his sister grumbled to him. "We already know you had trouble eating the first one, so this one should be fine as is."

"You know Dad," he said with a shrug. "But seriously, I'm not supposed to be here today. I've got something else to do later and I can't be full to puking."

She adjusted the blanket over herself. "And I don't feel like eating myself sick, so I'm just gonna eat a little bit and tell Dad I'm full."

"I'm planning to do the same." He set his helmet down on the table. "The only problem is convincing him that that's all I can eat."

Their mother and father brought out the colossal burger, and both siblings were mortified to see what a behemoth it had become. Mount 'Murica was bigger than Ryuichi remembered, wider and taller and truly living up to being a mountain of meat. There were now two burger patties, each slightly smaller than the original and both topped with about a dozen slices of melted cheese. A mound of pastrami was added to the pile of meats, along with a little of every kind of sauce they made. Ryuichi couldn't believe that his father took his advice and added some lettuce and tomatoes, along with some caramelized onions. At the very top were the layers of onion rings and fries.

Shizue's face fell. "Aw, hell no."

"Oh! Almost forgot the seasoned curly fries!" Toshio retrieved the basket of curly fries from the counter and mashed it down on top of the regular fries. After an extra squirt of ranch dressing, he crowned the beastly burger with the top of the sourdough bun.

Ayumi took Megumi from Shizue and bent down to whisper something to her. Ryuichi couldn't hear what she said, but their mother gave him a warning look that told him not to overdo it again.

"I hope you kids are hungry!" Toshio said to them with a proud grin. "I really outdid myself this time!"

"Um, Dad?" Shizue dared to say. "There's no way Ryu-chan and I can eat all this."

"That's the point! I just wanna see how far you guys get so I can decide if it should be a one- or two-person challenge," their father told them. "You two have one hour, just like last time."

Shizue already looked ill from the sight. "Last time, Dad gave me whatever you couldn't eat and I could only manage about a fourth of that," she murmured to her brother.

It was Ryuichi's turn to feel sick. "He gave you my leftovers?"

Toshio set down forks and knives in front of his children. "Enough chit chat! Get eating!"

Just as they agreed, Ryuichi and Shizue only allowed themselves to eat to the point where they hoped their father was satisfied without them getting sick. Ayumi kept urging them to stop before they were too full at the same time Toshio yelled at them to keep eating.

"What are you doing, eating like some prissy princess?" Toshio roared at them, though he was looking right at Ryuichi. "You're supposed to eat like you mean it! Demolish it!"

"We ate earlier!" protested Shizue, but their father didn't want to hear it.

Next to her, Ryuichi kept quiet and kept eating, thinking more about the full moon operation afterward. He managed to consume a quarter of the burger, idly picking at the fries and onion rings on top when he felt like he was a little more than halfway full. Shizue managed significantly less than her brother, constantly shaking her head and wiping sauces and grease off of her face with a napkin. After about half an hour, they refused to eat any more.

"Did you even try?" Toshio yelled at Ryuichi as he wiped his face and hands. "I'm trying to do something to help the restaurant and you just half-ass it!"

"Sorry Dad, but like I said before, I have something to do later," Ryuichi said calmly as he stood to put his blazer back on. "But I can say that I won't even be able to finish even half of this thing, so if you want your two-person challenge, this is it."

"You didn't even try!" his father raged on. "If you're not even going to take it seriously, how can you even think you're going to inherit the restaurant?"

Ryuichi fended off a shudder as he took up his helmet. "Sorry, Dad, but I have to go," he said, trying to remain stoic while his guilt bled into his stomach. "I have to apologize to Mitsuru for bailing on her, but she understands that she's asked me to do the same to you guys in the past."

Shizue put Megumi in her baby carrier and covered it with the blanket she used earlier. "Hey, Ryu-chan? Can I have a ride?"

He looked to her apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't bring the sidecar this time."

"That's okay. Can you at least wait with me at the bus stop?"

Neither of the Okazaki siblings wanted to hang around while their father's wrath was in full force, but Ryuichi looked back to their mother and remembered that she would be the one to deal with him after they had gone.

Ryuichi went over to give Ayumi a hug. "Sorry about today," he whispered to her. "Will you be okay here?"

"I'll be fine," she told him. "Tell Mitsuru-san that we're sorry for keeping you."

She hugged Shizue next, then went to kiss Megumi's forehead, facing them all with a warm smile. She asked her children if they were okay after eating so much, and both insisted that they were perfectly fine. When they couldn't hear one another over Toshio's yells, they decided it was time to leave.

They stepped out into the cold, both puffing out jets of mist with every breath. They headed to the nearest bus stop, Ryuichi carrying Megumi's baby carrier for his sister while she held his helmet. When they sat down on the empty bench, Shizue checked on her daughter to make sure she was warm enough.

"Did you really have something to do for Mitsuru-san tonight?" Shizue asked him.

"I do, yeah." He took back his helmet and started anxiously drumming out a light rhythm on it. "And I can't do my job if I'm too full to move."

Shizue nodded. "Dad's getting pretty crazy with this food challenge thing. I don't think it'll help the restaurant enough if he's gonna be yelling like that. I mean, what's his problem? You said before that you couldn't make it today, and he just acts like your job's nothing."

A strong breeze cut deeply through his clothes. Shivering, Ryuichi zipped up his blazer while Shizue checked for any gaps in the blanket over Megumi's carrier.

"I hope she's warm enough in there," she said softly with uncertainty.

Ryuichi's skin prickled, not from the cold, but from mild anxiety from what he had just done and what was going to happen later that night. He looked up to the streetlamp, seeing the familiar orange glow that always agitated him, though it felt worse now than usual. Cars passed by, bringing strong breezes that made the two huddle over Megumi's carrier to block her from the wind. Some students and businessmen passed by on the sidewalk, and as he watched them, Ryuichi thought about how they would never know that the world was about to be saved in just a few short hours while they slept.

"Do you think the restaurant will survive?" Ryuichi asked his sister in a small voice.

She frowned. "With the way things are going, I doubt it."

She let out a frosty sigh. "Does Dad really think I'd sink so low and steal burger meat from him?"

Ryuichi didn't answer. He didn't have to.

"I mean, I know I messed up before, but I swear, I didn't steal anything," she continued, sounding more defeated than defensive.

"And Mom and I didn't find anything on the security footage, either," Ryuichi added. "Nobody's stolen any meat since we got the cameras up and running again, so either it was a mistake with portion sizes or whoever was stealing food already stopped."

He turned to his sister, who pulled her scarf over her face. "You were surprisingly chill earlier when Dad was yelling at us," he in admiration.

"Oh, that? I was just over everything."

"Really? I thought it was because you were being careful."

She raised her eyebrows. "Careful about what?"

Ryuichi took a breath. "About Dad. Mom told me he had a heart attack a few years ago, so we have to be more careful around him."

"He did? Oh, fuck."

The shock on Shizue's face matched his when their mother first told him about it. "Yeah," he confirmed, feeling terribly for angering their father earlier. "So, I'm trying to not upset him too much in case he ends up getting another one."

Shizue trembled as a gust of freezing wind blew. "So, what are we supposed to do? We just let him do what he wants and let him keep treating us like crap?"

Once again, Ryuichi didn't have an answer as the bus pulled up in front of them. Shizue held her stare on him for a few more seconds before getting up.

"Guess I'll see you Thursday," she muttered, and boarded the bus with Megumi.

Ryuichi stayed rooted to the bench, thinking about what Shizue said about how they were dealing with their father. When the bus turned the corner, he started back to the restaurant to get his motorcycle, spying his parents through the large windows. He saw Toshio putting away the massive burger, his face twisted up in fury as he pressed a butcher knife to the top bun and slammed it down through the layers and layers of meat. Ryuichi gasped when he saw his mother behind the counter with her back to the windows, slightly stooped while she obviously wiped a tear from her eye.

Ryuichi turned away, his heart hurting for his mother. Fueled by rage, he started for the front door, prepared to burst in to check on her, but as he put his hand against the heavy glass, he stopped. If he went in now, there was no guarantee what kind of damage he could end up doing, fearing that he could potentially trigger another heart attack for his father. And on top of that, he couldn't miss the full moon operation, either.

His fingertips slid down the glass door, leaving wispy smudge marks there. Frustrated with himself, he turned and left. He dragged his feet to his motorcycle, telling himself that he had a job to do, that he wasn't even supposed to be at the restaurant that day. No matter how hard he focused on those two facts, his guilt drove a fat spike into his gut for abandoning his parents, especially his mother. He knew he was scum for leaving her, feeling the guilt tug on him to turn back and check on his parents, but he kept his motorcycle facing away from the restaurant. He returned to the dorm defeated, no longer feeling the urgency of their final battle.

There was no one in the lounge when he arrived. Koromaru wasn't at his usual spot by the TV, Ryuichi figuring he was upstairs in Ken's room. Someone had been kind enough to wash the dishes for him, and he suspected that it must have been Fuuka. As he crossed the lounge to his room, he heard Akihiko give his punching bag a more vigorous beating than normal.

Though he hadn't eaten to full capacity, his stomach had bloated up enough to where he had a little difficulty bending over to untie his shoes. He dropped face-down onto his bed with a groan, his stomach burbling, not from the burger, but from raw shame.

It wasn't the first time he caught his parents arguing, but knowing that he should have gone back to check on them gnawed at him. He had so many chances to turn his motorcycle around to at least make sure his mother was all right, but in the end, he went back to being the cowardly little boy he thought he no longer was.

His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Reluctantly, he rolled onto his side to check the message.

 _"Are you able to fight?"_ Mitsuru asked him.

Ryuichi stared at the screen, rubbing his thumb over the keypad. So many thoughts raced in his mind, so many worries, so many regrets—But he couldn't think about them now. He had a job to do, and as he typed out his reply, he silently thanked Mitsuru for snapping him out of his compunction.

 _"Good to go,"_ he wrote back, and hit send.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 67**

The SEES crew gathered in the command room shortly before midnight. It was the first time in months since they were all together during a full moon operation, save for their fallen comrade. When the Dark Hour hit, everyone eagerly watched Fuuka floating within Juno as she scanned the city, unsure of what to expect of their new enemy.

"I found it. It's currently at the south end of the Moonlight Bridge," Fuuka reported, exhaling slowly. "The twelfth and final Shadow."

Ikutsuki rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. This is it," he said, deep in thought.

"And as we expected, there are two Persona-users nearby," Fuuka added. "Strega."

The other SEES members glowered at the mention of the name. Ryuichi was certain that they had not yet forgiven them for Shinjiro's death. He sure hadn't.

"They know this is their last chance. Even though we were expecting this, we should still be careful," Mitsuru advised all of them.

"Those bastards," Ken growled under his breath.

"Saves us the trouble of looking for them," Akihiko snarled, pounding his fist into his open palm.

Mitsuru stood from her seat and swept her gaze over all the determined faces that stared back. "You've all done a fine job up to this point. This will be our last operation. Let's all come back safely."

Everyone nodded, knowing the importance of their final battle. In the next hour, the Dark Hour would come to an end. All the nights they spent combating Shadows would be put behind them, sealed away as mere memories and reminiscent whispers throughout the years. They would be free to return to their normal lives.

Minato took a turn at looking around the room. "Koromaru, Akihiko-senpai, and Yukari," he called out. "You're up tonight. Everyone else: guard Fuuka."

Akihiko pumped a fist in front of his chest. "All right. For Shinji," he said in his low rasp.

"You can count on me," Yukari told their leader.

Koromaru wagged his tail and barked, then let his fur stand up like bristles on a brush as he let out a determined growl.

"Remember that Strega's out there," Ikutsuki reminded them. They didn't need it, as everyone was expecting a showdown with both Takaya and Jin from the very beginning.

Mitsuru led the team downstairs and onto the streets. Their footsteps shuffled across concrete dampened by a light drizzle from earlier that evening. Moonlight fell in shattered pieces along the wet cracks in the asphalt, making a trail to the bridge. Ryuichi never would have thought that there could be beauty during such a time when all things were sealed away in simulated death.

"Hey, anyone know if animals transmogrify?" Junpei asked aloud.

Yukari's face twisted up in annoyance as she opened her mouth, but slowly closed it as curiosity shone on her face. "Actually, yeah. Has anyone seen any animals around during the Dark Hour?"

Everyone looked to Koromaru, who turned around with his panting face looking like a broad smile.

"Is transmogrification only for humans?" Ken asked Mitsuru.

She looked to all the expectant faces around her. "I believe that even animals transmogrify," she answered, her gaze lowering to Koromaru. "In all the years that I've been active, Koromaru was the only animal I've ever seen walking around during the Dark Hour."

Akihiko looked to be deep in his thoughts. "Now that you mention it, I don't remember hearing any dogs barking during the Dark Hour, either," he added. "So I guess they do transmogrify."

"Hold up. What about birds? Are you saying there's a bunch of small coffins in trees right now?" Junpei piped up. "And what about bugs?"

"It's possible, though I haven't confirmed it myself," Mitsuru replied.

Everyone seemed to accept animal transmogrification as a possibility, but it was Junpei who seemed eager to confirm it for himself. He drifted away from the group in search of any little coffins that might be nearby.

"Junpei! Get back here!" Yukari called after him.

"It's our last chance to solve the mystery!" he shouted back as he trotted towards an alley. He rejoined the group shortly after with no findings to share.

They made it to the north end of the Moonlight Bridge, where a few cars stood frozen on the roads. Most of them had only one coffin inside, making the SEES team wonder how a coffin could even fit in the driver's seat at all. Puddles on the ground formed blood-red pools that patched the bridge, illuminated by golden moonlight.

Two figures came towards them from the southern end of the bridge. The members of SEES and Strega stared each other down, attempting to pierce through the other's conviction.

"You know the significance of today, do you not?" Takaya asked them in a clear, oily voice. "You claim that you hunt the Shadows to prevent the disaster they bring. Yet, countless lives are lost each day without their intervention.

"The power we wield is not itself evil—You cannot deny that. So, why don't you just admit it? You do not wish to eliminate the Dark Hour," he said in a voice that slithered into their ears. "You are merely deceiving yourselves."

"Who cares?" Minato shot back. Takaya's grin fell.

"'Who cares'? Refusing to answer is the same as turning your back," he said accusingly, glaring at Minato with contempt. "You are indeed foolish children. Erasing the Dark Hour is the same as erasing yourselves. Is even that beyond your comprehension?"

Arguing seemed pointless when Takaya's tactic was clearly to pervert their words to shake their resolve. Next to him, Jin kept tossing up a grenade into the air and catching it like a ball, a cruel sneer on his face.

"As I believed, our goals are irreconcilable," Takaya said with growing hatred in his voice. He whipped out his revolver, and Ryuichi drew his Evoker while backing towards Mitsuru to cover her.

Takaya's eyes shifted towards his partner. "Jin."

The other man flipped his bangs out of his face. "Forget these maggots," he sneered. His voice, tense as it was, felt empty, even pitiful, as if he had given up on negotiations from the start because they were too stupid to understand their cause.

The tall, bony, shirtless man swept his gaze over each of them like he was searching for the one with the weakest will. Ryuichi locked eyes with him for a moment, and he thought he saw Takaya's lip twitch in a faint smirk.

"Fate shall decide who will prevail," he said, and with his hand stretched out, he beckoned to them. "Come."

"Assault team! Forward!" At Minato's command, Akihiko, Yukari, and Koromaru sprang at the two while the others backed off.

"Now, you shall be judged!" Takaya laughed in a dry rasp. He fired a round from his revolver, Minato twisting out of the way in time.

Jin tossed his grenade up in the air and caught it again. "Play time's over, kids. It's time for the real deal!"

He pulled out the pin and hurled the grenade at the team. Everyone scattered, and seconds later, the bridge trembled with a rumbling _boom_ that sent bits of asphalt pattering against the cars and skittering across the bridge.

"We have to be careful of the cars!" Mitsuru shouted to everyone.

Through the smoke emerged a robotic Persona that looked like a silver top with legs and a single arm. It hovered above Jin, its arm swinging wildly as black smoke swirled beneath Mitsuru's feet. Ryuichi shoved her out of the way, falling unconscious as he hit the ground. Shouts and explosions became distant, muffled, and when he awoke, the battle thundered in his ears. A sharp bitterness twisted his tongue as Mitsuru grabbed him by his harness to help him sit up.

A grenade clattered by Ken's legs. Ken yelped and tried to scramble away, but in a single motion Aigis swept it up and hurled it off the bridge. It detonated with a heavy _thump_ above the bay.

"Standby team! Strike now!" Minato shouted.

"Hermes!" Junpei's voice rang out as his Persona appeared. Flames engulfed Strega, followed by ice, lightning, wind, and a hailstorm of bullets and arrows. Their combined spells covered the bridge in a thick mist, making it hard to see.

Something heavy skittered on the pavement in front of Ryuichi. Panicked, he used Garula to blast it away. He covered Mitsuru just as the grenade detonated with a powerful _thump_ high above the bridge. Ajax shielded them both from the shrapnel.

A flash of red darted into the mist. There were sounds of a struggle, and Takaya let out a pained grunt.

"That's for Shinji!" Akihiko raged, and pummeled Takaya with blinding speed.

More shots. More explosions. The mist cleared, showing Takaya on his knees, gripping his head. Above him appeared a nude body with gray skin covered in thick, red veins that branched upward into wings. Akihiko backed away and yelped when Takaya's Persona sealed him in ice.

Takaya pointed his revolver at the frozen Akihiko, but Yukari's arrow knocked it out of his hand. The gun fired upon impact, the bullet shattering the ice and setting Akihiko free. Yukari blasted Takaya with a powerful cyclone, sending him tumbling through the air. He landed in a heap near the edge of the bridge, his revolver close by.

Jin shouted for Takaya when Koromaru knocked the grenade from his hand. Minato summoned Skadi and encased Jin in a tower of ice. It shattered, felling their enemy, and he didn't try to get back up.

"Hold your fire!" Minato ordered the others. They kept their Evokers raised, glowering down at Jin as he stirred and dragged himself over to Takaya. His ragged breaths were too loud in the quiet stillness as everyone gathered around the pair.

"Dammit," Jin gasped. "Is their power that different from ours?"

Mitsuru furrowed her eyebrows. "Different?"

Jin's face twisted up at her in a sneer. "For us, it's not that simple. It has to be forced out. Didn't your pal tell you?"

Akihiko grimaced at him. "So, it was _you_ who was giving Shinji those pills," he growled.

Jin managed to prop himself up on one knee. "You guys don't have the slightest clue what will happen if the Dark Hour disappears, do you?" He straightened up and staggered, clutching his side without letting go of his aluminum case. "It won't matter for normal people, since they don't remember anything anyway. But for us—"

Takaya raised his bludgeoned and bruised face. A bloody bubble formed over his left nostril and popped. "That's enough," he said to Jin as he rose to his feet. He snatched up his revolver, Aigis and Yukari aiming their weapons at him. Ryuichi covered Mitsuru.

"This body," Takaya said, sucking on his teeth, "as ephemeral as it is, it is worthless without my power."

He put the gun's muzzle to his temple, startling everyone. "Therefore, only one choice remains: I shall prove my existence here and now!"

Jin's hand lashed out, wrenching the gun away. "What are you doing? Don't be so reckless!"

Takaya's expression turned to confusion when his companion stopped him. "Jin?"

"Sorry, but those are your words; not mine."

Jin looked to the SEES members, his stare full of spite. "You win. Looks like you'll get your wish. Go do what you came for," he said as he pulled Takaya to the edge of the bridge.

"Wait!" cried Junpei, and everyone realized just then what Jin was doing.

"I'd rather die than surrender to you!" Jin spat, acid in his words. "Take a good look: This is how we live!"

Jin fell backwards off the bridge first, pulling a dazed Takaya down with him. Half the team surged forward in time to see them disappear into the blood-red bay below.

"They jumped," gasped Yukari in disbelief.

"What the hell were they thinking?" Junpei mumbled.

Akihiko clutched his arm. "They chose their own fate," he said with a grimace. "Don't let it faze you."

Mitsuru stepped out from behind Ryuichi. "The operation has only begun," she reminded them, her voice making them turn away from the bridge's edge. "Our true adversary is waiting. Focus on that, all right?"

It seemed cruel for her to say such a thing after witnessing the two men end their lives, but a silent understanding fell upon the SEES team, knowing that she was right. They couldn't allow their resolve to waver now, of all nights. They still had one final Shadow to defeat, and Strega had delayed them, at best.

"Ooh, Akihiko-senpai, your arm," Fuuka said, wincing.

Everyone looked to see Akihiko's blood-stained sleeve. He examined his arm, the small bullet hole visible amid the blood.

"The bullet just grazed me a bit," he told everyone. "I can still fight."

Minato shook his head. "You did well to avenge Shinjiro-senpai," he told Akihiko. "But, he wouldn't want you to be reckless, so I'm going to have to ask you to stand down."

"Yeah, I know," Akihiko sighed.

Yukari showed Minato her quiver of arrows. "I don't think I have enough for another battle," she said glumly. "You'll have to bring someone else."

Minato allowed her to also back out of the fight and went to kneel by Koromaru next. "You did a great job," he told the faithful dog. "You've earned a break."

Koromaru whined and let his ears droop, obviously wanting to fight still. Their leader turned around to look at the eager faces of the remaining team members, assessing each and every one. Ryuichi steeled his eyes, meeting Minato's gaze to show him his determination to fight.

"Ken-kun, Mitsuru-senpai, and Ryuichi-senpai. Are you three ready?"

Ken gave his spear a few spins. "I'm ready!" he shouted, taking a wide stance.

Ryuichi nodded. "Ready."

Mitsuru brandished her rapier. "Everyone else, protect Yamagishi," she ordered. "We'll end this tonight."

With their friends' wishes of good luck upon them, the four raced across the bridge to find their last enemy. As Ryuichi cast buffers on his teammates, they came upon three white statues of women in long robes that stood in a triangular formation with their heads bowed in prayer, glowing from the white fog that surrounded them. Their stony feet scraped across the asphalt as they shuffled towards the team.

Overhead, a large, dark figure lowered from the sky. The team gasped when they saw the enormous, muscular, male figure hanging from a steel beam cross. He wore his white, sleepy-faced mask on what should have been the back of his head, judging from the lack of a face. When he bowed his head down, his mask faced the team upside-down. His dark skin stretched painfully from his back and shoulders from where he was hooked to the steel beam, his body hanging so low that it looked like his skin could tear any second. Above the cross were two rotating wheels attached by cables, one wheel set atop the other, both with feathery wings like propellers that kept the Shadow aloft above the statues. It let out a series of groans as it strained against its restraints.

"I think that floating thing is your main target, but it's out of your range," Fuuka pointed out.

Ryuichi rolled his eyes at her stating the obvious.

"Give me a minute. I'll see what I can find out."

"Focus on attacking the statues first," Minato told the others. "But try to conserve your magic."

The four leaped forward, striking with swords and spears, but all they managed to do was slightly chip the statues. On Minato's word, their Personas appeared with gifts of lightning, ice, and wind, managing to knock down two of the three.

"They have different weaknesses," Fuuka reported. "For the last one, don't use Agi skills."

The large Shadow above them wriggled again, summoning a gooey Maya that lunged at Ken. He struck first with his spear, and Mitsuru finished it with ice.

"Thanks!" Ken squeaked, and she saluted him with her blade.

Ryuichi struck the last statue with Garula, but it didn't move. When Minato used Ziodyne, the statue fell over, and a rattling overhead made them glance up.

"It's falling! Get out of there!" Fuuka shouted, and the four raced away as the large Shadow came crashing down onto the bridge. The whole structure shook, making the team fight to stay on their feet.

"Everyone! All-out attack!" Minato ordered, and all four rushed the Shadow. Their Personas thrashed their enemy alongside them, the Shadow jerking and letting out guttural snarls in pain. Mitsuru stabbed her stiletto heel into its mask, leaving a crack in its forehead that Ryuichi praised. When it got back up, it swatted a massive hand at them, knocking Ken down.

"Mitsuru-senpai! Mind Charge then Bufudyne!"

Ryuichi helped Ken up as another Maya appeared. He turned and stabbed the Shadow's mask, and Ken finished it off. The two ducked when lightning and ice exploded on the massive Shadow. Before the icy mist cleared, Minato and Mitsuru rushed forward to slash it with their swords.

Howling, the Shadow pounded the bridge in frustration with its massive hands. The bridge quaked again, the team bracing themselves to stay on their feet. Mitsuru teetered on her heels when a giant hand knocked her down. Lying on her back, she thrust her blade into the Shadow's palm just as Ryuichi hurried over. He cast Garula, making the hand shoot back at the Shadow and smack itself in the face.

"How careless of me," she muttered as Ryuichi helped her to her feet. "Do you have any Snuff Souls left?"

"Tons," he said, stuffing a handful into her palm. He went to take care of the new Maya heading their way, hearing the distant cheers from their teammates urging them to keep going.

The more Ryuichi cast buffers, healing, and wind spells, the heavier his body became with fatigue. He raised his Evoker to replenish everyone's energy when Minato gave another order to raise their defense again. He shoved more candies into his mouth while casting, watching as three new statues appeared while the large Shadow was lifted back up into the air again.

They all cast elemental spells, bringing the statues down in seconds. They retreated to a safe distance when the large Shadow dropped again, the four clinging to each other or widening their stances to keep from toppling when the bridge shook from the impact.

"Full assault!" Minato shouted as the Shadow reached for a nearby car.

"Don't let it get the car!" Mitsuru yelled, and all their Personas shot forward.

Ice encased the hand, and a lightning bolt exploded onto it. The team rushed in and struck with their blades while Ajax and Odin pushed the car to safety.

Mitsuru stepped back. "Yamagishi, tell everyone to get the cars away from the Shadow's reach!"

"We'll have to put them back exactly as they were before," Ryuichi reminded her. "It'll be bad if they crash when they wake up."

She studied the scene just as the other Personas began dragging and pushing the cars further down the bridge. "Okay, I think I have it memorized," she told him, and fired more rounds from her Evoker.

The hand went for Minato next. Their leader was knocked off his feet, and as he scrambled to get back up, a giant fist came crashing down on him. Kala-Nemi, Penthesilea, and Ajax all grabbed the fist in time, their arms and backs straining while Ryuichi grabbed Minato by the collar and dragged him out.

"It's almost finished! Keep it up!" Fuuka cheered them on.

"Everybody, all in!" Minato shouted to the other team members. "Let's finish this!"

Explosions of flames, ice, wind, and lightning made the agonized Shadow groan and writhe. Wind tore at its already tortured body, followed by slashes, pummels, and stabs. Bullets and arrows buried themselves in its thick skin. Caesar pinned one of its hands down into the bridge with his sword, the Shadow letting out a groan of excruciating pain. With a final command from Minato for one last spell, a devastating explosion of elements covered the Shadow in a glowing mist. When the air cleared, there was only a massive scorch mark where the Shadow once lay.

Everyone froze as they stared at the empty spot. They all looked to each other, panting, tense from battle and the uncertainty of whether or not that was the end of it.

Aigis was the first to straighten up. "Operation completed," she announced to the others. "Or should I say, 'Mission complete'?"

Mitsuru turned to face everyone, pausing briefly to compose herself. "Yes," she told them all. "It's finally over."

Smiles spread on everyone's faces. They all cheered and exchanged high-fives, gleeful barks, and shouts that filled the night air. Ryuichi put on a tired smile as he joined the others in their jubilation, masking the odd emptiness he felt within himself.

"I believe a celebration is in order," Aigis piped up again. "What will be our victory cheer?"

"Can we go home now?" Minato groaned.

Aigis nodded. "One, two, three—Can we go home now?" Aigis said loudly in her robotic voice all by herself. A moment later, everyone broke out in laughter that carried over the bay.

"What was that?" Yukari chortled.

Amid the laughter, Junpei slinked up next to Mitsuru. "So, um, Senpai, you're gonna throw us a party tomorrow, right?" he asked slyly.

Mitsuru let out a weary sigh. "You don't waste any time, do you?" she asked, even though the answer was obvious. Junpei's rapid nod was backed by a few pleas from the others. "Well, I suppose I could arrange for it."

His face lit up. "Ooh! In that case, how 'bout sushi?" he asked, hope bright in his eyes.

While everyone staked their claim on their favorite kinds of sushi, Ryuichi took a look around. The sky was still the familiar green, the moon larger than normal with its filthy yellow glow, and Tartarus continued to pierce the sky. He peered down at the bridge, seeing the blood-red puddles at his feet.

"I reserve the shrimp, squid, scallops, and sea eel," he heard Aigis say.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Junpei griped. "You don't even eat!"

Ken chuckled to himself. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves, fighting over sushi," he pointed out while everyone frowned at him. He turned to Mitsuru and said to her: "Senpai, please order tamago for me. They say you can tell a chef's skill by how he prepares eggs."

Yukari blinked. "Um, how old are you again?"

Everyone continued to inundate Mitsuru with their sushi orders, some repeating them to make sure she heard them.

"Okay, okay, I'll have the very best delivered tomorrow," she reassured them, brimming with her own excitement.

"For real?" Junpei let out a victorious shout. "Aw, man, it's great to be alive!"

Yukari shook her head, grinning. "Don't get too excited, Junpei. You're getting the leftovers," she playfully jabbed.

"What? But, it was my idea in the first place!"

Another round of laughter, and Mitsuru turned to gaze up at the full moon. "I guess it's time to say goodbye to the Dark Hour," she said in a pensive voice. "Even though it seemed like a curse, for some reason I'm reluctant to let it go."

Everyone followed her gaze to the moon. Tartarus appeared as though it could almost stab right through it.

"Yeah," Akihiko agreed with a similar emptiness in his voice.

"We really did it, didn't we?" Yukari asked.

Mitsuru smiled at her peacefully. "Yes. We saved the world, even if no one knows it."

They took some time to put the cars back before heading home. On the way back to the dorm, they sleepily continued with their menu choices while Ryuichi hung back a little with Mitsuru.

"The Dark Hour sure is taking its time to disappear," he murmured to her low enough so that only she could hear.

"I'm sure it takes time," she replied, but her voice wavered. "Do you have any requests for what you would like to eat tomorrow?"

He groaned. "I don't think I can handle food anymore," he told her. "Pick anything. I'll eat whatever's there."

They all trudged back to the dorm, arriving just as the city lit up bright again. The Dark Hour had ended, and as Mitsuru said before, no one would ever know of the deed they had done for the world.


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68**

The next morning, Ryuichi lay awake long before his alarm went off. He spent much of last night constantly turning over in bed, kept awake by his thoughts on whether or not the Dark Hour had truly come to an end. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered why the Dark Hour didn't end right when they defeated the last full moon Shadow. Even after Mitsuru dismissed his concerns, he still felt like something was off.

He shut off his alarm just seconds before it could blare out its grating cry. As sluggish as he felt, he still got up to do his morning workout. It didn't matter that the Dark Hour was over; he still needed to train and exercise every day if he wanted to continue working as Mitsuru's bodyguard, especially now that his enemies would be actual people instead of Shadows.

While in the plank position, Ryuichi craned his head up so he could see the wooden dummy in the corner. He tried to imagine what it would be like to fight people who had the intent to kill. He remembered when his old bullies would beat him up, and how he would try to fight back with all his pitiful might. Back then, he didn't hold back, but the most he managed to hurt them was from making their stomachs ache from laughing so hard at how pathetic he was.

He didn't have to hold back with Shadows, but he was stronger now and had the help of his Persona. If he could use Ajax in a fight against humans, he hoped he could just blast them away with wind and make a hasty escape from danger with Mitsuru.

But, that was a luxury he didn't have any more if the Dark Hour had truly ended. If someone attacked Mitsuru, he could only rely on his own strength and skills to stop them. He was taught that killing to protect his charge should always be a last resort, but when there were no other options, he would have to end a life to protect another.

After his workout, Ryuichi took a hot shower. For a long while, he stood under the rush of near-scalding water, trying to wash away the thought of killing someone to keep Mitsuru safe. He tried to turn his thinking around, imagining how he would feel if the person trying to kill Mitsuru succeeded. If he failed to protect her, then...

He shut the water off. Immediately, the freezing morning air cooled his steaming skin. For just a few minutes, the cold shock helped him concentrate on getting ready for school before he sank back down into his worries once more.

"You're looking rather distracted today. Is something wrong?"

Ryuichi had no idea how or when he and Mitsuru started walking towards the train station. He blinked a few times in the warm sunlight, confused, as if having just awoken from a dream. In a panic, he checked if he was wearing clothes, relieved that he made sure to get dressed before heading out.

"You're one to talk," he murmured, spotting the dark circles under her eyes. "Couldn't sleep after the battle?"

Mitsuru straightened the bow around her throat. "I didn't want to say anything last night in front of everyone, but I had the same suspicions as you about whether or not it we had succeeded. If you're worried about it, then that lets me know that it wasn't just my imagination."

Behind them, they could hear Junpei whooping and messing around. "It just sucks that no one'll ever know what we did," he griped to the other juniors.

"They'll know if you keep talking about it," Yukari snapped at him.

"Nah, everyone will just think I'm talking about a video game or manga."

They caught up to Mitsuru and Ryuichi at the crosswalk. "Hey! Gooooood morning!" Junpei greeted them in a big, booming voice.

"Good morning," Fuuka said, smiling.

"Morning," Yukari piped up. Next to her, Minato murmured his greeting.

"Good morning," the two seniors replied.

"So, we're definitely on for tonight, right, Senpai?" Junpei asked Mitsuru with his eager grin.

She smiled. "The arrangements have been made. Just be sure to return to the dorm by dinner time," was all she said, and Junpei leaped with both fists in the air, cheering.

Fuuka giggled. "Junpei-kun is never this energetic in the morning."

"I almost miss that," Minato sighed, and Yukari and Ryuichi murmured their agreements.

For the moment, the seniors suspended their conversation as they traveled with the juniors to school. They had a mutual understanding to not upset them at the risk of putting a damper on their celebration while their suspicions were mere conjecture.

The more Ryuichi looked around at everyone and everything, the more foreign he felt. The fall sun was too bright, and everyone spoke of jokes and minor complaints as if they were their only cares in the world. A businessman nervously trembled while muttering through what sounded like a presentation he was about to give. Middle school students from Gekkoukan griped about a quiz they recently bombed. Everything was just too normal for Ryuichi.

Then again, it had been years since he knew what normal was. Normal for him was staying up late for a nightly trip to Tartarus or going on patrol around town. Normal was coming home after midnight with a few injuries, and then coming up with lies for how he got them in case anyone at school asked. His new normal would be one less hour in the day, thought he might still sport a few injuries for his job.

He wondered if this "normal" life was also foreign to Mitsuru. She told him before that she awoke to her Persona when she was just a little girl, and he could only wonder what it must have been like, being the only one with her ability for so long until she discovered Akihiko years later.

They went to class, took notes, endured lectures, and Ryuichi was called on to answer a question in English. Mitsuru's tutoring helped him answer correctly, and he was even praised by the teacher for being able to speak without a Japanese accent. He wasn't too happy when the teacher asked him to read a passage from their English text book aloud for the class, but the extra bit of praises helped him get over it quickly. He almost didn't realize that the teacher let him read more than a whole page.

At lunchtime, Mitsuru asked him to follow her to the Student Council Room. He didn't need to ask what for, the two hurrying to the room before anyone could interrupt them. When they were safe inside, Mitsuru stood at the front with her arms folded, deep in thought while her eyes narrowed and fixed on a spot on the floor. Ryuichi leaned his hip against one of the tables with his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently for her to speak her mind.

"I don't know what it means if the Dark Hour continues, nor do I have any idea of how to stop it if we did not succeed last night," she finally said. "We've reached the top of Tartarus and found nothing of significance there. Had there been something, that would have been our only lead."

"Was it the top, though?" Ryuichi asked. "That place likes to stop us from climbing higher every month, so how do we know that we really reached the top?"

"Because there was no path leading higher this time." She grasped her arm, anguish breaking through her stoic face. "Before, there would always be another staircase surrounded by a barricade. This time, Tartarus ended with no staircase in sight. You saw it yourself."

"And what if something changed, now that we've taken out the full moon Shadows?"

"That's a possibility we have to consider," she said, raising her face to him with determination in her eyes. "I just hope we're wrong."

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. "Excuse me," she said, and stood in the corner of the room to answer it. "Father?"

Ryuichi perked up when he heard Mitsuru's confusion turn to delight. "Yes, we did," she continued to say. Ryuichi smiled, feeling warmth from how happy Mitsuru was to hear from her father.

"Six o'clock. Yes, we'll see you then. And, Father?"

Mitsuru hesitated. "Actually, it's nothing. I'll see you tonight."

After she hung up, she turned back to Ryuichi as she pocketed her phone. Her smile was still fresh and bright on her face, like a glacier gleaming in the morning light.

"There's no hiding that you heard everything," she said, beaming. "My father is coming tonight to celebrate with us."

"Great!" He stood up from the table, grinning.

"I hope he's not too busy that I'm interrupting his work." Her smile fell as she spoke. She lowered her face, as if ashamed that she had been too selfish for tearing her father away from more important things.

"Are you kidding? You're way more important to him than his work," Ryuichi told her. "I have no doubts that he would've gone to all your birthdays and fencing matches if he could. Hell, I'm sure he would gladly drop everything if it meant being there for you."

She gave a dry laugh. "You really think that?"

"Well, yeah."

He leaned against the table again. "I can speak from experience, too. Your father had me write reports on how you were doing. He wanted to know if you were pushing yourself too hard, getting enough rest, and all that stuff, because he knows that if he asked you, you wouldn't be totally honest with him so he wouldn't worry."

Mitsuru blinked in amazement. "He made you do that?"

"Yeah, on top of the reports for the Dark Hour." Ryuichi lifted his hat to fix his hair. "And the reason why he would have me go to your family home whenever he was in town was to fill him in personally about you. He really wanted to know more about what was going on with you."

He chuckled when he recalled a memory from years ago. "I remember back in middle school I had to send him a report about you spraining your ankle. I was so scared when I was typing that thing up, and then he sent a reply so fast I freaked out."

She gasped. "Is that why the doctor arrived at the dorm so quickly?"

"Yup!" He couldn't hide his embarrassed grin. "But man, I was so sure he was going to have me thrown off the top of Tartarus for letting you get hurt!"

"He would never do that," she reassured him. "And seeing as you survived that night, I have no doubts that he's forgiven you for _my_ carelessness."

Ryuichi let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, so, sorry for listening in earlier, but it sounded like you were about to tell your father something. How come you hesitated?"

"Oh, that?" Mitsuru's bangs fell over her face, but her smile was still visible. "It's nothing that can't wait until later."

She took out her cell phone to check the time. "While it's still early: Is there any type of sushi you would like? You're the only one who hasn't made any requests."

Seeing Mitsuru in such a good mood made him forget about his own worries. He was happy for her, knowing how much she endured and sacrificed for so many years. He wanted to believe that they were rid of the Dark Hour for good for her sake.

After Mitsuru made Ryuichi pick some sushi for that night, they went downstairs to get a light lunch. They ate their meager meals up in the Student Council Room, where Mitsuru asked Ryuichi to tell her about all the things her father wanted to know about her. He told her everything he could remember from the very start of his employment up to just last night.

"But, there were some things I didn't tell him right away," he said to her. "At least, not until after you told him yourself."

She lowered her bottle of milk from her lips. "What kind of things?"

"Things like exam results and how you did in your fencing competitions."

"And why's that?"

He smiled proudly at her. "Because I thought he should hear about his daughter's victories directly from you."

She smiled appreciatively at him. "That was very thoughtful of you," she said softly. "Thank you, Ryuichi."

Their conversation shifted to more normal concerns regarding their futures. They talked about their mock exams coming up, what college life might be like, and how to make their living arrangements work if Ryuichi was going to continue as Mitsuru's bodyguard and butler.

"Since you and Kikuno won't be able to live with me in the women's dorms, we might have to buy a small house close to campus to accommodate the three of us," Mitsuru reasoned out.

Ryuichi snapped his fingers when an idea struck him. "If we're moving into a house, then can we get a cat?"

"A cat? Why a cat?"

"Why not?" he blurted out with excitement. "Cats are awesome! They're so chill, so when you get home and just want to relax, what better way to de-stress than by snuggling with a kitty?"

Her laughter filled his ears. "I never would have guessed that you would be a cat person."

"Yeah, well, don't tell Koromaru," he chuckled. "But yeah, just make sure that anything you don't want destroyed stays locked in your room."

After school, they hung back to fulfill their cleaning duties. Mitsuru directed the other students in their class by splitting them into groups and allocating tasks to each group. Ryuichi was in her group, and together with their classmates, they moved desks to sweep and mop the floors. The work went quickly, and soon Ryuichi and Mitsuru were on their way back to the dorm in preparation of their honored guest.

At home, Ryuichi served Mitsuru her afternoon tea before he started to clean the lounge. Mitsuru insisted that the dorm was already clean, but Ryuichi was already nudging her feet with the vacuum to get her to move. It was when he was cleaning under the sofas that he remembered something that Mitsuru mentioned last night. He turned off the vacuum, the motor whining to a stop.

"Hey, about what you said before," he began, catching her attention, "how come you're a little reluctant to let the Dark Hour go? Because it's been around for so long that you got used to it?"

"That's part of it." She set down her teacup. "I actually attribute meeting everyone in SEES to the Dark Hour. The way I see it, even though it was a phenomenon brought upon us by my grandfather's ardent desire for power, there were still some good things to come out of it."

He agreed completely. "I have you and the Dark Hour to thank for saving my life many times over," he said, resting his hand on the vacuum handle. "And like you said, we might not have become friends if it wasn't for the Dark Hour."

"Perhaps." She looked away. "I will say that your music did catch my attention in middle school, so I wonder if we would have become friends eventually."

"Well, if we were meant to be friends, then maybe it would've happened even without the Dark Hour," he said softly with a wry smile. "Except..."

She tilted her head. "'Except', what?"

He changed his mind. "Nah. The fact is, _this_ is how things wound up, so I think this is how it's meant to be."

Mitsuru had a questioning look on her face. She started asking him what he meant when the front door opened. Koromaru strode inside with Ken holding the door open for him.

"Oh, hello, Mitsuru-senpai, Okazaki-san," Ken greeted them both with a smile. He peeked back out the door. "A van just parked outside. I think I see Saikawa-san."

"That must be the sushi," Mitsuru said as she rose from her chair.

The two seniors got both the front doors open so Kikuno and some other maids could carry in three large trays of sushi. The trays were so massive that they almost didn't fit on the coffee table, leaving just enough room for small plates, chopsticks, containers of wasabi and ginger, little bottles of soy sauce, and soy sauce dishes. Just looking at the array of seafood on beds of rice was enough to get Ryuichi's mouth flooding.

"Don't you dare sample any," Mitsuru warned him as the maids left.

He pouted. "I wasn't gonna."

"Not with that look in your eyes."

He cocked his head to the side at her. "You're never gonna forgive me for stealing the strawberry off your birthday cake last year, are you?"

When she didn't answer, he started to panic. "Aw, come on! There were seven other strawberries on that cake!" he reminded her. "And I gave you mine afterward!"

Mitsuru crossed her arms as she turned to Koromaru. "Koromaru, if he makes a move towards the food, take any preventative measures to subdue him."

"Woof! Woof!" Koromaru's dutiful reply made Ryuichi groan.

"I just got replaced by a dog over a strawberry," he whined, catching the gleeful smile Mitsuru wore. "If anything, I'm not the one you should be worrying about. Any second now, Junpei's gonna come home and see all this food, and I heard he didn't eat lunch."

"And I recall you only eating curry bread at lunch, so I know I can't trust you with food," she said in a playfully accusing tone. "Koromaru, I'm counting on you. I'm going to my room for a little bit."

Ryuichi stuck his tongue out at her, making her chuckle some more. The enormous plastic covers separated him from the delectable morsels, so even if he wanted to sneak one, it would still take too much effort to get a cover open. To keep his mind off of the feast, Ryuichi resumed cleaning the first floor of the dorm. He just hoped that Mitsuru's father wouldn't go beyond the stairs.

That evening, everyone gathered in the lounge around the table, their stomachs growling as if they had fasted to purify themselves before their anticipated meal. The covers had been removed, giving everyone a full view of the vibrant oranges, deep pinks, sumptuous yellows, and so on of every type of sushi they requested and more.

"Whoa, nice spread," Junpei said as he hungrily let his eyes lap up the view of the three giant platters.

"The slices are huge!" exclaimed Yukari.

Junpei licked his lips. "Man, I'm starving! Can we eat?"

Ken took a good look around the room. "Hey, where are Aigis-san and Ikutsuki-san?" he asked.

"He took her to the lab for a tune-up or something," Akihiko answered. "He said they'll join us later."

Fuuka giggled behind her hand. "The Chairman just can't stay away from the lab, can he?"

Headlights swept across the walls. Tires screeched, and they heard car doors open and slam shut.

"That must be my father," Mitsuru said, and everyone gathered around the doors to greet him.

The impressive figure of Takeharu Kirijo entered the dorm, flanked by a man in a gray suit and a woman in a blue suit. The woman turned and closed the door behind them.

"We've been waiting for you," Mitsuru said to her father.

Takeharu looked to his daughter first, then to each of the SEES members. "So, it's over at last, huh?" he said in his quiet but intense voice. Ryuichi couldn't remember him sounding so relaxed before, despite his hardened expression.

"Yes," Mitsuru answered, sounding like a soldier giving her report.

To everyone's surprise, Takeharu's tone softened. "Congratulations, everyone. You've done well. There are no words to express my gratitude," he said, his one eye sweeping over everyone. "Though you will never receive the recognition you deserve, it is undoubtedly a monumental achievement."

"Thank you," Akihiko said on behalf of everyone.

Takeharu stepped towards Yukari and took her by the hand, startling her with the sudden gesture.

"To you, I owe a special thanks," he said to her. "For lending us your power until the very end."

She blushed. "Oh, it's, it's no big deal," she replied, unable to hold back a bashful grin.

He then turned to Ryuichi. "And to you, too, for protecting Mitsuru these past few years. I owe you my thanks, as well."

Ryuichi bowed. "I am proud to serve," he said, and Takeharu clapped him on the shoulder with a firm squeeze.

Takeharu turned to everyone else. "The twelve Shadows that were the cause of all our troubles have been destroyed, thanks to your efforts. You needn't bear this burden any longer. You deserve a chance to experience the joys of youth. The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be dissolved as of midnight tonight."

The announcement stunned everyone into silence. Ryuichi felt like a piece of him had died away.

"No longer must you put your lives on the line in battle," Takeharu continued. There was joy in his voice, though it didn't show on his stoic face. "Tomorrow, you can triumphantly return to a normal school life."

Everyone glanced around to one another. Nobody smiled.

Takeharu looked at all the confusion before him. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Akihiko said for all of them. Ryuichi realized that everyone felt the same way that he did.

"All right, everyone," Mitsuru announced. "It's time to celebrate. Your feast awaits you. There's no need to hold back; eat as much as you like."

"Sweet!" Junpei pumped his fists into the air. "I've been waiting for you to say that!"

He led the charge back to the sofas. Everyone followed except Minato, who remained by the door staring up at the ceiling for quite some time.

"Minato-kun! Are you coming?"

"Hurry up before Junpei eats everything!"

"You've got that right! I'm not holding back tonight!"

"Hey! Pass the plates!"

Ryuichi pitied the bodyguards standing watch behind Takeharu. He suspected that he would be doing the same kind of task someday, standing guard while watching everyone else feast on the tantalizing food. When that day came, he could only hope that he would be allowed to pick at some of the leftovers afterward.

"Do you guys remember that one time?" Junpei chortled. "Akihiko-senpai went berserk and tried to catch that one golden Shadow and—"

"It wasn't my fault!" Akihiko snarled, jabbing his chopsticks at Junpei. "That wall came out of nowhere!"

Ryuichi laughed along with the others on his way to the kitchen to prepare Koromaru's dinner. The maids brought a special meal for Koromaru, with meats and vegetables that Ryuichi had to admit looked good enough for a human to eat. Koromaru wagged his tail as he watched Ryuichi pour the food into his bowl. He let out one delighted bark before shoving his snout right in.

Everything was beyond delicious, handcrafted by masters without a doubt. Ryuichi almost wept when he got his first taste of sea urchin. Every different piece of sushi he ate was nothing like he had ever had before in the restaurants, the fish so fresh he could swear they were caught only moments before they began to feast.

Everyone exchanged their fondest memories from joining SEES, from epic mishaps to daring duels to near-miss rescues. The laughter never stopped, whether they were soft chuckles or silent tears that left them gasping for breath.

"In my defense, I was charmed!" Yukari protested when Akihiko recalled the time when she accidentally shot Ryuichi in the butt with an arrow.

Ryuichi palmed his face in embarrassment while everyone burst into laughter. Even Takeharu managed a dry chuckle without cracking a smile.

"The teachers kept asking why I only sat on half my chair that whole week," he recalled, making everyone laugh even harder. "One of them even offered me hemorrhoid cream."

As everyone roared with guffaws and gasps, Mitsuru settled down enough to quietly ask Ryuichi if she and her father could borrow his room for a few minutes. He gave her the key without hesitation, realizing too late that he had not thought to clean his room. He could only watch as his door closed behind both Kirijos and hoped that they didn't find the dirty clothes he had kicked under his bed.

"The Chairman and Aigis still aren't here," Fuuka noticed after the laughter died down.

"I guess repairs are going kinda slow, huh?" Junpei figured. "He picked her up right outside the school gate, too, so that was hours ago."

"Was she that damaged from last night's battle?" Ken asked. "She didn't look too bad, I don't think."

Minato snickered, catching their attention. "You guys remember when that one Shadow tried to peek under Yukari's skirt?"

Everyone howled with laughter at the memory, recalling how Yukari had stolen Minato's sword and completely obliterated the Shadow.

"Why are all the bad memories about me?" Yukari whined.

"Okay, I got one," Junpei said, and the stories continued rolling.

Mitsuru and her father eventually came out from Ryuichi's room. Takeharu took over Mitsuru's usual chair while she settled back down on the couch next to Ryuichi. She gave him back his key, thanking him.

"Hey, how about a picture?" Junpei suggested, holding up his camera.

It took some time for everyone to orient themselves by the front doors. Junpei, Akihiko, and Ryuichi stood in the back as the tallest of the bunch while everyone else gathered in front. Takeharu stood with his daughter, and Ryuichi noticed him put a hand on Mitsuru's shoulder to give it a quick, proud squeeze.

The bodyguard in the gray suit held up Junpei's camera. "Is everybody ready?" he asked.

"You bet!" Junpei bumped everyone as he thrust his fists into the air.

"Knock it off," a jostled Akihiko grumbled.

"Awww!"

The obnoxious, excitable teenager tried bunny ears on Akihiko, and everyone berated him for his immaturity. He started to protest when he stepped back and tripped over Koromaru. The camera's flash went off, capturing the moment of failure.

"At least he was nice enough to take the photo again," Yukari murmured on their way back to their seats.

Takeharu cleared his throat. "Ryuichi," he said, and the young bodyguard obediently followed him to his own room.

Ryuichi started to offer his desk chair to his boss, but Takeharu had already taken a seat on his bed. He noticed that the blankets were slightly wrinkled where he suspected Takeharu and Mitsuru sat during their talk. As Ryuichi pulled the desk chair closer to the bed, he sneakily kicked a discarded T-shirt under his bed. He sat down on the very front edge of his chair, his back straight and rigid as though a pole had replaced his spine.

"Three years ago, I received a report from Mitsuru saying that she had found and rescued someone with the potential," Takeharu said to him. "But even more astonishing to me was when I heard you had protected her despite your injuries. I was intrigued that someone would possess the strength and courage to do such a thing."

Ryuichi felt his face grow hot. "Oh, uh, it was just sort of—"

"However, I did not expect you to be the person that Mitsuru described."

Takeharu nodded quietly to himself, leaving Ryuichi unsure of what to say. "Yes, she said you were a short, timid young man who was often bullied by some boys in school and that you had suffered a great humiliation earlier that day. But according to her report, you were someone with inner strength, someone who would be an asset to our cause.

"Of course, everyone thought that I was being foolish when I proposed that you would become Mitsuru's bodyguard," he continued. Ryuichi found himself agreeing with everyone who had opposed Takeharu's idea. "It's a good thing that I always have the final say."

Ryuichi humbly bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

The elder Kirijo looked around the room. "It looks like you were still able to live a fairly fulfilling high school life, despite some of the difficulties you've had this year. I know my selfish request of having you work as Mitsuru's bodyguard cost you more than we can ever repay you for, but I am truly grateful for all your sacrifices."

"Sir, with all due respect, I am the one who could never repay you or your daughter for all your help," Ryuichi replied. "In truth, it was the Dark Hour that saved me the first time that night, and then Ojou-sama saved me again just minutes after that. All I did was return the favor."

"Don't forget that you protected her afterward for three years. I would say that you more than returned the favor."

Ryuichi bowed even lower. He knew he shouldn't argue with his employer, even if he still had plenty to say.

"Mitsuru tells me that you're also aiming for Kawaguchi University. And yet, you plan to continue your service to her after earning your degree. Is that right?"

"Yes, sir. That is, with your permission and hers."

"And this is what you want to do?"

"Yes, sir."

"And how will you achieve that if you continue back and forth between your duty to Mitsuru and your duty to your family?"

He froze. "I..."

Takeharu stood up from the bed. "This was a difficult year for you, I know, but from what Mitsuru tells me, your family's restaurant has been struggling due to circumstances beyond your control."

Ryuichi didn't respond right away, not sure if he should be surprised that Mitsuru told her father about his family struggles. Takeharu stood taller, his face far above Ryuichi like a god glaring down at a faithful follower who had backslid.

"I know that Mitsuru's been trying to help you focus on your needs first by giving your family excuses for you to not go into work. She has a bad habit of imposing her 'help' on others, but in your case, I can't help but think that you're letting her do so because you're too afraid to tell your family 'no' yourself."

His words speared Ryuichi through his heart. "You rely too much on Mitsuru," Takeharu told him, making him flinch. "And she should learn to let you handle things on your own."

He put a fatherly hand on Ryuichi's shoulder. "I know that family is important to you, but the problem I'm seeing is that you are forgetting to consider yourself. You're always too ready to cast aside your needs to help others first, no matter how tired you are or if you have something else to do that's important to you. It's as though you don't see your own worth until Mitsuru steps in and reminds you of it."

Ryuichi's head sank low, feeling himself get crushed beneath the truths his boss rained down upon him.

"You don't need someone else to validate your worth," Takeharu said, his voice hard but somehow kind. "You need to learn to value yourself. Learn to walk on your own two feet, not just so you can rely on yourself, but so you can support others better, including Mitsuru. I see great potential in you, Ryuichi, and I think it's time you believed in yourself more."

He gave Ryuichi's shoulder a squeeze. "I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think you were strong enough for my daughter."

Ryuichi's head bobbed in a slightly defeated nod. "Yes, sir. You're right," he agreed with a hollow voice. "I can't be a good bodyguard if—"

The elder Kirijo gave Ryuichi's shoulder another firm squeeze before letting go. To Ryuichi, it felt as though he had been corrected, somehow.

"Thank you once again for your services," Takeharu told Ryuichi on his way to the door. "And also, thank you for being a good friend to Mitsuru. When you get into Kawaguchi, the Kirijo Group will gladly pay for your tuition. Think of it as a small token of thanks for your years of service and sacrifice."

Ryuichi stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Kirijo-sama," he said softly.

He was astonished that his boss wasn't so hard on him, despite pointing out some faults in him that he knew to be true and wasn't proud of. Even more shocking was how he didn't feel so ashamed, but rather felt encouraged to believe in himself more. He wanted to push himself to be stronger, believing in the hidden potential Takeharu Kirijo saw in him. He felt like he could do the insurmountable, wanting to at least try.

He noticed that Takeharu's eye flickered towards his guitar on his way out. As he left, Ryuichi grabbed his guitar and brought it to the lounge. He set it aside for the moment to help himself to some tea.

"Ugh, I ate too much!" Junpei said with an exaggerated groan. He sat low on the sofa, a plate balanced on his knee with a single piece of salmon sushi on it. "Hey, Ryuichi-senpai? Can you finish this for me?"

Everyone stared at Ryuichi, and he could tell from their faces that Junpei had done something to the sushi. The pleading look from Yukari, the hard stare from Akihiko, and Mitsuru's warning expression were enough to suggest that there was the equivalent of a bomb on the plate Junpei offered him. For only a second, Ryuichi thought about rejecting the suspicious morsel before taking the plate from him. He heard Fuuka gasp.

"I don't know if I can finish this, actually," Ryuichi said as he held up the plate of tainted sushi. He spotted Koromaru on the other side of the lounge by the TV and got an idea. "Hey, Koromaru! Hungry?"

Everyone turned to look at Koromaru, who let out two eager barks. Ryuichi quickly switched out the bad sushi for a clean one while they weren't looking.

"Ew! Don't give the dog raw fish!" Yukari cried out in disgust. Koromaru lowered his head and whimpered.

Ryuichi covered his smugness with a bashful grin. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed as they all looked back to him. "Well, can't let this go to waste."

As he popped the clean sushi into his mouth, everyone leaped up with horror on their faces.

"Ryuichi, no!"

"Don't!"

"Senpai, wait!"

While everyone yelped, Junpei remained sitting, snickering into his hand. Ryuichi chewed his food merrily, savoring the flavor while trying to come up with a way to get Junpei to eat the tainted sushi. All around him, the others watched in awe, waiting for him to choke or yell or spit it out. When he swallowed his mouthful, everyone sat back down with a sigh while Junpei's face soured.

"Hey, what gives?" Junpei squinted hard at Ryuichi, who simply set the empty plate down to have some more tea.

"Ryuichi-senpai, are you okay?" Yukari asked fearfully. "Didn't it taste a little funny?"

He beamed at them all. "It was really good," he replied. "Why? Was something wrong with it?"

Everyone in the room eyed Junpei, whose smile became uneasy.

"N-Nothing was wrong with it," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I-It was good, r-right?"

Just then, Takeharu took up his plate and picked a fresh piece of salmon sushi to eat for himself. "Indeed, it's quite good," he said after swallowing. "I know you said you're full, but I highly recommend that you try it."

Ryuichi watched in awe as Takeharu took a new plate and put the tainted piece of sushi onto it. He held it out to Junpei, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, Ryuichi thought he saw a twinkle of humor in Takeharu's eye.

"Um, thanks, but I'm good," he told the Kirijo patriarch uneasily.

"Better eat it," Minato said to him. "You're disrespecting the president of the Kirijo Group if you don't."

With a final panicked grimace, Junpei stuffed the salmon sushi into his mouth. Ryuichi couldn't stop smiling, his face cracking as a giggle threatened to bubble out of him. He could see Takeharu coolly taking a sip from his tea, looking so serene after planting his little bomb of mischief. Everyone watched as Junpei's eyes bulged out and watered.

"Gaaaah! It burns!" He grabbed for his soda and chugged it down while everyone watched, flabbergasted. Ryuichi let out a hearty laugh, almost holding his hand out to high-five Takeharu.

Mitsuru looked to her father, then to Ryuichi. "I have to say, I'm impressed you two worked together to get Iori to eat his own tainted sushi," she said to them, smiling.

"Don't forget Minato," Ryuichi reminded her. "If he didn't give Junpei that final nudge, it would've failed."

Takeharu set his teacup down on the table. "When facing an adversary, it's advisable to always have allies," he told his daughter.

From the armchair across from Takeharu, Minato raised his glass to him. Takeharu did the same in return.

"I really thought Ryuichi-senpai ate that piece," Fuuka giggled with relief.

Akihiko had a little smirk on his face. "You were asking for that one, Junpei."

Ken snickered. "That's what you get for putting all that wasabi in it!"

"I know!" Junpei kept rubbing his face. "Just make it stop!"

"Stupei," Yukari groaned with a sigh.

They all shared more laughs, everyone looking more at ease while Junpei clawed at his burning sinuses. The festivities continued, and the others looked more comfortable around Mitsuru's father, each one taking a few moments to speak with him without the use of Ryuichi's room, thankfully. He got to know them more, asking what they planned to study, what career they wanted to pursue, and thanking them individually for all their help. He asked them about a few details he recalled from Mitsuru's reports, some of them blushing as they told him their tales of their battles. Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru beamed with pride as she watched her father look like he was having a good time with everyone.

There was still quite a few pieces of sushi left over, but everyone had eaten so much that they could hardly move. Ryuichi took up his guitar to play a few songs, too full to sing, but when Fuuka asked if he took requests, he gladly obliged. It was like karaoke without the machine, where everyone got to join without having to wait their turns to sing. While everyone sang the main melody, Ryuichi covered harmonies and counter melodies. He thought he heard Takeharu hum along to some of the oldies, but couldn't be sure.

As midnight drew closer, they all started to settle down. The energy changed in the lounge, from the cheery warmth to the chilly, anxious tension of whether or not the Dark Hour would come again. The singing stopped awhile back, with everyone nervously picking at the sushi that remained on the platters.

Ryuichi went to join Mitsuru by the window. She had been standing there for about a half hour now, constantly checking her cell phone.

"You think something's gonna happen?" he asked her, keeping his voice low.

She gripped her arm. "I just have a feeling," she replied, not taking her eyes off the streets. "But I can't be too sure."

"Man, what's taking Aigis and Ikutsuki-san so long?" Junpei yawned, taking out his cell phone. "It's almost midnight!"

Ken joined the two by the window. "Do you see them?" he asked. "They're taking awhile."

Mitsuru nodded, squeezing her arm even tighter now.

Ryuichi blinked just as the room went completely black. Dry moonlight shone through the window, stretching Mitsuru's, Ken's, and Ryuichi's shadows into the lounge. Takeharu's bodyguards had both transmogrified into the familiar black coffins, both standing upright as they had all evening. Mitsuru came away from the window, horrified, while Koromaru barked.

"The hell?" Junpei swore. "I thought we ended the Dark Hour!"

Ken followed Mitsuru from the windows. "Senpai, what's going on?"

"I don't know," she uttered, stupefied by the scene.

Akihiko shook his head. "Apparently, I was right to have my doubts," he muttered.

"Yeah, something didn't feel right," Ken agreed.

Junpei moaned. "No way."

Faintly, bells began to toll outside, their tones riding the breeze. Everyone stared out the window while staying put, as if they couldn't decide if the sound was coming from inside their heads.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Yukari asked the others. "It sounds like a bell, but where is it coming from?"

Takeharu rose from his chair. Half his face was covered in darkness, but the half that showed in the moonlight made Ryuichi flinch when he saw the cold fury there.

"Where's Ikutsuki?" he demanded, his voice tense with authority. No one answered him. "Well? Why is he late? He's got Aigis with him, doesn't he?"

He looked to Mitsuru, who cast her eyes down at her feet.

"Mitsuru," Akihiko called softly to her as he stood up.

She uncrossed her arms and straightened up. "Everyone, prepare for battle," she ordered, shocking everyone. "We're heading to Tartarus."

Fuuka blinked. "Um, to do what?"

"I don't know," Mitsuru said, "but, that's where the sound is coming from."

Mitsuru's bewildered eyes fell to her father. "We have to find out what's going on," she said, as if to stop him before he could order her to stay.

With full bellies, everyone waddled up to their rooms to get ready. Ryuichi's bloated stomach made vaulting over the front desk a challenge, but he made it to his room to get his equipment from his closet. Within a minute, he got his harness for his swords on, his Evoker holster around his waist, and when he reached for his fedora, he left it on his desk, not wanting to obscure his vision. When he came out, Takeharu was the only one in the lounge with his two transmogrified bodyguards.

"Ryuichi," he said, and he obediently hurried over. The cold seriousness on Takeharu's face made his stomach clench, but it was the fear in his eye that shocked him more.

"Sir?"

He gripped both of Ryuichi's shoulders and looked him right in the eyes, his cold stare freezing his chest. "Keep Mitsuru safe," he said, emphasizing each word.

After a time, Takeharu released him and lowered his gaze. "This is all I can do for her," he murmured woefully.

For the first time in his life, the towering, menacing image that Ryuichi had always viewed Takeharu Kirijo to be was no longer a figure whom he feared, but a father who recognized his own helplessness to protect his precious daughter. He was certain that, if given the chance, he would have gladly fought in Mitsuru's place.

Ryuichi saluted him. "I promise that she will return home safely, Kirijo-sama."

The rest of the team came downstairs, equipped and ready to fight. When everyone else had gone out the door, Ryuichi turned to see Mitsuru still in the lounge, standing stalwart before her father. Takeharu matched her determination, standing straighter, prouder, but in his dark eye was all the fatherly fear for his daughter's safety.

Ryuichi closed the door to give them some privacy. He knew for certain that he absolutely had to make sure that he fulfilled his promise to protect Mitsuru.

...Even if it cost him his life.


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69**

The bells continued to toll in hollow beckoning throughout the dead city. All the SEES team could do was obey. They ran across the train tracks to save time, their eyes on the distant tower in its emerald and azure hues.

Tartarus' front doors were decorated with a clock's face that looked as though rays of light shot from it. Standing before the doors were two familiar figures, waiting and watching, the one with longer hair grinning as the SEES team stopped before them, staring in confusion at the pair.

"Ikutsuki-san?" gasped Ryuichi.

"Aigis?" panted Yukari. "Why are you here?"

Their friend stared blankly at them all without moving. Next to her, Ikutsuki stepped towards them, welcoming them with his broad grin.

"She is here merely to fulfill her role as a weapon," he told them all, as if it was too obvious for them to miss.

"Ikutsuki-san, what's this all about?" Junpei growled.

"You said the Dark Hour and Tartarus would disappear if we defeated the twelve Shadows!" Akihiko yelled at him. "That's why we fought so hard! But now—"

Mitsuru cautiously stepped towards the Chairman. "What is your intention?"

He didn't answer, instead appearing hurt by her question. Mitsuru narrowed her eyes at him.

"It was all a lie, wasn't it?" Mitsuru shot an accusing glare at him. "You knew from the beginning that the Dark Hour wouldn't disappear."

Ikutsuki smiled at her. "Excellent deduction, Mitsuru. Unfortunately, your realization has come too late."

"No," gasped Yukari.

Ken glowered up at Ikutsuki. "You tricked us?"

The Chairman gave a slow, satisfied nod. "Everything is as I planned. It is not unexpected that the Dark Hour and Tartarus remain. In fact, I never intended for you to rid the world of them. Quite the opposite, actually."

"What do you mean?" Fuuka asked fearfully.

"The twelve Shadows were parts of a whole," he explained with a maniacal, wide-eyed grin. "They were destined to be reunited. And that was accomplished in no small part, thanks to your efforts. Soon, Death, the almighty, shall arise and bring forth the Fall!"

Ken flinched. "Death?"

"What are you talking about?" snarled Ryuichi in frustration.

Ikutsuki held his arms out wide. "The end of all shall come and free this world from despair. The death of everything, but also the beginning."

Yukari shuddered. "Wh-What is he saying? Is he out of his mind?"

Ikutsuki's smile dropped off of his face. "Ten years ago, I, too, was a scientist for the project we've spoken of. The experiment went awry, but that is not why the Dark Hour and Tartarus were born. They manifested as a result of harvesting the Shadows' power—just as the experiment was designed to do."

He looked directly at Mitsuru. "That is why your grandfather gathered so many Shadows: To bring about the Fall."

Cold horror crossed Mitsuru's face. "That can't be," she uttered.

His twisted smile mocked her. "People have filled the world, yet turned it into a void! The only hope of salvation lies in ruin!"

Everyone shuddered, looking to one another as if searching for something that made sense in Ikutsuki's words.

Ikutsuki had more to say. "According to the prophecy, The Fall will be orchestrated by 'the Prince'. And once the Prince has delivered us all, he shall rule the new world as King!"

They all whispered amongst themselves, questioning the prophecy as Ikutsuki continued.

"The man who tried it ten years ago failed. But I will not; I shall succeed!"

"Man, he's totally lost it," Junpei grumbled, shaking his head.

"I apologize for deceiving you, but this was for your sake as well," Ikutsuki told them as his simple, familiar smile shone down on them. "If you follow me for just a little while longer, you, too, will find salvation."

"You call that salvation?" Fuuka murmured.

"I have a question for you," Yukari spat, shuddering as she braced herself.

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes?"

She took a deep breath. "In the video from my father, he said to defeat the Shadows. Was that a lie, too?"

"Ah, he did record that himself," Ikutsuki admitted. "Of course, I had to make some modifications."

"You doctored it?" Mitsuru snarled. Everyone felt the cold fury on her lips.

"I _corrected_ it," he told her. He then turned back to Yukari. "Your father was a superb scientist. He may not have known it, but I truly respected him. While others focused on the Shadows' abilities, he explored much more important things. But unfortunately, he could not comprehend the magnificent potential of the Fall."

"What?" gasped Yukari, her eyes growing wide.

"He left that recording at the expense of his life," Mitsuru hissed, her voice low and livid.

"It would seem so," Ikutsuki said, shrugging," but it did prove rather useful, so I'm sure he's happy."

He smiled again, as if he had just given them cheery news.

"So, you were behind it all?" Yukari's voice cracked as furious tears filled her eyes. "You used both me and my father!"

Ikutsuki just shook his head, laughing. "'Used' is such an ugly word. It was for the sake of the world, so how could it be wrong?"

"Our role is to correct the mistakes of the past," Mitsuru said softly, her voice steady and bold, "and we intend to do just that."

Yukari raised her Evoker, alarming Junpei.

"Hey, w-wait—" Junpei uttered.

Sighing, Ikutsuki cocked his head at Yukari. "How disappointing. I had hoped you would see the light. But, you are just children, after all. I suppose it can't be helped. Aigis."

Machinery whirred and whined inside of Aigis as she started up. "The time has come for you to fulfill your role," Ikutsuki said to her. "Capture them and prepare them to be sacrificed!"

He took out a remote control and pressed a button. Aigis raised her face to everyone, her eyes lighting up but still wearing a blank stare.

"Understood," she said in her empty voice, and leaped at them.

Ryuichi only had time to shove Mitsuru out of the way when Aigis' fist smashed into his stomach. He doubled over, vomiting everything he had eaten onto the ground. He couldn't breathe or think as his vision blacked out, but he could still hear the others yelling around him, listening as they all succumbed one by one until there was nothing but silence.

He awoke to a dull ache in his gut. Something cold and hard cut into his wrists, and his arms and shoulders burned in agony. He became aware of his weight hanging aloft, and it felt like his arms were about to pop out of his shoulders. He slowly opened his eyes to see the ground far below his feet. From where he hung, he could see the Port Island train station a short distance away. Grunting from the pain, he looked around to see the others strapped to large, white crosses, their arms stretched out to the sides like his. Some of them were barely waking up.

"M-Mitsuru," he uttered, his mouth too dry and caked with vomit to speak properly. "Mitsuru."

She remained still and silent. Ryuichi tried wriggling out of his restraints, pulling with all his might, throwing his weight back and forth, but the bindings were too strong.

Down below, Ryuichi watched as Aigis brought Takeharu before Ikutsuki. She had his arm twisted around behind his back and held him there.

"What is going on here?" Takeharu demanded.

His shout roused Junpei from his slumber. "What the hell?" he blurted out.

"What is this?" Yukari looked around in horror.

Mitsuru's eyes fluttered open. She gasped at the alarming sight before her.

"Father!" she cried, fighting against the restraints. Ryuichi could see that they were all bound by metal against their wrists. Escape was impossible.

"Ikutsuki, what is the meaning of this?" Takeharu snarled at the Chairman.

"It's just as it appears: They are to be sacrifices—harbingers of the Fall," Ikutsuki told him with that murderous grin on his face. "The arrangements are complete; the prophecy shall be fulfilled."

"What?" Akihiko jerked his body from side to side, rattling his cross.

"You son of a bitch!" spat Junpei. "I'm gonna rip your head off!"

Aigis held a hand out at Takeharu with her fingertips transformed into little gun muzzles. A tear rolled down Mitsuru's face as she watched.

"You traitor!" Takeharu hissed at the Chairman. "Are you insane?"

"Of course not," Ikutsuki replied, sounding offended by his accusation. "You know, your father was an unlucky man. Even you, his son, after all this time, do not understand his vision."

"My father was wrong," Takeharu told him. "Death as deliverance—That is not an ideology anyone should ever embrace!"

"Fool! You are but a nuisance now. Aigis!"

Aigis pressed her fingertips between Takeharu's shoulder blades.

"Wait!" Mitsuru begged. "Please, Aigis! No!"

"Stop it, Aigis!" Ryuichi shouted with her. "Aigis! Listen to us!"

For a brief moment, Aigis paused, her eyes flickering. Ryuichi gasped at the tiny glimpse of hope their friend gave them.

"What are you doing, Aigis?" Ikutsuki demanded, annoyed at her hesitation.

At that, Aigis loosened her hold on Takeharu. "I—" she uttered, her voice strained. "Am—"

Ikutsuki pointed a gun at Takeharu. "Ten years!" he bellowed at him. "I've wasted ten long years! I'm not like your father! I won't make any exceptions!"

Takeharu broke free from Aigis' grip. He side-stepped, pulling his own gun from his holster.

Two shots rang out. Both men held smoking guns, Ikutsuki clutching the bloody patch over his stomach. He staggered, snarling as Takeharu let out a groan and collapsed beneath the crosses.

"F-Father?" Mitsuru called down to him in a small voice. Her lips trembled. A tear fell. "FATHER!"

The gun slipped from Takeharu's hand. His blood pooled at his side, slowly oozing to meet the weapon and puddled around it. He didn't move.

"Aigis, we'll end this," Ikutsuki grunted as his own life leaked through his fingers. "Execute the sacrifices now!"

Obediently, Aigis turned and raised her fingers to everyone, poised to shoot.

"Aigis, no!"

"Don't do it!"

"It's us!"

"Please, Aigis!"

"Dammit! Snap out of it!"

Mitsuru's head hung as she stared down at her father's lifeless body. A chill resonated through Ryuichi, one that he couldn't shake off, the kind that the burning pain of his strained arms and shoulders couldn't touch.

Aigis turned her eyes up to Minato first, aiming all ten fingers at him. He stared down at her, not blinking, no fear in his eyes. Her hands trembled.

"Finish them, Aigis!" ordered Ikutsuki.

Short bursts of gunfire filled the air. Metal _pinged_ against metal, and one by one, the SEES members dropped to the ground. Ryuichi held his scratched wrists while the others hurried to surround Ikutsuki. Mitsuru went to her father, kneeling by his side. Ryuichi followed her, keeping his distance as she gently tried to rouse her father.

"Dammit, you—you defective machine!" Ikutsuki roared at Aigis. "I'll do it myself!"

He took out the remote again when a white blur snatched it out from his hand. Koromaru seemed to grin at him as he held the controller in his jaws.

"Koromaru!" Ken cried out with joy.

The others closed in towards the defeated Ikutsuki, backing him towards the edge of the school's observatory roof, circling him, and stopping when he began to cackle.

"You don't get it, do you?" he chuckled at them. "This useless, pathetic world will gradually fester over time. Only its destruction can bring about its salvation!"

Everyone flinched when Ikutsuki pointed his gun right at them. "And then, at long last, I will rule over the new world!"

He lowered his gun, smiling bitterly to himself. "I was so close," he uttered, and without warning, he fell backwards over the edge. They watched him go, but no one bothered to peer over the edge when he hit the ground with a heavy _thud_.

"How did it come to this?" Yukari whispered in disbelief. No one had an answer.

Ryuichi stared in silence as Mitsuru removed her father's eye patch and stroked his placid face. She twisted the eye patch around her fingers, gripping it as she sat back on her knees. Her hands and skirt were coated with his blood, but she didn't care for it. The others gathered around her, no one saying a word of comfort or reassurance. There was nothing they could say.

"One time, my father made a promise," Mitsuru said softly, her voice alarmingly calm. "He swore that he would atone for endangering our generation, even if it cost him his life."

She bent over him, resting her head against his chest. "But I," she sobbed, "I wanted him to live."

Gripping his lapels, her hot tears stained his suit and tie, as if to pour some of her life into him to bring him back. Ryuichi felt himself break inside, his eyes stinging with his own tears.

"I became a Persona-user to protect him," she uttered, her voice cracking and trembling through her sobs. "F-Father..."

Ryuichi backed away as tears rolled down his face. The others also stepped back to give Mitsuru some time to grieve.

"We have to go," Akihiko whispered to Ryuichi. "The Dark Hour's ending soon."

A numb Ryuichi shakily looked to Akihiko. He couldn't even comprehend what he had just said.

Akihiko shook his head. "Take Mitsuru. Junpei and I will take care of her father."

When he didn't move, Akihiko squeezed Ryuichi's shoulder. "Be strong for her," he said in a firm voice.

Ryuichi looked back to Mitsuru and nodded. He wiped his tears on his sleeve, took a deep breath, and tentatively approached Mitsuru as she wept over her father's body. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but nothing came to mind that could help staunch the bleeding from her nightmarish wound.

"I'm sorry, but we can't stay," he murmured instead, having trouble finding his voice.

He offered her his hand. Slowly, she took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She still clutched her father's eye patch as she buried her face into Ryuichi's shoulder, sobbing against him now. He held her, fighting back more of his own tears as Akihiko and Junpei picked up Takeharu's body from the ground.

Everyone else numbly led the way down the observatory. Ryuichi tried to support Mitsuru to help her walk, but her legs wouldn't support her. He gently swept her up in his arms, and she clung to him as he carried her downstairs. Everyone gathered outside the school gates where they waited for the Dark Hour to pass.

Ryuichi set Mitsuru down, but she kept her arms circled around him.

"You guys can go on home," Ryuichi said softly to the others. "I'll call someone to come help, so you can all go back now."

No one protested. They all turned and left one by one with their heads bowed, still too deeply shaken to say a word. Mitsuru clung to Ryuichi, her sobs ebbing away as he held her. With his other hand, he took out his cell phone and waited.

After a time, the city lights came back on. Ryuichi flipped open his phone and pressed the number two on the keypad.

"Kikuno-san," he uttered. He didn't know how to say what he was about to tell her. "There's been a—Kirijo-sama is—"

"Ryuichi-san, what is it? What's wrong?"

Fresh, hot tears bloomed on his shoulder as Mitsuru hugged him tighter. Ryuichi stared down at Takeharu's lifeless form as his own tears blurred his vision.

"Takeharu Kirijo is dead," he reported, and felt Mitsuru's weight collapse against him in anguish.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70**

Cars came to pick up both men's bodies. Another took Mitsuru and Ryuichi to the Kirijo mansion. During the ride, Mitsuru sat pressed against Ryuichi, her tears still collecting on his chest while his crusted around his eyes. He kept his arm around her, the only comfort he could offer in her grief. He felt every sob that escaped her and gently rubbed her back to try to ease her anguish. As they neared her home, her tears and sobs ceased. She still clung to him, still clutching her father's eye patch in her hand.

They were met by a team of maids outside the mansion. Kikuno held a blanket to wrap around Mitsuru's shoulders as Ryuichi helped her out of the car. Mitsuru managed to get her feet outside the car door on her own, but when Ryuichi helped her stand, she collapsed against him.

"Take her to her room," Kikuno instructed Ryuichi.

He picked her up and carried her up to the second floor. A train of maids followed them in silence while Kikuno led the way. She opened Mitsuru's bedroom door to let the other maids rush inside to turn down the sheets. Ryuichi laid Mitsuru down on her bed, wanting to say something to her, but all he could manage was a defeated "I'm sorry" that didn't seem to reach her. He left while the maids tended to her.

The night wasn't over yet. He now had to meet with the Kirijo Group's Board of Directors and the head of security, Hiroto Ikeda, to inform them of what had transpired in the last few hours. Downstairs, another maid brought Ryuichi to the dining room, where the members were already seated at the long dining table—twelve of them—and Ikeda occupied the seat at the far end. All wore tailored suits, and all were sloppily dressed, appearing to have been dragged out of bed in a rush.

A thick cloud of cigar smoke hung overhead, and glasses with amber drinks sat before the men next to ashtrays and teacups. One man took a sip from his steaming teacup as the young bodyguard entered the room. Ryuichi stood by one end of the long table, feeling the sear from the many pairs of shot, fearful eyes fixed on him.

"What happened tonight, Okazaki?" Ikeda barked at him.

He told them everything that had happened, starting from the tape that they were shown of Yukari's father. He explained that they were all led to believe that they were supposed to defeat the twelve Shadows that appeared on every full moon in order to eradicate the Dark Hour, and how Ikutsuki had actually edited the video to ensure that they would do exactly what he wanted to bring about "The Fall".

"What exactly is 'The Fall'?" one of the older board members asked.

"Ikutsuki said it was a way to bring about salvation," he explained, not knowing exactly what it was himself. He was still too numb to register what he was saying.

They let him continue. As he told the story, he could once again see in his mind the desperation on Mitsuru's face, Takeharu reaching for his weapon, and heard the two gunshots ring out. Somehow, he got through the tale without shedding a single tear.

They made him tell it again. And again. Each retelling drove daggers into his gut, making him relive the nightmare every time. The more he told the story, the more questions they had, and the more Ryuichi found places where he could have done something to prevent Mitsuru's father's death. His eyes stung with fresh tears when he remembered the way Takeharu collapsed and Mitsuru's cry shattering the stillness of the night. By the fourth telling, his eyes were pooled with tears, but none of them fell.

"And Ojou-sama?" asked a board member. "Is she all right?"

Ryuichi felt himself get choked up again. "Physically, yes, but she's—"

"So why didn't you protect Kirijo-sama?" Ikeda spat at him.

"I-I was bound to a cross," Ryuichi uttered. "We all were. There was nothing we could do—"

"You said Aigis attacked you first. What was all your training for if you couldn't stop her?"

"She was fast, sir. She attacked Mitsuru first, so I—"

"How dare you speak of her so familiarly!" Ikeda threw an ashtray at Ryuichi's head. A veil of gray ash trailed the heavy glass as Ryuichi welcomed it. It struck his forehead above his right eye, knocking him to the ground. The board members were in an uproar, but no one moved to help Ryuichi.

"You were the only bodyguard conscious during the Dark Hour!" Ikeda raged on. "What were you doing, waiting for them to attack? Why didn't you attack first if you knew you were in danger?"

"Ikeda-san, calm down—"

"I will not!"

Ryuichi managed to sit up, hastily wiping away his tears. He pulled his hand away, seeing his own blood on his sleeve as he felt more spill hotly down his face.

"Okazaki," one of the board members said softly. "There were many of you, correct? Why didn't any of you stop Aigis?"

"She was too fast," he said again, his head throbbing from his injury as he got back up. "Ikutsuki had a remote that controlled her, but Koromaru snatched it away after Aigis set us free."

"Why didn't you use your Personas to stop her?"

"With so many of them, shouldn't they have been able to—"

"Why did you go investigate if you knew it was dangerous—"

"Was he still alive when Aigis freed you? Could you have—"

Ikeda stood up as tall as he could manage, raising his chin up high so he could look down at Ryuichi from across the table. "If you knew that Ikutsuki was dangerous, then why didn't you attack him before he could order Aigis to attack?" he snarled.

Everyone stopped talking. Ryuichi closed his right eye as blood flowed over it. He watched as everyone stared at him yet again, expecting a good answer that he didn't have.

"I don't know," he uttered meekly, lowering his face. "None of us knew, I—"

"I can't believe Kirijo-sama trusted his daughter in your care, and you couldn't even protect him," one board member lamented.

"She's going to be the new head of the Group. We can't have someone unreliable protect her."

"No, we can't."

"He was too inexperienced, so why did he trust him?"

Ryuichi bowed his head again, droplets of his blood spotting the tiles. "I'm sorry," he murmured as fresh tears thinned his blood. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Did you suspect anything from Ikutsuki before?"

"N-No, none of us did—"

"It's because you shirked your duties for your family! You were more focused on helping them, so why—"

They tore Ryuichi apart, attacking everything about him and his actions, their words like hot branding irons that made sure that everyone knew about his sins and failures. Ikeda threw a glass of whiskey at him, and he instinctively dodged. When Ryuichi straightened up, Ikeda had crossed the dining room and punched him in the jaw. He fell, and Ikeda repeatedly kicked him in the gut. He curled up, trying to defend himself from Ikeda's assault while telling himself that he deserved his beating. The other board members mercifully pried Ikeda off of him, giving Ryuichi a chance to slowly stagger to his feet.

"Step outside for now," one of the middle-aged board members said to the battered teen. "We need to decide what to do with you."

When the doors closed behind him, Ryuichi leaned his beaten body against them. He was too hurt and too exhausted to stand anymore, his mind frazzled and nerves firing off like lit gunpowder. He wept again, not caring if any maids saw.

He wasn't left outside for long. They called him back in, everyone seated in their chairs, one man lighting a fresh cigarette as Ryuichi stood by the table again, awaiting their verdict. Ikeda sat glowering at Ryuichi from across the table, seething in his seat.

It was the silver-haired man nearest Ryuichi that spoke. "Okazaki, we have determined that you are no longer fit to serve the Kirijo family," he said to him. "Given the circumstances, we believe that, as the only active bodyguard during the Dark Hour, the responsibility of Kirijo-sama's safety fell to your hands. In your failure to protect him, we believe that we cannot entrust Ojou-sama's safety to you anymore."

With his head down, Ryuichi nodded in defeated acceptance.

Another board member spoke up. "You are hereby stripped of your status as bodyguard and butler to Ojou-sama," he told him firmly. "You are also forbidden from seeing her."

Ryuichi winced, looking up in horror. "N-No, please, not that—"

"You may continue to live in the dorm until you finish out the school year, but be sure to make yourself scarce around Ojou-sama. Just a glimpse of you would only upset her as a constant reminder that her father could be alive right now if only you had done more."

Ikeda looked upon Ryuichi with disdain. "Kirijo-sama kept saying that you could be trusted, that we should believe in your abilities. I still don't see what he saw in you, but now it's too late. He put too much faith in you, and so did Ojou-sama."

They let him go. Ryuichi's shoes scraped over the tiles with every labored step he took towards the doors. When he closed the doors behind him, he leaned against it for a short while, seeing the image of Takeharu's broken body lying lifeless on the ground with Mitsuru crying into his chest. Only hours before, he had been talking to the man, sharing some laughs, celebrating a victory that wasn't meant to be. It was the first time he had ever seen his boss look so at ease. In a single night, Ryuichi destroyed the family that treated him better than his own family ever had.

He started for the exit. There were no maids there as he left a trail of his blood dripping across the tiles. He was just a few steps away from the front doors when he saw Kikuno appear from another doorway. She gasped when she saw his torn, bloodied face, and hurried over with her handkerchief to staunch the bleeding.

"Don't," he murmured, but she held onto his arm while pressing her handkerchief to the wound.

She didn't listen. As she mopped up the blood on his face, she led him out to the awaiting car, ushering him inside. Once Kikuno had closed the car door behind her, the driver started down the long driveway. The maid opened up the first aid kit she had prepared beforehand and began to tend to the wound above his eye. He was trapped now, unable to fend her off.

"You're making a mistake," he told her. "If they find out you're helping me—"

"They will have to answer to Ojou-sama," she finished for him.

Ryuichi didn't know what to do anymore. He was too ashamed to see Mitsuru and accepted that the board members were right that seeing him would only stir bad memories for her. He wished that it was him who Ikutsuki shot, or that he had acted before Aigis attacked. There were so many opportunities for him to have fought back, moments where he blamed himself for being too weak, too slow, too stupid, as Ikeda had said of him. The board members were right that he had essentially abandoned much of his duties to Mitsuru in the past year and thus wasn't worthy of the duty bestowed upon him. He wanted to apologize to both Mitsuru and Takeharu, but not matter how many times he said "I'm sorry', he knew that it would never bring Mitsuru's father back.

Kikuno asked him what happened. He told her everything that transpired hours ago all the way up to just minutes before, the memories reopening numbed wounds in his mind. She listened quietly as she worked, taking care to cover his eye with her hand as she sprayed disinfectant over his brow. She wrapped his head in bandages, then took care of the scratches on his hands and wrists.

"I should have done something," he said at the end, shivering while his hands and feet went cold. "I was the only one active, but I still didn't do anything. I should've known when—"

He broke down sobbing into his hands. Kikuno kept telling him that there was nothing more he could do, that he did everything he could. He didn't believe a word she said.

At the dorm, Kikuno walked him to his room, carrying his equipment for him. She set his swords and harness down on his desk and took his Evoker and holster from him after. He sank down on his bed, feeling so detached from his body yet strangely anchored to it.

"I'm sorry for what happened," he murmured to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

"There's no need to apologize," she told him.

He hiccupped. "Can you do me a favor and tell Mitsuru I'm sorry?"

She shook her head. "You can tell her yourself."

"I already told you, I'm forbidden from—"

"And who's going to stop you?" Kikuno asked on her way to the door. "If you're fired, you're not bound by their rules anymore."

Headlights swept across Ryuichi's room. "That's the doctor," she said, and went to let her in.

The doctor examined the injuries on Ryuichi's head, the scratches on his wrist, and the bruises on his stomach. She stitched up the torn gash over his eye, but told him that it would most likely scar. The scratches on his wrist were minor and only needed disinfectant, bandages, and time to heal. The disinfectant sizzled and stung, but Ryuichi hardly felt it at all. The ice pack on his bruised stomach made him shiver, but he obediently held it in place.

"Talk to me, Ryuichi-san," Kikuno said after the doctor left. She sat down on the bed next to him, her added weight jostling him slightly. "You've just endured a terrible tragedy, so the best thing would be to not bottle it up."

"What else is there to talk about?" he muttered, sitting hunched and with his head hanging. "I already told you everything in the car."

"Not everything. Tell me how you feel now, and how you felt when it happened. This whole time, you've been speaking like you're writing a report. Tell me about your feelings."

Ryuichi looked away. "I just wanna sleep," he grunted, pressing the ice pack to his sore jaw. "Besides, you should be with Mitsuru right now."

Kikuno stood up and turned to face him. "You're just as stubborn as she is," she remarked. "I'll come back to check on you later."

After she left, Ryuichi undressed and showered, careful to not get any water on his bandages. All he wanted to do was run hot water over his head, to cleanse his mind of the memories that continued to gnaw at him. Each image that flashed in his mind pounded a tiny crack into his chest that continued to grow, the web of cracks spreading bit by bit.

He dried off and got into bed, but sleep wouldn't meet him. Hours later, morning cast a blade of light through his window, and he turned away to hide under his blanket. When his alarm went off for his morning workout routine, he shut it off and remained in bed. A long while later when he heard the others leave for school, he sighed and went to get dressed.

It was when he was in the schoolyard that he heard the rumors. Word was getting around that Takeharu Kirijo had passed away from an illness. Ryuichi stopped and turned around to look at the spot just outside the school gates where Akihiko and Junpei had placed Takeharu's body, astonished to see that there was not a trace of blood left to indicate what had happened last night.

"Ryuichi-kun!"

Shiori came running up to him, breathless as she spotted the bandages on his hands and peeking out from under his fedora. "What happened? Are you all right?"

It was a mistake for him to go to school. "It's nothing," he muttered, turning to head into the main building.

"No, it's _not_ nothing!" She trotted next to him. "Look at you! Was it Sakai again?"

She followed him all the way up to the third floor. Ryuichi just wanted to be left alone, but Shiori wouldn't let him be. He went straight into the boys' washroom, but she went in with him, still talking.

"—or did you get hit by a car?" she asked. "Does it have to do with something at your family's restaurant?"

"Shiori-san, please be more aware of your surroundings," he said quietly.

As she asked what he was talking about, she looked around. Her face became bright red when she saw the guys standing at the urinals, hastily zipping up their pants when they saw her. She fled the washroom, and Ryuichi took up his bag and headed back downstairs to leave. When the teacher at the gate yelled for him to get to class, he ignored him completely.

He was the only one at the dorm. He set his bag down on the front desk and went to the kitchen, ordering himself to eat something. The refrigerator was full of the leftover sushi from last night, but he refused to take any. He shut the refrigerator door and grabbed some instant noodles instead. He filled the cup with hot water, and as he waited for his noodles to cook, he started to worry about Mitsuru again.

 _Call her._ He could hear Kikuno in his mind telling him that.

"Forget it," he snarled to himself. "She's better off without you, you piece of shit."

After forcing himself to eat his noodles, he went to his room, where he somehow managed to sleep the rest of the morning and the better part of the afternoon. He kept having nightmares of Takeharu Kirijo being shot, kept seeing Ikutsuki's maniacal smirk as he told them about his plans. Over and over, the nightmare kept replaying, ending with Mitsuru's desperate cry for her father.

He was startled awake by his phone ringing. Sweat soaked his shirt and matted his hair as he checked his phone, hoping it was Mitsuru. He saw "Shizue" on the screen instead.

"Is it true?" she asked quietly when he answered. "It's all over the news. Did Mitsuru-san's father really—?"

Ryuichi's eyes welled up with tears again. "Y-Yeah," he uttered as a lump formed in his throat. "Yeah, he passed away late last night."

She gasped. "Is Mitsuru-san all right?"

"I don't know. She had to go straight home."

"I hope she's okay. You met her father before, didn't you? What was he like?"

He let out a sigh that made his lip tremble. "He was truly one of the kindest people I have ever met."

"Oh, wow. Do you need me to tell Dad you can't come to work today?"

"Yeah, can you?"

"Sure. I'm sorry, Ryu-chan. I didn't know you were so close to him."

He rubbed his sleeves across his eyes. "I-I gotta go," he sobbed, and hung up before his sister could say anything else.

For a few seconds, he stared at his phone, wondering if he should call Mitsuru to check on her. He dialed her number, watching the screen light up with the digits. On second thought, he deleted the number and closed his phone, then opened it up and dialed again. When he rubbed his thumb over the call button, he hesitated again, then finally worked up the courage to hit send. The phone rang many times, but eventually he was sent to her voicemail.

He shut his phone. "It's just as well," he sighed, and rolled over to try to sleep away the pain.


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71**

The next day, Ryuichi went to class and had to stare at the empty desk in front of him—a sight that he had never seen before. He took notes for each class, taking care to make the information clear and organized while adding little side notes to help him remember the details easier. At lunchtime, he headed downstairs where he crossed the other SEES members, who all wore looks of apology and concern and pity. They dragged him up to the rooftop to speak privately about everything that had happened.

"Fired? They can't fire you!" Junpei exclaimed after Ryuichi told them so.

"How could they do that? Wouldn't now be the time that she needs a bodyguard more than ever?" Fuuka asked.

Ryuichi sat on the curved bench between Fuuka and Yukari while the guys stood around them. He slouched with his elbows on his knees and his head down so low he could feel the sun warm the back of his neck.

"Since I was the only active bodyguard available, the responsibility of Kirijo-sama's safety fell to me," he murmured so softly that everyone shut up to hear him. "The fact is, I should've acted sooner and stopped Ikutsuki before he made Aigis attack."

"That's bullshit," Akihiko snarled. "Did Mitsuru fire you, or was it those crusty old board members?"

"The board members decided it. Mitsuru was still in too much shock, so they decided everything without her."

Yukari shook her head. "So, what happens now? We didn't get rid of the Dark Hour, and now we don't know what to do."

Minato raised a finger. "Actually, we can still climb Tartarus," he told them all.

"Seriously?" Junpei rubbed his cap. "How do you know that? Didn't we already reach the top?"

"A new path has opened up," Minato replied, sounding like he was echoing the words of someone else.

"Are you sure?" Fuuka gently placed a hand on Ryuichi's shoulder for comfort. "If that's the case, we'll have to go find out."

"But, is there any point in climbing anymore?" Yukari asked them all. "Everything we've done up until now was all part of Ikutsuki's plan. I mean, what were we all even fighting for if all we were doing was bringing about the Fall?"

Her words shoved blades into their chests. Everyone exchanged shifty glances to one another, all of them uneasy with uncertainty.

"We don't have any other leads." Minato's bold voice offered little encouragement.

Akihiko frowned. "Yeah, but it'll be hard to keep climbing without Mitsuru." He looked to Ryuichi. "How is she? Is she okay?"

Ryuichi lowered his face even more. "I don't know. I'm not allowed to contact her anymore."

"So what? You're fired now, so they can't do anything if you see her!" Junpei said pointedly.

"Yeah, but I tried calling her yesterday, and she didn't pick up."

"Don't worry, Ryuichi-senpai," Fuuka said with an uncertain smile. "We'll talk to Mitsuru-senpai when she comes back and we'll tell her—"

"She's gonna be away for at least a week," Ryuichi grumbled. "In addition to funeral arrangements, they have to do a lot of inheritance stuff and power transferring for Mitsuru to properly assume her role as the new head of the Kirijo Group. She has more important things to worry about than getting her failure of a bodyguard back."

Akihiko grabbed Ryuichi by the lapels and yanked him off the bench. "And you're just giving up?" he snarled in his face. "You're just going to abandon her in her time of need? Who cares what the Board says? Ikutsuki's the one who killed her father, not you! They were wrong to fire you!"

Ryuichi remained apathetic. "It doesn't matter if that's true or not," he said quietly. "The fact is, Mitsuru lost her father, and I should've tried harder to protect him."

"What's the matter with you?" Akihiko shoved him away, staring at him in shock. "You're seriously going to give up because of this?"

Yukari and Fuuka barely caught Ryuichi before he could fall backwards off the bench.

"How would you feel if someone you trusted let the person you care about most die?" Ryuichi asked as he stood back up. "If you ask me, I'd never want to see that person again. The best thing I can do for her is to stay out of her life from now on."

"You're wrong!" Yukari got to her feet. "If that's what you think, then we all share the blame for not saving her father!"

"No. It wasn't your guys' responsibility to—"

"No!" she blasted back. "We were all there, so why doesn't the Board blame all of us? They have no right to blame you, or Aigis, or any of us because _we_ didn't kill Mitsuru-senpai's father! Why can't you understand that, Ryuichi-senpai?"

His guilt grasped his heart. "Just do me a favor and be there for her, okay?" he asked of them, his eyes not meeting any of theirs. "Please."

"You can do it yourself," Minato told him.

"Yeah! Besides, what makes you think she'll wanna talk to any of us?" Junpei asked with a shrug.

There was nothing else to say. Ryuichi left them on the roof in search of somewhere else to hide, where neither SEES nor his other classmates would find him. If he did happen to spot a familiar face staring at him, he slipped away among the students crossing the halls.

After school, he showed up at his house to help Shizue take care of Megumi. When he approached the front door, the locks came undone from the inside, and Shizue flung herself onto him in a rib-cracking hug.

"What happened to you?" she asked as she gripped the sides of his head to examine the bandages there.

He refused to meet her eyes. "I got fired," he muttered.

"Fired? Getting fired did this?"

His sister dragged him into the house and sat him down on the couch. Megumi was laying on the colorful foam mats on the floor and came crawling towards him with her tiny, outstretched, pudgy hand reaching for his foot.

"Aww, she knows when her favorite uncle's not happy." Shizue picked her up and placed her on Ryuichi's lap. "Come on, Megs. Help him feel better."

Megumi squirmed as she tried to climb up Ryuichi's stomach, gripping his vest pockets and grabbing the corner of his blazer to stick in her mouth. Sighing, Ryuichi held her and bounced her gently on his knee. Her delighted giggles didn't reach his heart.

Shizue wanted to know what caused them to fire him. He came prepared with a narrative he made on his way to the house, explaining that, after Takeharu's death, they felt it was best to hire someone who was more experienced to be Mitsuru's bodyguard since she was becoming the new head of the Kirijo Group.

"Did they have to fire you, though? Why not make you a normal butler or something?"

He almost blurted out that it was because of him that Takeharu died. "They saw no use for me, since they already had a full staff and I wasn't meeting their requirements with my skill set."

"Oh, but you were good enough to be Mitsuru-san's butler for the past few years? What's up with that?"

"That was for the dorm, and she always had a maid come in every day to take care of the stuff I wasn't allowed to do."

"Like what?"

"Like her laundry, bringing her meals, cleaning her room—I was more for cleaning the dorm and preparing her tea more than anything."

"That doesn't make sense! And what happened to you? How did you hurt yourself?"

She grabbed his bandaged wrist. "Did you do this to yourself?" she demanded, shaking his arm. "Did you cut your wrists over this?"

"No, I didn't."

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not lying!" he yelled back.

Megumi began to cry. Ryuichi turned his attention to the baby, and Shizue let his arm slip from her hand.

"It's okay. Sorry for frightening you," he said softly to Megumi.

Shizue dropped heavily onto the couch next to him. "Then what happened? Who did this to you?"

"I was out running an errand yesterday and took my bike," he lied. "I got hit by a car."

"Really?"

"Really."

She scowled at him, clearly not believing his story. "If you're still getting beaten up, you can tell me," she blasted at him. "I know you're a bodyguard, but even the best martial artists can't take on five guys all on their own sometimes. If Sakai's still giving you shit, you need to say something."

The rage on her face lifted away, leaving only worry and fear for Ryuichi that he could feel just by looking at her. He could sense that she still cared for her little brother, still saw him as the same little boy who needed her protection, and even seemed ready to fight for him.

Ryuichi continued to bounce Megumi in his arms. "It's not Sakai," he said.

"Then who?"

"The guy who hit me with his car."

She shoved his arm. "Dammit, Ryu-chan! I'm trying to help you!"

"And I don't want to talk about it anymore!" he shouted at her. Megumi screamed even louder now. "For the past two days, people have been asking me to tell the same story over and over again, but do they ever think that maybe I don't wanna keep reliving the worst moments of my life over and over again? No! They just wanna know what the hell happened and think they know how to fix things, but you can't fix this!"

His sister blinked. "Wait, what the hell are you talking about—"

He gave Megumi back to his sister, taking care to make sure she was safe in her mother's arms before heading to the door. He didn't care if the tongues of his shoes folded over when he roughly shoved his feet in, or that he slammed the door on his way out. He just needed to get away from people, away from his thoughts, and find something to distract himself long enough for everything to stop hurting, if only for a little while.

He ended up at Chagall Cafe, where he ordered tea and chose a table in the corner. He couldn't even enjoy his beverage as the musical act —a solo pianist—was performing all his songs with the same endings of running up and down the keys, even for the slow songs. He played to a track that was obviously made on a computer, with trumpets that sounded like car horns, saxes like kazoos, and completely devoid of emotions. Ryuichi ended up silently criticizing the static music, finding places where he could slow down, speed up, stylize with a few trills, play softer or louder—all while grinding his teeth to nubs.

"Ryuichi-kun, what happened to you this time?"

He looked up and saw a young woman standing over him with concern on her face. She had her hair up in a messy bun and wore a black apron over her white button-down shirt, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

He lowered his gaze. "Hi, Eshima-san."

The daughter of the cafe's owner hovered over him, pouring him some more tea without taking her eyes off of him. "I was taking a risk calling out to you, since I didn't recognize you at first. You've really grown up! But, I guess your bullies haven't?"

"It's not the bullies."

"Then, what happened to you?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it."

"That bad, huh?"

They both cringed when the pianist finished his latest song with another run up and down the keys.

Eshima made a face. "Every damn time. You know, after you quit three years ago, it's like we've been cursed to never have a decent musical act. For a while, we had to take the sign out of the window and just play whatever's on the radio because we got tired of everyone saying their music was their own 'unique' style. It only took us two auditions to realize that 'unique' meant they sucked."

Ryuichi just sat there in silence, sipping his tea.

"Not even a smile, huh?" Eshima bent down to try to look into his eyes from under his bandages. "If you wanna talk, you know where to find me, but be advised: We're in the market for a new talent, and the job's yours if you come by and audition with two songs."

She flashed him one last reassuring smile and went on her way. He didn't bother to finish his tea and left it steaming on the table.

There was nowhere for him to go. There were only a few people who knew what actually happened, and those few were more grating to him than having to make up a story to tell other people whenever they asked what happened to him. Those same few who knew the whole story would only bother him the moment he returned to the dorm, telling him that Takeharu's death "wasn't his fault" or that Mitsuru "needed him". No matter how many times they said it to him, he didn't believe any of it.

That evening, he rode his motorcycle all around the city. The November chill froze his hands stiff on the handlebars, but he barely took notice of it—the numbness of his brain had spread to the rest of his body.

Nothing could catch up to him, not even the cold. He could outride everything and take comfort knowing that he didn't have to make up any fake excuses for his circumstances, didn't have to answer anyone, and could just have that time to himself to reflect on his failures without others having to point them out to him or try to make him feel better about it.

When he returned to the dorm late that night, it was as if his respite never happened. Everyone at the dorm wanted to know where he was, if he had eaten, how he was doing, and then bombarded him with more claims that Takeharu's death wasn't his fault. They kept encouraging him to at least consider that he wasn't at fault, and urged him to talk to Mitsuru, both to check up on her and to inquire about being fired. He knew they meant well, but it still hurt no matter what they said. All he could do was stand there by the back door and let them talk until they ran out of things to say.

The next day at the restaurant, Ryuichi once again found himself getting yelled at by his father.

"What the hell were you doing, riding your bike without a helmet?" his father raged when Ryuichi explained the bandages on his head with the fake story. "And what was that Shizue said about you getting fired?"

Ryuichi kept his head down, telling himself that at least his mother wasn't at work that day to add to his father's verbal assault.

"Mr. Big Shot too big for his job at the restaurant because of his other job, but oh! Now he's fired!" Toshio kept taunting him. "You know, the only reason why you even had that job was because your rich friend gave it to you. Goes to show that all you did was waste her time and money. Unlike you, I had to work my ass off just to get this restaurant built from the ground up! See the difference between you and me?"

He threw an apron at Ryuichi. "Since you're fired, you might as well just come to work here from now on. I'm expecting you to come Mondays and Wednesdays, and on Tuesdays you can go help your sister watch Megumi."

"Sorry," Shizue said to him as she passed by. "I thought he'd give you a few days off if I told him everything."

Throughout his shift, his coworkers murmured encouragements to him, helped him with everything they could, and offered to cover for him so he could duck out and take a quick break. Toshio quickly learned what they were doing and barked for them to leave Ryuichi to pick up his own slack. All day long, Ryuichi was under his father's scrutiny, constantly rushing around to fulfill his orders. All he could do was obey.

By the end of the day, Ryuichi was ready to stick his face in the fryer.


	72. Chapter 72

**Content advisory: This chapter contains themes of suicide. Discretion is advised.**

 **Chapter 72**

Despite their doubts, SEES continued to climb Tartarus. Just as Minato said, a new way had opened up, and more floors appeared for them to explore. Ryuichi went with them, but he operated on only a fourth of the intensity he used to. When it was clear that he wasn't in the right mental state to fight, Minato let him hang back in the lobby to be called in for backup in case something went wrong.

It was normal to return from a trip into Tartarus with a few cuts and scrapes, but this time, the exploration team was shredded up, bloodied, bruised, and lucky to still have all their limbs. The first team returned after a short trip up the tower, with Akihiko and Minato both holding up an injured Yukari. They sat her down on the stairs to let Ryuichi look her over.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow—" Yukari kept wincing while Ryuichi removed her shoe and sock. Her ankle had swollen to the size of an orange, and it looked like it was still growing.

"Hey, can I get some ice, Mitsu—" he started to ask, but stopped. With a darkened expression, he grabbed an elastic bandage to wrap her ankle.

Yukari looked upon him with worry. "Senpai, you okay?" she asked him.

He continued to work. "It's nothing," he murmured.

Junpei looked around the lobby while picking at some of the tears in his blazer. "Hey, now that I look at it, we're down by two people," he said.

Ken cast his gaze to the floor. "Three people," he corrected him, and Akihiko gave a dour nod.

"It'll be all right," Fuuka said in a wavering voice. "I know it's hard right now, but we have to keep going."

Her encouragements weren't enough to lift the heavy mood. She quieted down, having nothing more to say.

After Ryuichi finished tending to everyone's injuries, Minato approached him.

"Are you ready to go?" their leader asked. Behind him, Ken and Koromaru were gearing up for battle.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh, and followed everyone onto the warp.

The new floors were like a night club filled with colorful flashing lights all over the floors, the walls, and the ceilings, with concentric circles blinking on the ground. The place was dim, surprisingly so considering all the lights, but it was also disorienting, making it difficult for them to navigate their way.

Ryuichi told himself that he couldn't worry about anything but the others right then. He had to focus and remember that he wasn't just supposed to protect Mitsuru, but his teammates, too. All at once, it was as though a switch had been flicked on, and Ryuichi felt himself shift into battle mode. His ears opened up, his eyes squinted through the dimness and the flashing lights, and his legs were light and springy on his toes.

An explosion boomed overhead; every bit of Ryuichi's body burned and constricted as lightning shot down on him. He was thrown to the floor, still twitching as the others fought. For several moments, he lay there in agony, his face scrunched up in pain until he regained movement in his limbs. As he got to all fours, another bolt of lightning struck him unconscious. He woke up in the lobby to the familiar bitterness of a Revival Bead.

"Are you all right, Senpai?" Fuuka asked, hovering over his face.

He sat up and rubbed where his newest scar had formed over his brow. "Yeah," he muttered, ashamed at how easily he was defeated.

"Don't feel bad, Senpai," Yukari called to him from the stairs. "It happens to all of us!"

The next day, there was still no Mitsuru at school. Ryuichi couldn't stop sniffling after catching a cold the previous night and often had to take out a packet of tissues to wipe his nose. At work, he was scolded for being foolish enough to get sick.

"Really, Ryuichi, do you want the customers to think we serve snot on our burgers?" Toshio asked accusingly.

"Dad, give him a break," Shizue said from the fryer.

Toshio turned his attention to her now. "Oh, you want me to give him a break? How many breaks did he take this past year? How many days did he miss work?"

"He had his other job and his own life to think about, Dad."

"Yeah? Well he's old enough to take things like a man, now. We agreed that he would work here on the days we negotiated, and he skipped out on a lot of those days. Now he's here and you wanna take it easy on him when there's work to do? Everyone is here to work, Shizue. It's not just some fun hangout place for teenagers."

"He's gone through a lot of shit, Dad!"

"What, getting fired? That's his fault, isn't it? That he's not good enough for them? What was their first clue?" Toshio shook his head. "Ryuichi's always had a bad work ethic—All he ever wanted to do was play video games as a kid! What were the Kirijos thinking, hiring him in the first place? What, you don't scrub toilets good enough for them now? Is that it?"

That night, Ryuichi returned home and dropped face-down onto his bed. In just the past week, he endured the loss of Takeharu, getting fired, and dealing with his father's ridicule. Pain came from every direction no matter where he turned, and his tears had abandoned him a long time ago, offering him no temporary relief from his agony.

But most of all, the thing that hurt most was failing Mitsuru. He regarded having to work at Toshio's as his punishment for not being able to protect her father, accepting that he deserved everything his father slung at him, where he began to believe that everything he said was true. Since that cursed night, he had almost no relief from his anguish, where every moment he lived felt like his wounds were getting ripped open over and over again before they could even heal.

He lay awake for many hours, barely able to think anymore. In a situation like this, he normally would have consulted Mitsuru for help. But, given the circumstances, he couldn't, his guilt boiling in his gut for wanting to see her after what he had done.

At school, the second- and third-year students started chattering excitedly about the upcoming school trip to Kyoto on the seventeenth. Ryuichi arrived at school surrounded by the many conversations of what sites they were eager to see, what they wanted to do, and how they had never been to a traditional Japanese inn before. He sat down at his desk, trying to block everyone out when Shiori approached him.

"Good morning!" she greeted him cheerfully. "Are you ready for the school trip next week?"

For the past week, she had been coming to talk to him before class. During lunch, if he wasn't quick enough, she would invite him to eat with her and her friends and offered to share her lunch with him. She spoke to him as if things were normal when all he wanted was to be left alone.

She sniffed the air. "Hey, do you smell smoke?"

"It's me," he grunted. "I worked at the restaurant last night."

"Oh. Well, you smell really, um, barbecue-y?"

She kept smiling at him. "So, um, do you have time after school today? I was wondering if—"

"I have work after school."

"Then, maybe another day?"

"I help my sister take care of her baby on my days off."

"Oh! How is she?"

"She's fine," he said, lowering his face even more. "Sorry, I'm kinda tired today, so—"

"Sorry! Um, we'll talk again another time."

After school, Ryuichi went to work and discovered that his father had put a sign outside the front door advertising the Mount 'Murica Burger Challenge. Inside the restaurant, Toshio handed him a bell and told him to go stand outside and try to draw in some customers.

"Remember: you gotta smile!" his father told him cheerfully while pushing him back out the door. His tone changed when he added: "You'll never get customers with a gloomy face like that!"

Ryuichi stood out in the cold, ringing the bell and dully calling out to any passersby for them to come try their food. He covered up his scar with his bangs to at least try to look a little less frightening, as he never wore his fedora to work. Without his hat, the autumn chill numbed his face as he stood out there with chattering teeth. The day was already cold enough with the cloudy weather, but now the winds had picked up, slicing him with freezing, razor-like breezes.

"Come eat at Toshio's!" he shouted, ringing his bell. "Come have a taste of America with our burgers, ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, and brisket! We now serve the fabled pastrami sandwiches on sourdough bread! Make it a meal with a side of golden fries! Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside! Or pair it with some onion rings!"

Toshio poked his head out the doors. "Don't forget Mount 'Murica!"

Ryuichi winced, figuring the sign was more than enough. "If you're up to the challenge, try the new Mount 'Murica Burger! Up to two people can take it on, and if you finish within the hour, you get your picture on the wall and a T-shirt to commemorate the momentous day that you conquered this colossal challenge!"

When customers came over, he opened the door for them and welcomed them in with a weak smile before going back to advertising the menu. Close to dinnertime, more people gathered, and the line almost formed outside the doors. It was the longest line Ryuichi had seen them get in months.

"Excuse me," asked a young woman on her way in. "Is that angry chef still working here?"

Just as she asked her question, the doors opened and customers fled. Ryuichi cringed when he heard his father and sister yelling again in the kitchen. He looked apologetically to the young woman, who made a face and left with her three friends.

"Wait! The food still tastes good!" he called after them. "You can take it to go!"

More customers left while the shouts continued. Toshio and Shizue slung even more swears at each other, both oblivious to the emptying restaurant. As the customers left, they had a few unpleasantries of their own to say.

"Why do we even keep coming back?"

"It's like I'm cursed! Every time I come here—"

"—they just never seem to stop—"

"—I just wanted some barbecue—"

"—weren't they a nice family before—"

"—was gonna take my girl here—"

"—Their burgers are shit now, anyway—"

"Wait! Don't go!" Ryuichi begged them. "Please, wait!"

He lowered his bell in defeat. The only customers who remained were the ones who had already paid and were waiting for their food, but all of them asked to change their orders to go. They all dashed out the door as soon as they got their food.

Ryuichi went back inside to see tables covered in half-eaten trays of food, with racks of barbecue still steaming hot and baskets of fries barely even touched. He picked up the baskets and tossed out the food, hating to see everything go to waste but having no choice.

"—because you don't listen—"

"— _you're_ the one who doesn't listen—!"

"—I've been listening, and—"

"—if you listened before, you—"

The workers fled the kitchen and joined Ryuichi in the dining area, all with fear in their eyes as they turned to stare back at the kitchen.

"What happened?" Ryuichi asked them all.

"I dropped a patty when I was trying to bring it to the assembly station," Akamine admitted in his low, apologetic voice. "Your father started yelling at me, but your sister came to my defense, and now—"

"It's okay," Ryuichi said with hollow reassurance. "It was just a mistake. It could happen to anyone."

"That's not what your dad thinks," Kaminori spat. She picked up a basket of abandoned fries to throw out. "Ryuichi-san, please tell me you're taking over the restaurant soon and firing them both."

"The sooner, the better," murmured Hiraishi.

Sighing, Ryuichi looked around to the other staff members, seeing that they were all tired of his family's bickering nearly every single day. "Clear the tables," he told them all. "I'll try to calm them down."

As always, when Ryuichi tried to talk to his father and sister to stop arguing, Toshio turned his rage towards him instead. Ryuichi had to stand there to take his verbal lashes while his sister yelled for him to stop. The more she raised her voice, the more he raised his, and their arguments flared up higher and hotter than before.

"He's not the reason why the restaurant's failing, Dad!"

"You're right— _You_ are!"

"Hey, I came here willing to help! _You_ wouldn't teach—"

"—expect me to teach you—"

"—trusted him more than me—"

"— _You_ gave away my recipes—"

Ryuichi gave up and let them argue. While everyone finished up cleaning and sat around the booths and tables, Ryuichi charged himself for a burger, fries, and a soda. He cooked his burger the way he liked it, where the meat was perfectly juicy but cooked thoroughly. He prepared three cups of ranch dressing for himself and brought everything to one of the empty tables before grabbing his cup to fill with a mixture of all the soft drinks. When his meal was ready, he took a deep breath and quietly said, "Itadakimasu".

"How can you eat when all that's going on?" Kaminori asked him in amazement.

He picked up a fry. "Because I just don't care anymore," he sighed, and dipped the fry into some ranch dressing before taking his first bite of his meal.

He survived the evening at work, but his family's arguments carried over to the next day. Ryuichi spent the afternoon listening to his sister rage about their father's attitude, complain about their mother refusing to do anything, and how Ryuichi was too much of a wuss to stand up to their father.

"He can't talk to you like that!" she yelled at him as he fed Megumi. "You're his son! All you've been trying to do is help the restaurant regain its former glory!"

"He's the boss and it's his restaurant, so he gets the final say," Ryuichi said robotically, as it was the only thing he was permitted to believe at the restaurant.

"That's still bullshit! We're trying to save the place, but Mom's not even going to try to help! She just lets Dad do what he wants, and I get that she's trying to keep him from getting another heart attack, but the way things are going now, he's probably gonna have another one anyway because things are only getting worse and he's not helping!

"You need to really go balls to the wall, Ryu-chan! Tell him to his face that the restaurant's failing and that it's not our fault! Someone's gotta tell him!"

"Then you tell him."

"Dad hates my guts! It needs to come from someone else, like you!"

She went behind the couch and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "Come on, Ryu-chan! Grow a pair and tell him to calm. The fuck. Down!"

He plucked the bottle's nipple from Megumi's mouth. She began to cry. "You really shouldn't shake your baby," he muttered.

She let him go. "I swear, I think Mom and I are the only two who actually care about the place," she grumbled. "I don't know what Dad's even going on about anymore. I just wish he could, like, break his leg or something, so there'd be a reason why he couldn't come into work for awhile, at least until we can get things back in order."

"Then what?" Ryuichi asked as he gave the bottle back to Megumi. "All he's gonna do is wreck it again, and I doubt a broken leg will keep him out for long."

"We can't just let the place tank!"

"And we can't do anything unless Dad finally listens."

Shizue sighed behind him. "You're not even going to fight for it? Are you a man or not? I swear, I could kick you in the balls and there'd be nothing there!"

He didn't argue back, didn't bother to leave, didn't even care anymore. All around him, everything he ever loved or cared for was crumbling faster than he could rebuild. There was almost no point in him even trying anymore.

On Saturday during work, he received a message from Akihiko telling him that Mitsuru had returned to the dorm. When he checked the message, his father happened to be looking over his shoulder and saw him with his phone out.

"I'm not paying you to talk to your friends!" Toshio raged at him. He grabbed his cell phone and threw it against the wall, shattering it to pieces. "You're supposed to be setting an example for the others and you're just dicking around!"

Ryuichi just stood in silence, staring at the mangled mess of his phone on the ground, the screen cracked and the liquid crystal leaking across the glass. Risa stooped down to pick it up and held it for him while Toshio continued his rant. Ryuichi turned to look at the dining area to see the customers begin to filter out, but his father never got the hint.

Late that night, he stopped by the Iwatodai strip mall to find something other than a burger to eat for a late, late dinner. He was up on the third floor, hoping to grab a beef bowl when he saw the closed sign on the door. Sighing, he turned around and heard the train leave Iwatodai Station, clattering on the tracks on its way to Tatsumi Port Island.

He could end it right there, he thought, recalling that serendipitous night back in middle school. He knew now about the Dark Hour and could time it so it wouldn't interfere. There would be no need to endure his anguish anymore.

Three years ago, the Dark Hour spared him from a gruesome death, and only about a half hour after, Mitsuru saved him from a Shadow. It was just a shame that both saves were such wastes, seeing as he was fated to be nothing more than someone who only caused trouble for others.

"What was the point?" he asked himself aloud. "Why was I saved all those years ago if I was just going to end up the same way now?"

He stared at the train station for quite some time. He couldn't hear the train anymore, imagining that it was still racing along the tracks high over the bay. Minutes passed, and he just stood there, not moving, not thinking, not really living anymore. When he heard the train clattering closer on its way back towards Iwatodai Station, his body clenched. He gripped the railing like he was clutching his very life. As a few people spilled out of the station, he turned and left for the dorm.

Back in his room, he took out the packet of notes he photocopied from the past week-and-a-half of school. Everything was meticulously dated and labeled for each class, with main points highlighted in different colors. Ryuichi sat down on his bed, staring at the notes as he argued against himself as to why he shouldn't give them to Mitsuru at all.

Against all the arguments he made, he took the notes and headed upstairs to the third floor. At first, he considered knocking on Mitsuru's door to give it to her directly, hoping he might be able to check up on her and see how she was doing. When he heard her soft sniffles from within, he set the packet down against her door and skulked back downstairs to his room.

He didn't even know why he bothered to give her a copy of his notes at all. They weren't even complete, since he missed the first day of class after Takeharu's passing. What's more, giving notes to Mitsuru was practically pointless, what with her academic prowess being far superior to his.

Though, Ryuichi wondered what the consequences were if the Board of Directors learned about his little deed. He wondered what Mitsuru would think when she found the notes. He imagined that she might be insulted, receiving such a thing from the person who let her father die.

Back in his room, Ryuichi quickly fell back into his memories of the night he almost died twice. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't tell if he regretted surviving at all.


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter 73**

"But you're going, right?"

"Come on, Senpai. It's the class trip!"

"You're missing out!"

"It's your senior year! Do something fun for yourself for once!"

It was Monday during lunch hour, the only time the other SEES members actually saw Ryuichi during daylight hours. Akihiko, Minato, Junpei, Fuuka, Aigis, and Yukari all cornered him in the courtyard between the gym and the main building where he had chosen to hide for the day.

"It's not right if you don't come," Akihiko urged him. "Just because Mitsuru's coming doesn't mean you can't."

"It's not about her," Ryuichi snapped back. "I can't afford the trip anymore, okay?"

"Don't lie," Yukari shot. "Everyone had to pay for the trip well in advance, so you have no excuses for skipping out."

"I still can't go."

"And why not?"

Ryuichi cast his gaze downward. "Now that I'm not a bodyguard anymore, I'm not earning enough to financially support my family, cover the costs of our failing restaurant, pay my bills, and pay the mortgage on my house."

They all stared in silent awe at him.

"Um, you own your own house?" Junpei asked in amazement.

Ryuichi blew air sharply out of his nostrils. "I'm still paying it off. My sister's been living in it."

As they continued to urge him to go on the trip with them, a tall, thin young man with a pale face and watery blue eyes strode up to them. A yellow scarf was circled around his neck, and he wore a white, button-down shirt with the sleeves folded just above his wrists, ending in thick, black cuffs. Ryuichi made a face when he saw that he used both a belt and suspenders to hold up his pants.

"Hey, what's going on?" the pale young man asked in a cheery, good-natured voice.

"Oh, Ryoji-kun." Fuuka stepped aside to give him some room.

Junpei put a hand on his hip and sighed. "Our senpai here doesn't wanna go on the school trip, so we're trying to get him to quit being an old man and come with us."

Ryuichi glared at Junpei. "I'll thank you _not_ to spread my issues around to strangers."

"Strangers? Nah, it's Ryoji-kun! He just transferred into our class about a week ago."

The pale stranger held out his hand to Ryuichi. "Ryoji Mochizuki," he greeted with a smile.

Ryuichi reluctantly took his hand in a firm handshake. "Ryuichi Okazaki," he snarled, letting go quickly.

"Didn't you already pay for the trip at the start of the year?" Fuuka asked Ryuichi, steering everyone back to the topic at hand. "That means it would be a waste if you didn't go."

"Doesn't matter: I still have to help out at my family's restaurant," he told her in a firm voice. "I've already missed so many days that my dad's not forgiving me anymore."

"Tell him you can't get a refund!" Junpei blurted out.

"He doesn't care. He would just say that I should've thought about it before I wasted my money."

Junpei let out a frustrated sigh. "Man, and I thought my dad was impossible."

"Hey, now." Ryoji's toasty voice and friendly smile mocked Ryuichi. "If you just talk to your father, I'm sure he'll understand."

Ryuichi didn't who the guy was, but he already hated him. "Clearly, you don't know my father," he grunted, and decided it was time to end their discussion.

He slipped past Fuuka and Aigis, the latter hurting his shoulder when he accidentally bumped hers. As he turned to apologize, he noticed that Aigis kept her eyes locked on Ryoji with her expression set in a cold glare.

At least I have someone on my side, he thought.

"You'd better be ready with your luggage tomorrow morning!" Akihiko called after him.

Back inside the main school building, Ryuichi went to buy a sandwich and some juice from the little shop in the foyer. The lunch line had dwindled to just a few people, but was currently at a standstill. The boy at the front visibly sagged his shoulders, apparently having his requested item denied. The clerk apologized for running out of yakisoba bread.

"Was it the girl in the blue dress again?" the boy griped.

The clerk gave him an apologetic nod. "She bought the last three, I'm afraid."

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "But she doesn't even go here!"

The boy ended up settling for just a drink and hurried away in disappointment. The line moved quickly, but when it was Ryuichi's turn, he learned that they had also run out of ham sandwiches.

"What about juice?" he asked, counting out some coins in his palm.

"I'm sorry, but we're out of that, too," she said. "We have some melon bread, if you'd like."

Sighing, he bought one and headed back upstairs. On the second floor, he saw that boy with the yellow scarf taking a dazed Mitsuru by the hand.

"Might I say, your beauty is unmatched!" he marveled, giving her a twinkly-eyed smile. "If you're not busy after school, would you care to go out with me?"

Mitsuru looked at his hand on hers with blank eyes. "Wh-What? I'm sorry, I—"

Ryuichi took two steps towards them before he remembered he wasn't supposed to let Mitsuru see him, but watching Ryoji made anger roil around in his chest. He clenched his fists, ready to punch the guy in the face.

"Perhaps we can get to know each other better on the school trip," Ryoji insisted, and out of nowhere pulled out a red rose to give to her.

Ryuichi headed for them at a brisk walk, keeping his head down as he picked up speed. He walked right through Ryoji's and Mitsuru's joined hands, almost smirking when he made them let go.

"What the—?"

Ryuichi kept walking and headed for the stairs, stopping just out of their view. He breathed hard, not knowing if he had done the right thing, but he felt damn good now that he had interrupted Ryoji's advances.

"Sorry, but I have to go," he heard Mitsuru utter. That was all he needed to hear.

All day at work, all Ryuichi could think about was Mitsuru. The way she looked at school startled him, where she appeared to have had her soul ripped from her body. Her dim eyes had been ringed with dark circles. Her pale face was completely blank, crestfallen and shattered. There was no spirit in her, no commanding aura. She was just a husk of who she was before.

That afternoon, he barely felt the scourge of his father's complaints about how slowly he worked. Ryuichi was too worried about Mitsuru, unable to wipe away her gaunt face from his memory. Work went by so quickly that he only snapped out of his trance when his coworkers eagerly clocked out and wished him a good night.

Early the next morning, Ryuichi left the dorm before the sun had risen. He ended up at the Iwatodai train station to ride the train back and forth from Iwatodai to Tatsumi Port Island, just to keep the others from finding him and forcing him to go on the school trip with them. Most importantly, he needed to avoid Mitsuru.

He had already gone against the Board's orders to not contact Mitsuru in any way. Calling her, giving her notes, and now interrupting Ryoji's advances—He was doing a horrible job of staying out of her life. All day yesterday at school, he had trouble focusing on taking notes because he kept staring at her, wanting to talk to her to see how she was and apologize to her properly. He wanted to make it up to her somehow, feeling his guilt flood his gut like a freezing river, forming ice crystals that spiked and stabbed him from within.

He was sure the others were calling him on his cell phone by now. He never told them that his father destroyed it, seeing no point in letting them know. As the sun began to rise beyond the tall buildings, other passengers boarded the train to get to Port Island. Among them was someone who wobbled as he shuffled into the car. It took Ryuichi a few seconds to realize that this person wasn't one of the business people yawning, but one of the Lost with his mouth gaping wide open. Ryuichi was so mired in his thoughts that he didn't react right away when he recognized the Gekkoukan uniform the Lost wore.

The morning progressed. He watched as more people in business attired boarded, along with some first-year Gekkoukan high students who complained about not going on the school trip with the older students. When the passengers started to thin out, Ryuichi determined that it was already past the time that the second- and third-year students were supposed to meet for the trip. He returned to Iwatodai Station and headed back to the dorm.

Ken had already gone to school, he was certain, despite not having seen him on the train. Koromaru was out doing whatever it was he did during the day. The dorm was the quietest it had ever been since he first moved in three years ago. He set to work preparing dinner for Ken, making for him some curry rice that he hoped would last for at least two meals without forcing him to eat leftovers for too long.

And then, there was nothing to do. There was no school for the next few days, and everyone had gone on the trip. Caring for Megumi would come in the afternoon, leaving him with his first day off in almost two weeks. As far as he knew, his family knew nothing of the school trip, but if they did, he would be working in the restaurant all week long.

But, he still needed money. He remembered what Eshima said about auditioning for Chagall Cafe and figured that it might do some good for him. He would have artistic freedom without anyone yelling at him, and if he was still as good as he was back in middle school, he would go home with his pockets full of a few hours' pay, and possibly with the occasional bonus if he drew in enough customers.

"Huh? Since when do you play the saxophone?" Eshima asked in amazement when he showed up with his horn.

"Just in case the piano gig doesn't work out, I have a backup plan," he told her. "And if I make it, I'll probably only be able to play for the week."

"That's fine, but shouldn't you be in school?"

"The school trip started today, but I decided not to go."

She made a strangled noise. "Are you nuts? What are you doing skipping out on one of the highlights of high school?"

There wasn't much else she could say about him not going on the school trip. His classmates were long gone and on their way to Kyoto with no hope of him catching up. All she could do was take him to the back office to talk about work.

"So, you can only work for just this week, huh?" she grumbled, still frowning at him.

He nodded. "And I have work in the afternoon at five, so I really only can do mornings and early afternoons."

"We don't get a lot of customers in the morning, so it's not very profitable to hire you for those hours," she said, her voice slowing towards the end. "The afternoon should be fine, though. But first, we need to hear you play."

She asked him to play one song each on the piano and on his saxophone. He took his seat at the piano first, grateful that there were only a few patrons in the cafe to listen to his gentle, soothing tune. By the end of the song, there were a few more customers at the tables, though not much more than when he first started.

"I think you sound even better now than you did back then," Eshima said, brimming with glee. "Okay, let's hear you on the sax."

He needed some time to set up. While moistening his reed, he hooked up his mp3 player to the speakers on the stage, and soon the piano accompaniment for a song of reminiscence began to play. The rich sound of his sax came out smooth and velvety, but was tinged with the melancholy that Ryuichi had been living in for the past two weeks. The song sounded less nostalgic than he remembered, instead emoting regret and anguish that seared holes into his being. He hadn't intended for the song to sound that way, and he realized that he had done the same when he played the much lighter song on the piano.

When he finished, Eshima raised her face, paused, and gave a single nod. "Let's talk for a bit."

She treated him to tea and some scones while they discussed a possible work schedule for the one week. They occupied a small table near the front of the cafe, where Ryuichi could see the customers glance his way every so often with unspoken expectancy for him to get back on stage.

Unsurprisingly, Eshima was prepared to give him the job.

"Are you sure you can't do evenings?" she asked, almost pleading. "Can't you cut back on your hours at the restaurant?"

"I wish I could, but this really is the only time I can get, and just for this week," he told her again, despite wanting desperately to take her up on her offer.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, the job's yours if you want it. If not, we'll just play the radio or something."

She blew her bangs out of her face with a sigh. "I really hope you work something out with your other job. If I have to listen to another crappy performer, I'll ask Dad if we can get rid of the stage and just use that space for more tables."

Eshima released another sigh and smiled at him. "So, you ready to start today?"

He didn't even need to think twice. "Sure thing," he agreed.

Her expression changed to a mischievous, sisterly smirk. "So, were you thinking of someone while playing those songs? A special girl that broke your heart, maybe?"

She laughed when his face soured. "All right, you'd better get back on stage! You've got two more hours, so I hope you've got some songs prepared!"

She introduced him to the growing audience and let him start with the piano. He was a little more comfortable on stage now, compared to years ago when he took the job back in middle school. His fingers and toes only froze over for the first song, rendering them stiff and almost twitchy. Some notes came out louder than they should have been, some hardly audible. By the second song, the blood had returned to his hands and feet, and his playing became smoother and more pleasing to the ear. Judging by the little old lady smiling in the front, Ryuichi was doing a pretty decent job.

He missed it. He missed when people appreciated his music through their smiles, lightly drumming their fingers on their tabletops in rhythm, and sometimes mouthing the lyrics with him as he sang. When he stopped to sip some water, a middle-aged woman approached him with a big smile to request an older song. Thankfully, he knew that particular song very well. Seeing her mouth the words while her eyes glittered with joy gave him such thrill that he would've played all the songs she requested, if he knew them. After the first hour, he took a short break before starting the next one with his saxophone.

"Good work today, Ryuichi-kun," Eshima said after announcing the end of his performance. "I really missed hearing you play."

She gave him a small envelope with his earnings. "And while you're at it, get some sleep, will you?" she advised. "You're looking pretty worn out."

He didn't want to leave. All the warmth and appreciation for his music made him want to stay. Most of the patrons were older people who liked the same oldies that Ryuichi liked, and he loved seeing the excitement and joy on their faces when their favorite songs came up. On his way out, an older gentleman asked him when he would be performing again. Ryuichi gladly told him that he he'll be in all week around the same time.

He went home to change out of his nice suit and into his school uniform, for the sake of maintaining the illusion that he had just come from school. From there, he went to his house to help his sister watch over Megumi. He had hoped that it would be one of those days where his sister would step out to run some errands and leave him and Megumi in the peace and quiet, but he should have known better by now.

The moment he arrived, he felt like he had flung himself into an erupting volcano, with his sister blowing up at him about their parents again. He tried to shield Megumi from the smoke and ash of Shizue's words by distracting her with a cartoon on TV, then had his sister follow him across the room to the kitchen so she wouldn't upset her daughter.

"Every day now!" Shizue griped. "He's got me working almost every damn day! Does he even know how hard it is running errands with a baby?

"That old bastard! All he ever thinks about is his damn food! Yeah, he makes damn good barbecue, but he treats them better than his own family! Doesn't he ever think about anyone but himself?"

There were times when his sister would repeat what she had ranted about earlier, talking in loops without losing any edge to her words. Her roommate came home sometime later from work, but she didn't bother to come into the living room. Ryuichi listened as she crept across the hall to her bedroom, and not once did she come out before he left for home.

He returned to the dorm late that evening to find Ken and Koromaru together in the lounge. They met him at the back door, surprised to see him there.

"Okazaki-san? I thought you went on the class trip!" Ken exclaimed as they crossed the lounge. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided not to go," Ryuichi sighed, drained from the afternoon of playing therapist to his sister.

"Why not?"

"Because my family needs me."

Ken stared up at him. "Have you not been sleeping well? You look really tired."

Ryuichi took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to rid himself of all the stress his sister shoved onto him. "I'm fine," he murmured. "By the way, did you find the curry I made for you?"

"Yeah. It was really good; thank you. But—"

Ryuichi set his helmet down on the front desk, realizing that he didn't want to be there right then.

"I'm gonna go for a walk, so don't wait up for me," he told the pair. He ignored Ken's protests and Koromaru's barks, slamming the front door behind him.

The night was cold enough that he could see his breath in the air. His nose froze over again, never having warmed up during his brief time in the dorm. His fingers went numb, he couldn't feel his feet shuffle beneath him, and his mind raced with so many thoughts that it was strange to see them fixate on an idea that Shizue had brought up about not having any time to rest between work and caring for Megumi.

Where did all the time to himself go? He had asked the same thing many times before, but each time he did, the question would get trampled down and forgotten in the dirt until Shizue unearthed it for him. The only thing he knew was work, work, work, and the only way he actually cared for himself was—

Mitsuru. She was always caring about him, pushing him to study more, to rest, to do something for himself. And not just her, but her father, too. Takeharu Kirijo wanted him to learn to care for himself, but every time Ryuichi tried to, he was met with his family's ire. He never questioned that his family was more important than any exam, any sports competition, and any Shadow that needed slaying, but with the way things have been going, he began to wonder if he was even included in his family for that kind of prioritization.

Ryuichi started to question everything he had gone through in the past year, and even years before. He wanted to ask Takeharu why it was so important to him that he find his own value, since he was nothing more than a servant to the Kirijo family. But, Takeharu Kirijo was gone, and he would never know why the man cared so much for someone who didn't seem to care enough about himself.

Ryuichi's walk took him back to Paulownia Mall. He wasted time at the arcade, browsing the games more than playing, not wanting to squander the little money he earned earlier. He saw the UFO catcher machines that he and his sister had wasted so much money on just to catch a little bug-eyed squid plushie because they both thought it was so cute. Shizue managed to get it one day and gave it to him, and now the little squid was in his room at the dorm, safe in a drawer.

He passed by the jewelry store where his mother used to frequent just to browse what they had. But, that was years ago, and she would always say that she would buy something nice for herself someday. She was always so busy with the restaurant that a trip to the mall was often a luxury that only came once a month, if at all.

He couldn't remember his father doing much else except work. He did remember a time when the old gas station was still being renovated into the restaurant when he was about four years old, back when his mother still worked at a law firm and his father was a chef for another restaurant. Back then, they had more time to spend as a family. They went to movies, played at the park, window shopped, and just enjoyed one another's company. Ryuichi fondly remembered a time when they could only afford to eat the okonomiyaki or curry rice his mother made for days on end, as most of their funds went to the restaurant. Despite their financial struggles back then, they were happy and made the most of what they had together.

But then, when the renovations were completed, both their parents quit their jobs to focus on the restaurant. Their mother and father would be there all day long, and he and Shizue would head straight there after school instead of going home. Until Shizue was old enough to watch over Ryuichi herself, they would wait at the restaurant by doing homework or play around in the office until their mother could take them home and make them dinner.

The restaurant always kept their parents away all day compared to when they worked at their old jobs. Eventually, Ryuichi and his sister started working at the restaurant alongside their parents, but even though they were all together, the time they spent as a family just wasn't the same.

Ryuichi went up to the second floor of the mall, standing just outside Mandragora, the karaoke bar. The muffled music inside the karaoke bar was drowned out by the booming music thumping from Club Escapade, blasting louder each time someone opened the doors.

He could hear the laughter and the cheers from inside the karaoke bar as someone finished up a song. They sounded so carefree, as though they weren't tethered by any responsibilities they might have. Ryuichi wondered if any of them had any worries that needed immediate attention, imagining that some of them simply decided to postpone it so they could unwind a bit with some friends. He wondered if he would ever be able to muster up that kind of gall to shirk his duties for his own enjoyment. He didn't think he could.

When the mall announced that it was closing soon, Ryuichi reluctantly headed home, arriving at the station just as the train pulled in. He rode the train back and forth between Port Island and Iwatodai just to get the sensation that he was headed somewhere while sitting around deep in his thoughts.

He thought about how miserable he had been growing up, and how happy he was when he moved into the dorm. Those few years away from his family were the best years of his life, but for his sister who was away at college, and for his parents trying to rebuild the restaurant's reputation, he could only imagine that those were some of the worst years for them.

He leaned his head against the cold window and sighed. "How could I be happy when they were so miserable?" he muttered to himself. "What kind of person—"

The train stopped so abruptly that Ryuichi was thrown from his seat. The lights had gone out, and the two passengers in the car with him had transmogrified. For a few moments, Ryuichi lay on the floor stunned, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"It's that late already?" he realized out loud.

With a groan, he staggered to his feet and dusted himself off. Not wanting to sit around on the train until the Dark Hour ended, he pried open one of the train doors and hopped out.

He had to walk across the train tracks just to get back to the mainland. As he came down the stairs of the station, he spotted a stout policeman lurking just outside the Octopia stand. Its stomach had a gaping hole where a key spun inside, indicating that it was unmistakably a Shadow.

Ryuichi reached for his Evoker, but found nothing. It was still at home.

He managed to sneak past the Shadow and sprinted back to the dorm for his gear. When he returned to the station plaza, the Shadow wasn't there anymore.

"Where's Fuuka when you need her?" he muttered as he raced around the area in search of the Shadow.

He kept telling himself that it shouldn't be so hard to find a giant Shadow, yet he wound up wandering around the blocks near the strip mall. He was so certain that he would have found the Shadow by now, but it seemed to him that Shadows, no matter their size, moved fast.

"Heyyy! Shadow! Where are you?" Ryuichi's shouts echoed throughout the city and died off without a response.

He banged his Evoker against a traffic light pole. "Hey! You hear me? I'm right here!"

 _Ping!_ Something small deflected off the metal pole. He turned to see the obese police Shadow behind him, waving a gun in its stubby hand.

Ryuichi put his Evoker under his chin. "Actually, let's do something different," he said, and holstered it. He raised his larger katana, getting a feel for the grip in his hands, and charged.


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74**

The next day, Ryuichi showed up to Chagall cafe a good fifteen minutes early with his saxophone in hand. After greeting Eshima and the rest of the staff, he headed to the back to drop off his saxophone before locking himself in the washroom. There, he gingerly changed the bloody bandages around his left arm and poked at the few scrapes and bruises around his body.

"I guess that's okay," he said after testing his injured arm. He could move it, but he would have to stick with the slower songs and avoid anything too robust.

When he sat down to play the piano, he listened carefully for how his left hand performed. His arm burned if he moved too much, but he refused to let it compromise the song. No one seemed to notice that he was injured, including Eshima, and Ryuichi wanted to keep it that way.

He was still bitter about his battle with the Shadow last night, having wasted so much time just trying to locate it. By the time he found it, he was so irritated with it that all he wanted to do was destroy it with his bare hands. The Shadow kept firing its gun at him, making Ryuichi leap and dive and roll every which way, but it was one lucky slip on the pavement that saved his life from what would have been a fatal gunshot wound that struck his left arm instead. By the time he decided to take out his Evoker, the Dark Hour ended, taking the Shadow with it.

Even after his failed battle, he refused to bring Ken and Koromaru with him when he planned on going on patrol again later that night. He was fortunate that the Shadow's bullet missed his chest for his arm, but he didn't think his luck would carry over to the others, let alone cover him a second time. Luck was all he had for his defense, especially without Fuuka there to point out the Shadows that might be lurking nearby.

It was easier for him to play his saxophone compared to the piano, since his arm was kept close to his body and didn't have to move much for the slow songs. He hid his pain well, keeping up his image of a tortured musician by furrowing his eyebrows and frowning whenever he played a song, both on the sax and piano. His audience didn't have to know that he was actually wincing in pain, hearing only the music he produced that made them let out a wistful sigh as if they had recalled a forgotten memory on a rainy day.

Around noon, the cafe started to fill up with people looking for a place to relax for lunch. Word had gotten around in a single day about "the musician who didn't suck", who had a talent for making listeners feel the anguish he seemed to bear.

"Hey, Ryuichi-kun?"

Eshima approached him during his break in the back room. "Listen, it's not that it's bad or anything, but could you play something a little, you know, happier?"

"'Happier'?" He tested the word on his mouth, not with disdain, but with consideration. "Actually, yeah. Sorry about that."

"It's all right. I know you're going through a hard time, so I didn't want to say anything before."

"So, what made you say something now?"

She paused to find her answer up on the ceiling. "Well, I was just thinking—Just because you're not feeling it doesn't mean you have to take it away from someone else, right?"

She left, not seeing the way his breath caught in his chest or his eyes going blank with realization. For some reason, he couldn't deny what she said, couldn't negate it at all. Whenever he served Mitsuru as her butler, her bodyguard, or even just being her friend or classmate, he was happy just being able to help her in some way, even when he was in a foul mood. The same went for his family: he was happy to help them until they all began to demand more than he could give, yet he kept giving without the joy of it.

He cut his break short and sat down at the piano once again. For a brief moment, he sat there with his fingers on the keyboard, trying to think of a song that he hoped wouldn't leave the audience feeling like the world was going to end. He then got up to grab the microphone to position in front of his face, tapping it to see if it was on.

"Check, check," he said. When he heard his voice, he started to play a lively tune.

The song was an older one from decades past by an American brother-sister duo. Bouncy and catchy, the song captured the elation of the singer finding true love. It was the cheeriest song Ryuichi could think of right then, and the jaunty tune got the audience clapping in rhythm with him. His arm screamed in pain as his left hand bounced on the keyboard, but he kept going, enjoying the song too much and not wanting to ruin the good mood for everyone.

Just like that, the energy in the cafe lifted. He played a few more songs on the piano, then switched back to his saxophone when the pain in his arm became too great to bear. He played a few of the jazzy songs he recorded for the culture festival, glad to finally put them to good use. His tracks didn't have as many instruments as the previous musician did, but the audience seemed to appreciate his work of using actual instruments to accompany himself.

The lunch hour ended, and many mall workers who came in for their lunch breaks vacated their seats to return to their shifts. New customers filled the empty tables, and when there wasn't any room, people lined the windows and walls. Ryuichi was astounded to see so many people, almost forgetting that he could be getting a sizable bonus for drawing in a big crowd.

After clocking out, Ryuichi treated himself to a simple lunch of a tuna melt sandwich and some coffee before heading home to prepare dinner for Ken.

"So, how do you feel now?" Eshima asked him when she served him his meal.

"Better, actually," he said, feeling like he could breathe again.

And then, he opened up to her about the past year. He talked about his sister moving back home with their parents after getting pregnant, his struggles to balance school, caring for his infant niece, working at the restaurant, and having to quit all his extracurricular activities just to survive. He told her about how the restaurant was failing because his father and sister wouldn't stop bickering all the time at work. And even though he knew he probably shouldn't talk about it, he told Eshima about how his mother had to ask him to help financially support his sister, his niece, and the restaurant.

"Why you? You're just a high school student, aren't you?"

"I got a job as a butler and a bodyguard," he told Eshima. "I earned enough to buy a house and renovate it, and now my sister lives in it with her roommate."

"What? For real?"

He explained to her about becoming Mitsuru's bodyguard back in middle school, and how he was given the additional task of being her butler at the start of the year. He started to tear up when he talked about Mitsuru's father's passing, and what the man meant to him in the few years he got to know him. He almost slipped up when he nearly told Eshima the truth of Takeharu's death and the real reason why he was fired, but managed to pass it off as a flub on words before correcting himself.

"I don't get it, though." Eshima put her hand on her hip as she shook her head. "You've been her bodyguard since middle school, but suddenly you're not good enough to protect her?"

He lowered his face so the brim of his hat covered him. "Out of all the other maids and butlers, I really am the least experienced, so I wasn't qualified to protect her since she became the new head of her family."

"Yeah, but couldn't they keep you on as a butler at least?"

"Nope. To be honest, I was kind of a useless butler, only good for cooking and cleaning, but I wasn't allowed to do things like her laundry or clean her room."

"Those are seriously the two main tasks of a butler," Eshima pointed out. "But, if you weren't allowed to clean her room, then what did you clean?"

"The dorm," he replied simply. "It was still good money, so I didn't mind. The thing is, my work at the restaurant kept—"

He gasped. "What time is it?"

Eshima pointed to the clock on the wall. "It's about three-thirty," she said.

"I was talking that long? Crap! I'm late!"

He quickly shoveled his cold lunch down his throat and chugged his now tepid coffee.

"I thought you don't work until five."

"I do! I just have to make dinner for a friend for later!"

"Can't they just buy something to eat?" she called after him as he hurried away.

At the dorm, Ryuichi found Ken searching for a snack in the pantry while Koromaru lapped up water from his bowl. Panting, he dumped his saxophone in his room and changed into his school uniform before rushing to the kitchen.

"So, whatcha in the mood for, Ken-kun?" a frantic Ryuichi asked as he threw open the refrigerator door.

Ken stepped out of the way, his mouth agape. "Um, are you all right, Okazaki-san? What happened to you last night?"

"Did a lot of thinking, actually, and got more done this morning." He held up some sandwich meat and cheese. "Okay, important question: how do you like your sandwich?"

"Okazaki-san, you need to calm down," Ken told him firmly.

"Can't now; I have work soon and a friend to keep fed for dinner!"

"Sanada-san said I can just have some of his instant noodles when I get hungry."

"Oh, but the girls would hang me if that's all you had to eat."

Ryuichi set to work crafting a sandwich for him. He grabbed a tomato from the refrigerator to wash it. "This ain't gonna be some dainty tea party sandwich, either!" he boasted, but internally, he was panicking about being late for work.

The sandwich stood tall with slices of ham piled on. He used mayonnaise and mustard to glue together the bread, meat, lettuce, and slices of tomato, then put a slice of bread soaked with Italian dressing on top. He then added more layers of tomatoes, lettuce, meat, cheese, mustard, and mayonnaise, and just before putting the last slice of bread, Ryuichi threw on some potato chips.

Ken stared at the sandwich in disbelief. "Uh, Okazaki-san?"

Ryuichi presented his creation to Ken. "Voila! This is sure to put some meat on you!" he said proudly. He gave the sandwich a quick look and poured some more chips around it, then cut the sandwich in half diagonally, feeling the satisfying crunch of the chips under the knife.

"What the heck is that supposed to be?" Ken questioned, looking to be caught between amusement and horror. Koromaru padded over to them and barked, licking his chops.

"It's a sandwich!" Ryuichi said, a little annoyed that it wasn't obvious. "I made it for Akihiko once when he complained that he was hungry, and he ate the whole thing in one sitting."

That seemed to grab Ken's interest. "He did, huh?"

"Well, if anything, I fell for it, since he asked me to make something a real man would wanna eat," Ryuichi replied with a shrug. "But he liked it enough to keep hounding me to make another one."

He took the sandwich to the table for Ken. "You can just eat half and save the rest for later," he told him. "Or, I can cook something else."

Ken needed both hands just to lift one of the halves. "How am I supposed to eat this?"

"Smash it down."

He did, but it didn't get much smaller. "Uh, not that I don't appreciate it, Okazaki-san, but—"

Ryuichi put both his hands on the sandwich and gave it one solid press, gritting his teeth when his left arm burned from his wound. "There!" he grunted, showing him the flattened food. "Uh, it should still be good, I think?"

Ken managed to fit a corner of the sandwich into his mouth for a bite. Ryuichi watched as his eyebrows popped up in surprise. "Hey, this is actually pretty good!"

Ryuichi sighed with relief. "Okay, well, I gotta get to work, so you and Koromaru stay safe in here. Lock the doors and stuff!"

"We will. Thanks, Okazaki-san!"

Ryuichi headed back to his room for his motorcycle helmet and stopped. He touched his arm, thinking he should change his bandages before he went to work. When he saw the time, he burst out of his room to hurry to the restaurant. He arrived five minutes late to his shift.

"You're making me look bad, son!" Toshio raged at him as he tied his apron. "You're supposed to set an example for the others!"

"Sorry," he murmured. All the warmth and energy from that morning had long since burned away, but so did his overwhelming panic from earlier.

He was put in charge of forming burger patties. Ryuichi thought about his arm and went for it, concentrating most of his strength from his right arm to get the job done. Toshio came up to watch him work, making sure he measured out the right amount of meat before squashing them on top of wax paper to be stacked and ready for the grill. He had to press it down a few times, his arm feeling like it was going to explode from the pain.

"What's the matter with you?" His father grabbed the plate away and pressed the burger patty flat in one go. "That's how you do it! You turn into a girl overnight?"

He slapped a hand to Ryuichi's stomach. "What's the point of having all those muscles if you can't even flatten some beef?" he guffawed, as if he had just told the funniest joke.

Thankfully, his father didn't notice him grimace in pain from his playful slap to his bruises. Ryuichi took the plate back and got a new ball of beef to press, biting back groans and tears. It only took him one try, despite his arm aching so badly he wanted to stop, but he kept going, kept pressing, until he had about twenty done. When he was finished, he washed his hands and excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"Oh, no you don't! You just got here!" Toshio yanked his son back into the kitchen. "Go cut up some fries!"

Ryuichi had to use his right arm both to put potatoes in the fry slicer and to pull the lever down to shove them through the blades. His left arm throbbed with excruciating pain from the burgers, but after giving it a short rest, he was able to use it to put potatoes in the chute.

Shizue came up to fill some baskets with fries. "Mom and Dad were arguing earlier today," she told Ryuichi in a low voice.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, surprised to see her. "I thought you went home already!"

"Dad's making me stay longer now since 'Ryuichi can afford to keep Masabuchi-san for a few more hours'." She mocked their father with a nasal voice to quote him. "So now I'm stuck here. Weren't you listening to me last night?"

"Well, you never really outright said he wanted you to work all day—"

"Gawd, were you even listening at all?"

His sister scowled. "You know, when we were growing up, I was always there for you when you had your ass smeared on the sidewalk by Sakai and his goons," she snapped at him. "I didn't ask you for much except to just hear me out, but you couldn't even do that for me. I'm not even asking you to kick someone's ass. I just needed you to listen."

Ryuichi couldn't believe this was happening. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "Really, I am. I've just been out of it lately."

"Shyeah, right."

She took the full baskets of fries over to the counter to join the pulled pork sandwiches and brisket waiting there. "Order number forty-eight!" she announced. Someone came up with their receipt to show her, and when Shizue confirmed it, they took their food and retreated to their table.

Ryuichi didn't pursue the matter, afraid to make things worse when he still had a few hours left in his shift. He helped assemble burgers, shredded up some pulled pork, sliced the brisket, put more meat in the smokers, and did anything else his father ordered him to do. At one point, Ayumi came out from the office to help at the registers, smiling as she took orders. Seeing her made Ryuichi wonder if she was only smiling to cover up the pain.

The arguments eventually started up as expected, first as a tiny flicker of an ember that fanned into a roaring blaze.

"—you didn't say to—"

"—you weren't listening—"

"—it's always me, isn't it—"

"—you always have to be right—"

"Ryuichi-san, can you help me get more buns off the top shelf, please?" asked Risa.

"Sure," he said, and followed her to the pantry to get away from his father's and sister's shouts.

The buns were kept on the top shelf, well beyond her reach. He grabbed a bag with his good arm and handed it to her.

"Thank you!" she squeaked. And then, her eyes went wide. "Ryuichi-san, what happened to your arm?"

He saw the red bloodstains show through his white sleeve. "Oh, uh, it's nothing," he said hastily, turning to get it out of her sights.

"No it's not! What happened?"

Hisaishi's wrinkled face wrinkled even more when he saw Ryuichi's bloodied arm. "What happened to you?" he asked. "You'd better take care of that before the customers see."

Ryuichi started to panic. "I don't have another shirt, but I can wear my jacket to cover it."

"It'll get pretty hot if you do that."

He didn't care. He grabbed his blazer from the office and put it on. When he came out of the office, he found himself standing before his father's purple face.

"You've only been here for an hour and you're already taking a break?" Toshio shouted so loud the shelves trembled. "Were you like this when you worked for Mitsuru-san? Does she know that she hired a lazy, ungrateful boy like you? I guess it's a good thing she fired you. You know without her, you're nothing!"

"That's right, Dad," Ryuichi said with a nod. "I was pretty useless without her. I couldn't do anything without her before because I wasn't strong enough. But now, I'm starting to think that I might actually be stronger than I thought."

"Not after the way you tried making burgers with those prissy, princess arms," his father snarled.

"No, not that kind of strength." Ryuichi found himself pitying his father. "What I meant was that I'm strong enough to know when I'm wrong."

He slipped past his father to get back to cooking.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Toshio bellowed after him. "And what do you mean 'strong enough to know when you're wrong'? You're an idiot when you're wrong, and idiots are weak!"

"Not sure if I can agree with you there," Ryuichi replied coolly as he flipped some burger patties. "I am weak, and I am an idiot, but being wrong doesn't make you an idiot. This past year I've been wrong about a lot of things, but somehow, just acknowledging that I was wrong makes me feel like I've wised up a bit."

He set the weights down on the patties. Everyone had gone quiet as they watched father and son, one red-faced with a thick vein popping out on his forehead, the other as serene as a pond without ripples on a windy day.

Toshio snatched the spatula away from him. "I don't know what you're playing at, but all I see is an idiot," he snarled at him. "All those times Mitsuru-san said you were smart, I never saw a shred of that! You're an idiot! And she's an idiot for believing in you!"

Ryuichi felt his muscles tense up, the little hairs all over his body standing like needles prickling at his body. He took deep breathes to calm himself down so he wouldn't maul his father.

"You know what? I don't have to take this," he told his father, and removed his apron. "I quit, Dad. I don't want to work here anymore, I never wanted to in the first place, and I refuse to take over the restaurant."

He draped the apron on his stupefied father's shoulder and stepped around him. As he passed Shizue, she high-fived him.

"I'm not done with you yet!"

Toshio grabbed Ryuichi's left arm. He flinched, reaching for his wound as he pulled away. He checked his hand, horrified to see blood on his fingers.

Shizue grabbed his wrist. "What happened?" she demanded, looking from the blood on his hand to the stain forming on the dark fabric of his sleeve.

Ayumi hurried over. "What's going on?"

Shizue shook his wrist. "Did Dad do this to you?"

"No." He wrenched his arm away from his sister. "I got this last night."

Toshio trembled with rage. "You think I'd do this to your brother?"

Shizue shot him a nasty look. "I wouldn't be surprised," she spat.

His mother dragged him to the office to take care of his injury. Shizue and Toshio followed, their arguments flaring up again. Ryuichi tried to fend off his mother to keep her from taking off his blazer, but he feared he might hurt her. He managed to slip out of her grasp, but Shizue shut the office door, sealing him in. His family's furious shouts and frantic yells were amplified so many times in the enclosed space that their voices pierced into Ryuichi's skull.

Ayumi sat Ryuichi down and peeled off her son's blazer. The bloodstain on his white shirt sleeve glared back at them, making his mother pause to cover her mouth with her hand while Toshio's and Shizue's shouts grew louder.

His mother shook off the shock and tugged on his shirt. "Take this off!" she ordered over the others' arguments. She opened up the cabinets in search of the first aid kit while Ryuichi slowly undid the buttons on his vest and dress shirt. He shrugged out of both and tossed them onto the desk.

His only protection now was his bloodstained T-shirt. The short sleeves did little to cover up the scars on his arms. His mother's eyes widened when she saw the scars, and she reached over to lift his T-shirt to see the scars and bruises on his back and stomach. She yelled for the others to look while Ryuichi tried helplessly to cover up, but his mother kept yanking on his shirt to show his father and sister.

"—oh my gawd—"

"—who did this to you—"

"—how did you—"

They all started lifting his shirt. No matter how much he tried to swat their hands away, they kept trying to see his scars. Ryuichi was fed up.

"ENOUGH!" he boomed over them all. When they didn't stop, he pulled off his T-shirt and threw it in the corner to show them all the scars on his body. They all stared in silent horror at his ripped and torn body, at the white slits, the dips, the ragged tears, the bloody bandages on his arm, and the black and purple bruises that joined them.

"This is what it cost to keep your restaurant alive!" Ryuichi raged at his father. He turned to Shizue next. "This is why you have a roof over your head and a babysitter for Megumi!"

And to all of them, he said: "These are the sacrifices I made so you can all keep pretending that your livelihood isn't going to shit!"

Ryuichi glared right at his father, whose small utterance was silenced. "Dad, the restaurant's failing and Mom's been asking me to help cover the bills that _you_ can't afford," he snarled at him. "Your restaurant is failing because _you_ treat everyone like shit and it scares off the customers. Your friend lost his restaurant for tainted beef? Well, we're losing ours because you're always yelling at us about the smallest problems! Ever since Shizue came back, you've been treating her and everyone else like shit! Why? Because you can't get over a mistake she made years ago! Get over it!"

"Don't talk to your father that way!" Ayumi shouted at her son.

"Stop trying to protect him, Mom!" Ryuichi roared at her. "You're not helping him or the restaurant by hiding the truth from him! He needs to know that his restaurant's failing and that _he's_ the reason why!"

He turned to Shizue next. "And you—You're always complaining that I don't do anything for the restaurant, but you're always arguing with Dad in front of the customers and scaring them away! You're part of the problem!"

"So are you!" Shizue shot back. "You don't even try to do anything anymore! All you do is hide your head in your ass and let the place go down in flames! You're not trying to save it at all!"

Ryuichi trembled with fury. "What do you think I've been doing this past year?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe you secretly want the place to tank so you can get back to your cozy life in the dorm!"

She shook her head. "I can't believe Dad actually wants you to take over the restaurant someday. You don't even care about this place! Hell, you don't even care about anyone but yourself!"

"Oh, _I_ don't care about anyone?" Ryuichi stood with his shoulders hunched, staring his sister down. "You think I don't care about you just because I didn't listen to you for one freakin' night? If I didn't care, then tell me: _Who_ pays for Megumi's diapers? _Who_ pays for her babysitter? _Whose_ house are you living in for cheap just so you don't have to deal with Mom and Dad?"

Shizue balled her hands into fists. "Th-That's different," she murmured.

"'Different', huh?" Ryuichi let out an anguished chuckle of disbelief. "Unbelievable. I can't believe I gave up almost everything for this."

He threw his clothes back on. "I quit!" he told them all once again. "You three can figure out how to save the restaurant yourselves! You can drag each other down to hell for all I care, but don't drag me down with you!"

Ryuichi breathed hard, feeling light-headed like he was floating on his feet. His heart raced so fast he thought he might pass out, but he held it together long enough to shrug back into his blazer. He left his bloodied T-shirt on the floor.

"We were all better off when we were apart," he told them in a softer voice. "Mom, I get that you were trying to help Dad and Shizue, and I appreciate that, but you can't force us to be together if we're just going to destroy each other."

He watched as his mother's lip quivered. Tears traced lines down Ayumi's face. Seeing his mother cry hurt worse than tearing into his sister and father combined. He felt his own tears start to sting his eyes, wishing he could be struck dead right then as punishment for the tears he caused his mother.

"I'm sorry," Ryuichi told them all, especially to his mother. "But this hasn't worked all year. I can't pay for the restaurant anymore. I can't help."

"You mean you won't help," Toshio growled at him. "Fine! You wanna make your own life, go ahead! You're as selfish as your sister!"

"Oh, _I'm_ the selfish one?" Shizue sassed back. "Well clearly, we both got it from somewhere, and it ain't Mom!"

While they argued anew, Ryuichi walked out, snatching his helmet off the desk as he went. He saw the staff and all the customers staring at his scars through his open shirt as he went over to the kitchen.

"Good luck, you guys," he told the staff as he buttoned up his shirt. "I don't know what's gonna happen from here, but I wish you all the best."

None of them spoke. They all just stared at him with the same looks of wide-eyed awe. He couldn't blame them, as he was shaking himself, numbed by his own outburst but somehow also tingling all over.

Outside, he swung his leg over his motorcycle when his mother came running out to him.

"Ryuichi, wait!" she called to him. "Wait!"

He removed his helmet so he could see her better. "What is it, Mom?"

She was still trying to catch her breath. "What will you do now?" she asked, touching his arm. She didn't know how badly it stung right then. "What will _we_ do now?"

He shrugged. "No idea. I guess we'll all just have to figure it out one step at a time."

He started to put his helmet back on when she hugged him.

"I never knew," she uttered in his ear. "I'm sorry. All those times we just thought you were crashing your bike or getting into fights at school or—"

"Well, I'm not a bodyguard anymore, so you don't have to worry about any of that anymore," he muttered, hugging her back. "Mom, I'm really sorry, but I can't help someone who won't help himself. There's no point in any of us trying to save the restaurant if he doesn't—"

"I know," she sobbed. "I know. Having you around helped until your father—"

"Yeah. I'm sorry everything turned out like this."

He hugged her tighter. "I love you, Mom. Take care of yourself."

He quickly crammed his helmet back on his head to keep her from seeing the tears in his eyes. Ripping his family apart like that didn't feel good at all. All the accusations everyone said about him being selfish tore him apart inside, threatening to crush him with his own guilt for walking away. He cried as he rode away, barely able to see the road through his tears. He blinked fiercely to squeeze the tears out of his eyes, barely managing to clear his vision enough to see where he was going.

"I had to do it," he told himself. "For me."

Heat grew in his chest and enveloped him. In the back of his mind, he saw Ajax for several seconds before a new image replaced him with a muscular man in armor and a cape, wearing a sword on his belt and bearing the great horn, Gjallarhorn.

"Heimdall."

The name of his new Persona came to him naturally, like he had known it all along. Looking at Heimdall, he felt stronger, bolder, and more determined to start his life over fresh. He decided it best to start with finding work, heading home first to freshen up and change his bandages and clothes. He took his motorcycle back to Paulownia Mall, where he was certain he would find work with ease.

"Eshima-san, you still looking for someone to play in the evenings?" he asked her the moment he entered the cafe.

She blinked at him, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I quit my job," he said, grinning through his anguish. "So, you still need someone? I can also wait on tables, if you need me."

He returned home late that night after an evening of pounding out his frustrations on the keyboard, despite his injuries. His pockets were significantly heavier from his earnings, and not once did he have to wait on a table. While driving across Moonlight Bridge, he got to thinking about Mitsuru and her father, wanting to thank them both for helping him to finally value himself.

At home, he prepared for another night on patrol, not knowing what he would face out there. All he knew was that his Persona was stronger now, but he still had to use his other skills to protect himself. He wrapped up his injured arm in clean bandages, knowing he was being foolish for going out instead of resting, but he pushed the thought away as he dressed back up.

"I hope they're okay," he murmured to himself before heading out the door.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter 75**

It didn't take long for Ryuichi's sense of freedom to run cold and turn to dread. Just two days after he declared that he no longer wanted to work at the restaurant, he was ready to implode. His compunction for walking away repeatedly thrust a blade into his stomach, and all he could do was press a hand to the wound and continue his blind trek forward.

He questioned himself many times over if he was ready to stand on his own and forge his own life. Even though the answer he came up with was always and unwillingly a firm "No", it was too late for him to turn back now. He was suspended in the air with no one to pull him back to safety, and there was nothing he could see ahead to grasp onto to keep himself aloft.

Too often he would look back at the life he had before the start of the year. He had grown so much from the small, pitiful boy he used to be, where he finally had friends, tried out for a sport, and could actually attend school with a smile on his face. Within a single year, the life he built was torn away, brick by brick. He turned his back on everyone, including his family, and he was all that was left.

All he could do now was try to gather the pieces of his broken life and attempt to rebuild it. Since he quit the restaurant, he filled much of his empty days studying for his college entrance exams. He already missed the practice exams, but he still wanted to try to get into college anyway.

Getting into Kawaguchi University was one thing, but staying was going to be another struggle. The pay at Chagall Cafe was okay for now, but it wouldn't be enough to cover his college tuition. There were times when he was tempted to go into Tartarus to try to find money, remembering the times they found briefcases full of cash. He didn't dare to go alone, and he refused to let Ken and Koromaru go with him on his nightly patrols during the Dark Hour.

He would always start his patrol after work, so as not to get found out by Ken and Koromaru. He hid his Evoker in the fuzzy lining of his saxophone case so he wouldn't have to go back to the dorm right away. Whenever he returned to the dorm afterward, Koromaru would greet him by the door by barking loudly to alert Ken. Thankfully, Ken would be too sleepy to notice the odd way Ryuichi stood after getting kicked in the groin by an Elegant Mother, nor could he see the bruises and cuts he bore.

That Friday evening before work, Ryuichi cooked up a huge dinner to welcome back his dorm mates from the school trip. He knew that cooking for them was just his way of begging for their forgiveness for all the trouble he caused them, but at least they got a hot meal out of it. He didn't expect them to forgive him right away, but if he could apologize to them properly, that was all he could hope for. And then, hopefully, he could apologize to Mitsuru, too.

Cooking offered little distraction from his troublesome thoughts. Most of the food he prepared had a lot of waiting time, with the noodles boiling, the marinara sauce heating on the stove, the lasagna baking in the oven, breaded chicken breasts frying in a pan, and the salad already tossed several times. He washed all the cooking utensils and cleaned the kitchen, and now there was nothing more to do but wait for everything to finish cooking.

The waiting was killing him. With nothing more to do, his anxiety prickled at his skin and fried his nerves, charging him with unbridled energy he almost couldn't contain. He needed to keep himself busy, both to distract himself and to use up his energy before it consumed him.

He spotted the loaf of bread on the counter and got an idea. He smeared butter on some slices of bread, then sprinkled on some garlic salt, figuring he could add garlic bread to the menu. When the lasagna was finished baking, he took it out to cool on the counter. Just as he started to put the garlic bread into the oven, he spotted the breaded chicken breasts, realizing he was supposed to finish the chicken parmesan in the oven first. He banged his head on the refrigerator door in exasperation.

He glanced up at the clock for the time. The others were due to return any minute now, and he had work in less than an hour.

"They can finish cooking the stuff themselves," he muttered to himself, and turned off the oven. He left a bunch of little notes, telling them the food was ready and instructions for baking the bread and chicken parmesan, so they would be fresh when they ate. When everything was ready, he bounded up the stairs two at a time to the second floor.

"Hey, Ken-kun. Dinner's ready," he called through Ken's door. His heart raced as he grew impatient waiting for a reply.

"Thank you, Okazaki-san," Ken said without opening his door. "I'll wait until everyone gets here."

"Okay, cool." He started to leave.

"Are you going to work? Don't you want to eat with everyone?"

Ryuichi bounced anxiously on his toes. "I really can't skip out on work, but I'll see everyone tomorrow at school."

"Oh, okay. See you."

"Yeah. See you."

He dressed up in his charcoal gray suit and grabbed his fedora. He did a last check to make sure that his Evoker was safely hidden behind the fluffy lining of his saxophone case and headed out early. He hurried away from the dorm, just in case the others returned right then.

The Lost were steadily making themselves present around the city again. There were no big Shadows to defeat anymore, so there was no way to make the Lost all return to normal—at least none that they were aware of. He spotted one just outside the dorm, sitting on the cold asphalt hugging her knees.

Just a few buildings down, there was another one of the Lost who stood with his face pointed up at the sky. His shadow swayed with him as Ryuichi passed by. Ryuichi took note of his pale skin, his wide-open mouth, and how oddly filthy and bruised he was, as if he had been beaten in a back alley. He kept his head down as he passed by, walking briskly to the train station.

"You're here early," Eshima greeted Ryuichi when he arrived at the cafe.

He looked around to see every seat filled. "Yeah, well, I just thought—"

Her eyebrows raised at him. "Hey, are you okay? You look kinda beat. Everything all right?"

"Just got a lot on my mind," he replied with a single-shoulder shrug, when really his nerves were still shooting off like firecrackers. "Nothing I can't get through. Can I order the croissant sandwich this time?"

It was a hasty dinner of which he could only stomach half. He kept looking at the clock, wondering if the others were already home, worrying if they would eat the food he made or if they ignored it. What if they weren't in the mood for Italian? What if the lasagna was still cold in the middle? Were his instructions clear enough? Were they still pissed at him for not going on the trip? Would he be able to face them all tomorrow? What if they hated him?

On stage, he felt his chest tighten, his breath quicken, and his fear spike so sharply he was sure he was about to go insane. All Ryuichi could do was keep telling himself that he was just nervous, that it was all in his head, but his panic was obvious in his music, where sour notes were like bent nails sticking out to tear apart everyone's ears.

He finished the song somehow and excused himself to go wash his face. Hurrying off the stage, he shut himself in the washroom, where he stood panting hard while staring at his panicked reflection in the mirror.

What was wrong with him? Was he gonna die? Of course he was, now that he had abandoned his family, so what was he doing? If he had nothing and no one, he basically committed social suicide—

Someone knocked. "Ryuichi-kun, are you all right? Let me in."

"I-I'm fine!" he squeaked.

"You don't sound fine. Open up."

With shaky hands, he unlocked the door. Eshima put her hands on his shoulders to study him, examining the terror in his eyes and his shallow breaths. He was sure that he was fired and braced himself.

"Deep breath," she said calmly, and demonstrated for him to follow. She cracked a smile. "Well, your lungs are bigger than mine, so take as deep a breath as you can manage. Now, exhale."

She led him through the breathing exercises a few more times before instructing him to continue on his own. "I know you've had a lot on your mind, so I think you're having an anxiety attack," she said while he drew in another deep breath. "When I studied abroad in America, I roomed with a girl who had anxiety, so she told me a lot about it after I had my first attack. Turns out they're more vocal about it in the States than they are in Japan."

"A-Am I gonna be okay?" he uttered.

"You'll be fine. They just hurt for a little while. Usually, for me, it helps to just identify that it's anxiety or a panic attack, and I start to feel a little better afterward."

Ryuichi released another long breath. "So, I'm not going crazy? I'm not dying?"

"No. It just means that you're under a lot of stress right now."

She took him for a walk around the mall to help him calm down. After their first lap, Ryuichi started feeling a little better and told her in detail about what he had done just two days before. Eshima listened the whole way, giving him a chance to unload freely without adding more stress on him.

"If you ask me, I think you did the best possible thing for yourself," she finally said once he finished. "If they were sucking your soul out every time you saw them, then why stick around? You were right to say that there was no point in fighting to save your family's restaurant if your dad wasn't willing to change. That place is doomed, I'm sorry to say."

"What about Shizue?" he asked, his voice still a little shaky. "And Megumi? I can't afford to keep paying for a babysitter, and Shizue can't work unless—"

"She can always work something out with your parents," Eshima said to him. "If she truly cares about her baby, she'll do what she needs to and suck up her pride and do what it takes to make sure Megumi-chan's taken care of. And I'm sure your parents love their daughter and granddaughter too much to not help out."

"But—"

"Hey." Eshima stopped and faced him, staring hard into his somber face. "When you go away to college next year, your family is going to need to learn to cope without you. You're also going to need to learn to rely on yourself more, so it's normal to feel scared."

She smiled at him. "That being said, I'm really proud of you," she told him. "Two days ago, you took your first steps towards your future with your own two feet. No one told you what to do, no one pushed you, and honestly, I think your family really needed to hear all that from you. They were destroying themselves, Ryuichi-kun, and you may have helped them take their first steps in realizing that."

She took his fedora and placed it on her own head. The sudden brightness in his eyes made Ryuichi squint in pain.

"So, are you going to tell me how you got that scar?" she asked, her eyes fixing on the ragged line over his right eye.

He exhaled heavily. "I had an ashtray thrown at me."

"By your dad?"

"No. By someone else."

"Who?"

"The head of security at my old bodyguard job."

On the way back to the cafe, Eshima let him know a little more about panic and anxiety attacks, teaching him some breathing techniques to help him calm down. She told him he could always call her if he was having trouble managing an attack.

"How is it that you've only known me for a few years and you're more of a sister to me than Shizue?" he murmured when they were just outside of Chagall Cafe.

"Probably because I always wanted a little brother," she replied, beaming. "And a few years ago, the cutest middle school boy turned out to be just the little guy I would've loved to be a big sister to."

Ryuichi made a face. "I got the job because you thought I was cute?"

Her smile grew brighter, almost too blinding to look at. "Oh, that and because you actually had talent," she added.

"By the way, some of the patrons have been asking why you stopped playing in the afternoon," Eshima told him as Ryuichi hurried ahead to get the cafe door for her.

He frowned. "It was the little old lady in the front, wasn't it?"

"Yup!" She laughed. "She wants to introduce you to her granddaughter."

"No, thanks."

She laughed some more and handed him back his fedora. "So, you think you're good to play?"

He was feeling better, but all he wanted to do was hide in his room for the rest of the night.

"I guess," he said instead.

Ryuichi apologized to the customers for the inconvenience. It took him a few measures of the next song to get somewhat comfortable playing again. After a few more songs, he started to relax a bit, remembering to breathe deeply whenever his stress started to rattle him again.

After his shift, it was almost as if his anxiety had never happened. He felt the warmth return to his hands and feet, he could stand taller with renewed confidence, and even managed to smile. He couldn't understand how he had felt so afraid of something that didn't seem so frightening anymore. It felt like he had a nightmare that had terrified him in the past, but now that he looked back on it, he could only remember what happened but not why it gripped him so tightly before.

"Do you have any Danishes left?" Ryuichi asked Eshima once he was all packed up and ready to go.

"We have two if you're interested," she said, and served him the last two pastries.

He hung around for a little longer, not yet ready to go home. Everyone would be back at the dorm, and he didn't know if they were already asleep or waiting to yell at him for not going on the trip with them.

Around eleven o'clock, Ryuichi reluctantly left the cafe. He withdrew into his thoughts again—Pleasant thoughts this time. Eshima's kindness left him in disbelief that there were nice people out there, that people could talk without calling each other a whore or a self-centered fucktwat. He had expected her to yell at him or fire him for ducking out after only one song when his fears started getting out of his control.

But she didn't. She didn't call him selfish, or an idiot, or anything like that. Instead, she helped him.

He passed by a group of teenagers. Among them, a girl blew cigarette smoke directly into his face.

"What's with the hat?" she sneered at him.

Ryuichi walked past her, leaning away when one of her guy friends tried to snatch his fedora off his head.

"You're trying too hard wearing that thing!" someone called after him.

Each time Ryuichi finally had a chance to dive back into his thoughts, someone else would say something to him. A woman in flashy, skimpy clothes stroked his injured arm and latched on.

"I'm in debt," he said to her. She let go in an instant.

Barely a block away, another woman slinked up to Ryuichi. She batted her long eyelashes at him, swayed her hips, and had a sultry smile that made him cringe.

"Honey, you can't afford me," Ryuichi quipped. The furious look on her face told him that she was about to knee him in the nads. Thankfully, she just went back to her little street corner and found another man to put on her charms for.

It was when he was near the Port Island train station that he noticed three young men scurry over to Gekkoukan High. Curious, Ryuichi followed them, watching as they hopped the school gate. He gasped when he recognized Sakai.

"The hell are they doing?"

He reached into his pocket for his phone to check the time, but remembered that his father smashed it. Swearing, Ryuichi set his saxophone case down outside the gate to retrieve his Evoker. He had just a small knife to defend himself and little else, hoping that he could extract Sakai and his two friends before the Dark Hour struck. He left his hat with his saxophone, then hopped the gate and hurried across the courtyard.

He peered in through the glass doors of the school. The security guard was sprawled out on the floor in the foyer, his cap knocked off his head. His flashlight had rolled away from him, shining its bright light like a blade that stretched to the wall.

Footsteps. There was a hissing sound somewhere, the echoes in the empty halls keeping him from gauging where it was coming from. Ryuichi dragged the security guard outside, sucking on his teeth and grunting at the pain in his arm from the man's weight. Once the guard was away from the school building, Ryuichi hurried back inside and snatched the flashlight from the floor. He checked the faculty hallway first, seeing no one.

"Get that one, too!" a low voice snarled from somewhere.

Ryuichi kept light on his feet as he crept over to the club room hallway. He saw Sakai's gorilla-like friend, Ryota, spray painting the walls and doors with a strange symbol. Ryuichi turned off the flashlight, snuck up behind him, and struck him on the back of the head with the flashlight's heavy handle.

He went down without a problem. Ryuichi hoisted him onto his shoulders and carried him outside, leaving him next to the unconscious security guard.

Back inside the school, he returned to the hallway where he found Ryota before. All around him, he heard heavy footsteps and spray cans hissing, the echoes making it sound like there were more than two of them running around. As far as he could tell, they were definitely inside the main building.

He headed upstairs. The windows, walls, floors, and doors were all tagged with the same symbol that Ryota had made, some in red, some black. Ryuichi kept the flashlight off as he continued down the hall slowly, listening for anyone who might be in the classrooms or bathrooms. As he passed the Student Council Room, the door opened.

Ryuichi shone the light into the room. The guy inside flinched, raising a hand over his eyes as he swore. He threw his spray can. Ryuichi ducked and threw an uppercut. The guy fell, his head narrowly missed a chair when he hit the floor.

"Sorry," Ryuichi said, kneeling to check who it was. It was the weasel friend, Satoshi, with blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

He hoisted Satoshi over his shoulder and started to carry him back downstairs. He made it to the stairwell when the flashlight died. Swearing, Ryuichi knocked it against his leg, trying to get the light to come back on when he noticed that the floor was now a familiar garish gold. Looking around, he saw that he was inside Tartarus in the Tziah Block, surrounded by gold walls, ceilings, and floors.

"Uh, oh."

A snarl further down the hall made Ryuichi sneak away with Satoshi in tow. When he found an empty room, he set the unconscious teen down.

"He didn't transmogrify?" he asked himself. "Weird."

That was when he saw the black goo oozing out from every orifice in Satoshi's face. His face was set wide with terror, his mouth and eyes agape, but no sound came out of him. The sludge just kept spilling out of his mouth, his nostrils, his ears, and his eyes, and dribbled into his hair and onto his chest.

"Ryuichi-senpai?"

Ryuichi jumped but found immediate relief when he recognized the voice in his head.

"Fuuka?"

"Senpai, what are you doing in there?"

"I chased some guys into the school," he said, his stomach still flipping over as he stared at Satoshi's face. "I have one here, but I can't find the last one."

"I've alerted the others. We're on our way, so just try to find the exit for now."

"Sakai's somewhere and I can't leave without finding him first. I have one of his friends here, but he's, uh—"

He shuddered at Satoshi's grotesque face. "He didn't transmogrify, but he's not exactly conscious, either. I think he just turned into one of the Lost."

A low growl made him shut up. He picked up Satoshi again and threw him over his shoulder, took up his Evoker, and held the dead flashlight in his free hand to use as a club.

"Senpai, are you still there?"

"Hang on," he grunted, peering out into the hall. "Can you find a warp point for me?"

"I'm searching now, but—"

Ryuichi snuck back into the hall. He avoided the Shadows, kept his distance, hid from them, all while lugging Satoshi around. Those he couldn't avoid, he sent Heimdall to distract them while he fled. Any attacks on his Persona staggered Ryuichi, but he never dropped Satoshi.

"Yes!" he exclaimed softly when he found a warp point. He set Satoshi down on top of it, and in the next moment, the incapacitated young man had disappeared.

He heard a low growl behind him. He turned around slowly, rotating on the balls of his feet to see a Minotaur who stood hunched in the hallway. The Shadow reared up so his horns scraped the ceiling while his broad shoulders filled in the corners.

"Senpai, we're on our way, so just get out of there!"

"I can't," he told Fuuka again. "Sakai's still in here somewhere."

Fuuka said something, but the sound of glass shattering and Heimdall ripping the Shadow apart with Garudyne drowned her out. Ryuichi bolted, leaping over outstretched legs of Regal Mothers, sliding under the bladed hoops of Flowing Sands, and almost getting crushed by Order Giants. He peeked into rooms, holding up the flashlight when a few dead clicks made him remember that electronics didn't work during the Dark Hour. He ran into the room, checking for Sakai or a black coffin, finding neither.

Ryuichi yelled when something sliced him above his knee. Stumbling, he sent Heimdall to attack whatever it was, hearing metal grind metal before a stinging pain on his stomach made him stagger. There was no wound, but it hurt enough to slow him down.

"Senpai, you're on floor one hundred and fifty-two," Fuuka told him.

"Can you find Sakai for me?" he asked her, pulling the trigger once more. Wind howled behind him as he ran off.

"Give me one moment."

Ice struck him square in the chest. His feet shot out from under him before he fell flat on his back. He fired another shot, then another, then scrambled to his feet and ran.

"He's two floors above you!"

"Thank you!"

He rubbed the cold out of his chest. "Dammit, that thing froze my nipples off," he snarled. He heard a tiny snort in his head.

Ryuichi ducked into an empty room to catch his breath. He held up his left arm with his right to lessen the dull ache there. For the cut over his knee, he tied his handkerchief over it to staunch the bleeding. Once he took care of anything that bled, he checked his pockets for Snuff Souls, finding just five. He unwrapped two and rapidly scarfed down the buttery caramels before continuing on.

He found the stairs. The next staircase up was mercifully close by.

"Sakai!" Ryuichi shouted as he raced down the hall. "Sakai!"

Agonizing cold smashed him from the right, throwing him against the wall. "The hell is with all this ice?" he raged, firing three rounds as he ran off again.

Up ahead, a samurai Shadow turned around, preparing to draw its katana from its scabbard. When Ryuichi was close enough, the Shadow stepped forward and slashed at him. At the last second, Ryuichi slid feet-first through the Shadow's wide stance. He grabbed its ankle and pulled hard as he passed, felling the samurai. A second later, Ryuichi popped back up and fled. He cast Garudyne to blast it away from him.

"Senpai, head left! He's at the end of that hall! Hurry!"

Ryuichi ditched the flashlight and reached for the Traesto Gem in his pocket. He saw another Minotaur bearing down on what looked like a coffin in the corner. Ryuichi dove under the Shadow and slid across ground, his hand outstretched towards the transmogrified Sakai. The moment his fingertips touched the glossy coffin, he activated the emerald stone in his hand. It shattered, and in the next instant, he was back in Tartarus' lobby.

"Yeeees!" He laughed, triumphant in his escape. Satoshi's gunk-covered self lay on his other side, stark and unblinking while Sakai's coffin stood in front of his outstretched hand.

"Senpai!" Fuuka cried in his head. "You did it!"

"I sure did!" he whooped. "You're almost here, right?"

"Almost. We had a small mishap with Junpei-kun almost falling on the monorail tracks, so Akihiko-senpai and Minato-kun are helping him right now."

Ryuichi let out an elated guffaw. "It _would_ be Junpei, wouldn't it? All right, I'll see you in a bit! Stay safe!"

"You, too!"

Ryuichi got up and felt his knee buckle. Sucking on his teeth, he checked the cut over his knee to see his pants leg drenched in blood. As he tightened his handkerchief over the wound, he began to hum a cheery tune to celebrate his victory.

He turned to Sakai's coffin and Satoshi's tarred face. "Man, you guys don't even know how lucky you are, do you?" he asked them, grinning. "That's okay. At least you didn't get eaten by Shadows!"

He was in too good a mood from his success to be mad at his old bullies. Satoshi was easy to pick up, but he had to hobble around on his bad leg to get to the gate. He set him down by the transmogrified pair outside, glad to see that neither had been sucked into Tartarus when the Dark Hour struck. Staring at the trio, Ryuichi took out his Evoker and had Heimdall carry them over to the outside of the gate.

"Okay, now for Sakai."

Ryuichi had Heimdall carry Sakai's coffin for him. The two marched across the schoolyard, Ryuichi still humming with glee and doing little jigs that his injured leg allowed him to do on the way to the gate. Both Ryuichi and his Persona climbed over the gate, where Heimdall laid down the coffin next to the others.

"Good work, buddy!" Ryuichi told his Persona before Heimdall faded off.

With a pained grunt, Ryuichi knelt down by Satoshi to examine him beneath the moonlight. The gruesome sight of his goopy face both intrigued and disturbed him, fearing whether or not he had died or if he had truly witnessed someone becoming one of the Lost.

"Senpai, behind you!"

He reached for his Evoker and turned— _Bang._ Pain ripped through his left side. He collapsed in shock over Sakai's coffin, his mind numb and stare blank as he felt his very life leak out of his body, trickling hotly down his stomach and back.

"Wh-Why...?" The word fell out him, heavy with regret.

The ground trembled as something massive lumbered towards him. He caught a glimpse of the rotund police Shadow who had eluded him just days before. It waddled up to him, his gun smoking in his pudgy hand.

He heard glass shatter. Ice exploded onto his assailant, spraying Ryuichi with frost. The Shadow uttered a low moan as it toppled over, the ground shuddering when it fell. It lay still for a moment, then dissipated into black smoke.

A familiar series of rapid clicks drew near. He knew them all too well as his savior rushed to his side.

"You're going to be fine!" a desperate voice reassured him as a firm hand touched his shoulder. "Just stay with me!"

His eyes were open, but his sight quickly faded. Something pressed against his wounded side, squeezing a groan out of him.

"Yamagishi, tell everyone to come to Tartarus immediately!" the commanding voice ordered. "We're getting you help, so just stay with me! Don't you dare die on me, Ryuichi!"

His Evoker slipped from his hand and hit the asphalt with a soft _clink_. He closed his eyes, and the cold and the pain faded away. The only thing that permeated the darkness was the voice that frantically continued to shout his name.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 76**

Somewhere beyond the darkness, Ryuichi could hear voices. They came in passing, like riding a car with the window open and catching bits of conversations, except they all seemed to be talking about him. There was one particular voice he recognized when it rang out above the others, enraged and not holding back on swears. It was a voice he didn't want to hear right then.

Ryuichi's eyes fluttered open to see a dark, unfamiliar room. As his vision slid into focus, he slowly came to see that he was in the hospital. On his left, a machine beeped softly in a constant, steady rhythm.

"—That's my son in there! What do you mean we can't see him?"

The voices came from just outside the room. Ryuichi wanted to cover his face with his blanket, but his arms refused to move. He felt strangely weak, losing the battle to keep his eyes open.

"Please, let us see him," he barely heard his mother say, almost drowned out by Megumi's screams.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. You can come back again during visiting hours."

"My son was just shot, you bastard! I only got to see him for one second—"

"—Because you started yelling death threats, Dad." Ryuichi could picture his sister rolling her eyes.

"Is our son all right?" Ayumi asked in quiet desperation. "Just tell me if he's all right."

"He's lost a lot of blood, but his wounds aren't severe. He'll make a full recovery."

Ryuichi slid his weary gaze to the right side of his bed where he saw Mitsuru on her feet, alert and rigid as she stood facing the door. Her hands were down at her sides, balled into fists. He couldn't see her face, but he felt a chill emanating from her.

"Please, just go home for now and get some rest," the authoritative male voice said. "You can come back and see him when visiting hours open at ten o'clock."

"But, that's when the restaurant—"

"I'll be here," Toshio said. "And, I'm sorry for earlier."

"It can't be helped. If it were my child that got shot, I would've reacted the same way."

Mitsuru stashed something under Ryuichi's blanket and left the room. "Please, wait," she called down the hall.

"Oh, Mitsuru-san!"

"Mitsuru-san! Is Ryuichi—Is he—?"

Mitsuru closed the door to Ryuichi's room. "May I have a word with all of you?" she asked.

Ryuichi's fingers brushed the cold steel of an Evoker. He wasn't sure if it was Mitsuru's or his, but he left it for her to find later. When the voices outside faded away, so did his consciousness.

He awoke later to dull pain manifesting prodigiously in his side, his arm, and above his knee. At first he thought it was part of his dream and forced himself to wake up to dispel the pain. He opened his eyes, seeing the frosty blue view outside his window, but the pain gradually worsened even after waking up. He squeezed his eyes shut as he writhed in bed, groaning when it hurt more than he could bear.

Rapid footsteps clicked away from the bed, followed by the door sliding open. Within seconds, there were voices speaking above him, and one of them asked him about the severity of his pain. He gave his answer, and moments later the pain subsided. Ryuichi uttered his feeble thanks before passing out again.

Sometime later, he awoke to see the room filled with sunlight. Without looking, he could tell that it was Mitsuru who was humming softly on his right while turning a page in her book. Her voice was simple with the occasional, unintentional scoops one does when they don't hit a note quite right. Ryuichi found it soothing and sincere, almost falling back asleep to the familiar tune when the door opened.

"Ojou-sama, the car is outside," he heard Kikuno say.

The humming stopped. "That was fast."

He heard things getting gathered up and heels clicked across the floor. "Oh. Kikuno, would you—"

"I've already prepared some clothes and some things to keep him entertained."

A pause. "Thank you."

Ryuichi sensed hesitation as Mitsuru took a labored step towards the door. When the door finally closed, he opened his eyes.

"Ah, so you _were_ awake."

"If you knew I was awake, why didn't you say anything?" he mumbled with a dry mouth.

Kikuno smiled as she pulled the blanket up under his chin. "If I did, Ojou-sama wouldn't have left for school. She would have been too concerned for you."

He gasped in pain when his side twinged from taking too deep a breath. "Concerned, huh?"

"She was so worried about you that she stayed here the whole night."

He gasped again, wincing. "She what?"

"That's right." The maid went to the window to pull the left curtain closed, protecting Ryuichi from direct sunlight. "You should feel honored. She used the authority of the Kirijo Group to bypass the visitation rules."

His face soured. "She didn't have to do that," he muttered.

He remembered the Evoker Mitsuru left under his covers and felt around for it. It was gone.

"Hey, um, do you happen to know if Sakai and his friends are okay?" he asked Kikuno as he settled back down.

"Sakai-san is fine, and according to the others, he ran off the moment the Dark Hour ended," Kikuno told him as she returned to his bedside. "The muscular one complained of a headache, but is otherwise safe. The other one, I'm sorry to say, has succumbed to Apathy Syndrome."

He shuddered when he remembered Satoshi's face oozing the tar-like substance. The grotesque image made him want to claw at his own face, as if he could feel the gunk on himself. He pitied the guy, even if he helped Sakai torment him for years.

The doctor came in shortly after, smiling and asking how he was while they adjusted Ryuichi's bed so he could sit up. He examined Ryuichi, asking him questions about his injuries, what hurt and what didn't, but didn't bother to ask him how he got them. While a nurse changed his bandages, the doctor advised Ryuichi to not exert himself for at least four weeks. He was given a sling to wear to help ease the pain in his arm and side, which he wasn't too happy about. When the nurse removed the old bandages from his leg, he grimaced when he saw the ugly blue stitches holding the gash above his knee together.

"You were lucky, Okazaki-san," the doctor said to him as the nurse cleaned the wound. "The bullet didn't hit anything vital, but you lost a lot of blood."

Another nurse brought Ryuichi's breakfast while the doctor explained that the bullet had pierced all the way through him, completely missing his ribs and organs altogether. As he listened, Ryuichi gradually became more distracted by the Westernized meal set before him: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, and pancakes, along with three glasses of orange juice, milk, and water. The flatware was made of fine metal that looked to be brand new without a single scratch on any of them. It looked to him like Mitsuru had meticulously selected his meal for him, but the maids were the ones who chose the cloth napkin with the floral embroidery.

With his left arm in a sling, Ryuichi could only feed himself using his fork in his right hand. Kikuno helped him cut his pancakes into smaller pieces, even though they were soft enough for him to cut himself.

"Can I go home after this?" Ryuichi asked the doctor before taking his first bite of breakfast.

The middle-aged man eyed Ryuichi, and he thought he saw a glint of apology in his weary eyes.

"I'd prefer that you remained here for observation for a few more hours," the doctor replied.

"It's also traffic right now," Kikuno chimed in. "It would be unfortunate if the morphine wore off before we could get your prescription filled for your pain medication."

Somehow, it felt to Ryuichi like they were trying to come up with all sorts of reasons to prevent him from going home.

"Also, your family will be arriving at ten o'clock," Kikuno added. "They would be heartbroken if they arrived to find you had already gone home."

"That's what I thought," he moaned. His bite of crispy bacon did little to ease his anxieties of seeing his family again.

Ryuichi's family arrived promptly at ten, just as Kikuno said they would. Fear froze his insides and anxiety shoved a spike between his shoulder blades as he managed a painful smile for them. His mother swooped in and enveloped him in a big, careful hug. Shizue came up next, hugging him with one arm while being mindful of baby Megumi riding in the harness she wore over her chest. When Toshio had his turn, he crushed his son in his arms, making Ryuichi cry out in pain.

"What were you doing out there so late?" Toshio demanded in a cracking voice.

"Dad! Give him a break!" Shizue managed to pry their father off of Ryuichi and put a protective arm around her brother. "Don't give them another reason to kick us out again!"

Ayumi stroked her husband's arm as he gave a woeful nod. "You're right," Toshio murmured. "I'm sorry."

Ryuichi never thought he would ever hear his father apologize to his sister, or to anyone, for that matter. But now, he felt like he was the one who owed everyone an apology. His sister, who he tore apart just a few days ago, was now defending him. Their parents were actually happy to see him alive and were making an effort to not be ejected from the hospital. Seeing his family so mindful of him drove serrated knives deeper into his belly.

Kikuno set out a tea set and smiled at them all. "Would you all care for some tea?" she offered.

The small gesture helped his family calm down enough to ask him what happened and how he ended up getting shot. He told them that he had been working as the musical act at Chagall Cafe and was on his way home when he saw Sakai and his two friends sneak into the school.

"Was he the one who shot you?" Ayumi asked darkly.

"No," Ryuichi said, thinking fast. "I didn't get to see who shot me."

"Then what were you doing going in after them?"

Ryuichi took a breath, hoping to stall long enough to make something up. "I was going to alert the security guard about them sneaking in. When I saw that they knocked him out, I went after them."

"Stupid move," Toshio hissed, and his wife elbowed him to get him to stop before he could say more.

"They tried to fight me, but I knocked them out," Ryuichi continued. "They were all unconscious at the time, so none of them could've shot me. I got everyone out of the school and got shot just outside the school gate."

"Didn't you notice someone coming up to you?" asked Shizue. "At least, did you get a good look at who shot you?"

"I had my back to them, so I didn't see who it was." He pictured the morbidly obese policeman Shadow laughing at him. "I started to turn around, and that's when I got shot."

"It sounds like you were lucky, turning just then," Ayumi pointed out. "If you hadn't, you could've been killed."

Next to Ryuichi, Megumi kept reaching for him, but Shizue kept pulling her hands away. "Sorry. She just really misses her Uncle Ryu," she said. "Sorry, Megs, but Uncle Ryu can't play right now. He doesn't feel so good."

"Sorry, Megs," Ryuichi apologized to his niece, but gave her his finger to hold on to.

Toshio kept rubbing the stubble on his jaw. "Sakai, huh? Wasn't that the name of that punk kid who kept bullying you?"

"Yeah. That was him." Ryuichi started to question why he even tried to stop the guy.

"I remember back in your first year of high school, Mitsuru-san uncovered that bit of corruption going on at your school," Ayumi said slowly, recalling the event. "Was that the same Sakai whose father paid off some of the teachers to let him and his friends do whatever they wanted?"

Shizue's head whipped between her brother and their parents. "You never told me about that!"

Their parents shushed her when she raised her voice.

"Hey, um, is the restaurant okay without you guys?" Ryuichi asked them in a meek voice.

Ayumi checked her phone. "He's right, dear," she said, showing Toshio the time.

"I'm not trying to chase you guys away or anything," Ryuichi said, fearing that was what they might be thinking. "I just—I'm pretty much okay, so you don't have to worry about me. It was really nice of you all to come."

"Of course we'd come!" Ayumi blasted at him, clearly offended. "When Mitsuru-san called us and said you'd been shot, we feared the worst!"

It was Ayumi's turn to be shushed. As she murmured her apologies, Toshio put an arm around his wife, hugging her.

"We were all scared, Ryuichi," his father told him. " We thought you'd become another victim of whoever's been committing those murders. You've heard of those, haven't you? Someone's been shooting people late at night."

"Isn't that what happened to your friend?" Shizue asked. "He was shot late at night, too, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Ryuichi murmured, remembering Shinjiro.

Ayumi gave her empty teacup back to Kikuno, thanking her. "Perhaps we should close the restaurant earlier from now on," she suggested to her husband. "I don't feel safe having you come home so late, especially alone."

She looked to Ryuichi next. "Do you think you could ask your boss if you could take an earlier shift? I'm sure he or she will understand, especially since—"

She stared at the bandages that poked out from under his hospital gown.

"Yeah." Ryuichi found himself agreeing with her. "Though, I have to call her and let her know I won't be able to come in for a few weeks."

The obvious question he expected his family to ask was whether or not he would return to work at the restaurant. Ryuichi braced himself for it, determined to let them down as nicely as possible. He waited for someone else to bring it up first, expecting another argument to erupt between them.

The question never came. It was probably still a sensitive subject for all of them. Or perhaps, his family didn't want to risk getting kicked out again if his answer wasn't favorable. He watched his father as he sat with his arms crossed stiffly over his chest, squeezing himself as if to contain all the words he wanted to say that threatened to burst out. His mother took hold of Ryuichi's hand, gently stroking it as they all chatted.

Ryuichi appreciated that they were trying their hardest to be nice and not stress himself out after almost getting killed. He was also grateful that they didn't ask about how he got all his scars, probably too afraid to hear that he was targeted by yakuza, or in trouble with the government, or whatever other story he could come up with. But oh, if only they knew the truth about Shadows and the many close calls he had over the years...

His family didn't stick around for too long, as they still had work to do, but it was clear that none of them were happy about having to leave him. Kikuno reassured them many times that she was going to take care of Ryuichi and took a moment to introduce herself as Mitsuru's maid. The mention of Mitsuru's name seemed to offer them some relief while guilt poked at Ryuichi.

They all shared another round of hugs before departing for work. Ryuichi took advantage of the morphine and took a deep, cleansing breath to release slowly without any pain.

"Can I go home now?" he asked Kikuno, putting on his sad puppy eyes.

With permission from the doctor, Kikuno helped Ryuichi change into a dark blue suit with a light blue dress shirt—Which was another gift from Mitsuru. Kikuno left his collar open and spared him the discomfort of a tie. With his arm in a sling, Kikuno just covered his shoulders with the jacket.

"Did you already call Mitsuru to let her know we're going back to the dorm?" he asked her. "She might come here looking for us."

"She's not coming here after school," she told him. "She has some business to attend to and will be out until late tonight."

"Oh, okay." He was both relieved and disappointed to hear that.

A nurse brought in a wheelchair to take Ryuichi to the front. When he saw the black car outside, Ryuichi looked up at Kikuno in horror.

"A Kirijo car?" He began to sweat profusely. "If they find out you're letting me use their stuff—"

"They won't be able to say anything because Ojou-sama was the one who issued the car," Kikuno seemed all too happy to say.

Ryuichi could only sigh. After everything that Mitsuru had done for him in just the past few hours, he wasn't sure what to think anymore. She was showering him with more kindness than he deserved, especially considering that he was partially responsible for her father's death. As much as he still wanted to be friends with her again, he feared that such a desire was nothing more than insulting both to her and to the late Takeharu Kirijo.

The first thing they did on the way home was stop by the local pharmacy to fill his prescription for his pain medication. Afterward, they arrived at the dorm shortly after noon. Another maid was already at the dorm, having brought lunch for Ryuichi from the Kirijo chefs. They seemed to take into consideration his lack of a second hand to eat with, as the main dish was a hearty stew with hunks of tender beef, potatoes, carrots, and a rich, thick sauce that Ryuichi could pour over rice and eat as a second meal by itself. All he needed was a spoon.

"This is all too much," Ryuichi said to Kikuno. "Why is Mitsuru doing all this for me?"

Kikuno only smiled. "Just enjoy it," was all she said, and disappeared into his room for a few minutes before returning to the dining room.

He was torn between not eating it out of guilt and eating it to show respect and appreciation—also out of guilt. He ate it, tasting food that had the quality of a five-star meal but the familiarity and warmth of home cooking, yet it was hard to enjoy. With every bite he took, he could feel the harsh judgment of everyone in the Kirijo Group for indulging himself after failing to protect Takeharu.

Having Kikuno and the other maid attend to his needs made things even worse for him. It was like he was exalted to the same status as Mitsuru, having someone serve him, do as he asked without question, and there were no consequences. When he finished his meal, Kikuno and the other maid whisked the dirty dishes off to the kitchen to wash before he could even finish chewing through his final bite.

"Just go rest in your room for now," Kikuno told him.

He knew he had no choice but to obey. "Thank you for the meal," he said, rising from his seat to bow.

As he reached his room, he remembered that he still had to call Eshima to let her know he couldn't come in to work. He was still reluctant to give up his job for a month, or however long it would take until his injuries were healed. But then, he recalled the bottle of painkillers that they had just gotten and figured that it would be enough to give him free use of his arm without any pain. All he was doing was playing piano, after all, and that had nothing to do with heavy lifting. Using the phone at the front desk, he called to let her know that he would have to take a few days off of work.

"—And I can't work nights anymore," he said apologetically, keeping his voice low.

"So, you can't come in for a few days and you want to work afternoons again?"

He hung his head. "Sorry. I know I'm asking a lot, but—"

"You still haven't told me why exactly you're missing work," Eshima pointed out. "Did something happen?"

He stared down at his arm in its sling. "Well, the thing is, last night I was on my way home and got shot—"

"Shot? As in, gunshot?" Her voice was so shrill he held the receiver away from his head. "Are you serious? Are you okay? How did you—"

"I'm fine," he replied, smiling bashfully now. "The bullet missed all the important stuff, so I just need to rest up for a couple of days. I can be back on the piano on Monday."

"That's way too soon! It sounds like you should be missing at least a month!"

"I'm fine. Really," he insisted. He glanced over to Kikuno and the other maid, both watching him carefully from the kitchen as they finished washing and drying the dishes. "Like I said, the bullet didn't hit anything vital, so for the most part, I'm okay. But, yeah, sorry I've been so demanding lately—"

"No, no, no! Not at all! Safety first, right?"

She let out a concerned sigh. "Why is it that every time you start working for us, you get stabbed or shot afterward?" he heard her mutter under her breath. "We really are cursed..."

She agreed to letting him go back to performing in the afternoons, but she made him take Monday off, too, so that he had more time to recover. Eshima then shifted into big sister mode and began scolding him for being out so late. When he told her about Sakai and his buddies, she raised her voice at him for not going to the police first. Before he could even apologize, she slammed the receiver down on her end to terminate their call and let him rest.

With help from Kikuno, Ryuichi changed out of his suit and into striped pajama bottoms, a white T-shirt, and a navy hoodie. As she tucked him into bed, Ryuichi noticed that she had already turned on the air conditioner to warm up his tomb-cold room, filled his humidifier with water, and had both his TV and air conditioner remote controls nearby for his convenience. She offered to help him put his sling back on, but he declined, wanting to let his arm have some freedom for a little while longer. She left his sling on his desk next to some bottles of water and his pain medication. When he was settled, she headed upstairs to clean Mitsuru's room.

Ryuichi didn't bother to turn on his TV. For the moment, he just wanted to shut off his thoughts and breathe again. So much had happened in the past few weeks that his brain felt fried beyond recognition, and silence was the only way he could even begin to process everything. It was when he started to fall asleep that he heard the others return from their half day at school.

"—just thinking that maybe we could do something nice for when he comes home from the hospital," he heard Yukari say.

"We could bake him a cake," suggested Fuuka.

"Uh, bake? You trust our skills that much?"

"Oh. Right."

Their conversation continued just outside Ryuichi's door. As they got around to the idea that they should do something for him other than cook, the front door opened again.

"—there would've been leftovers if _you_ hadn't eaten everything last night," he heard Junpei complain. "That was a lot of food!"

"It was tasty," came Minato's flat voice.

"I know, dammit! You could've at least saved some—"

Junpei's voice cut off. Silence fell, and without even seeing it, Ryuichi could feel the tension building in the next room.

"Uh, h-hey there," Junpei said uneasily, sounding as if he had just stumbled upon a field of landmines.

Another pause, then an indignant "Hmph!" and nothing much else. It seemed that everyone went straight to their rooms afterward.

Later that afternoon when he heard the others talking in the lounge again, Ryuichi considered joining them. He didn't want to worry them anymore, though he hoped that they had moved past the fact that he had caused them so much trouble in the past few weeks. Sighing, he struggled to get his sling on before heading out into the lounge.

"Hey! There he is!"

"Senpai!"

"You're okay!"

"Woof!"

Their greetings made him feel like a soldier having returned from war, except he didn't feel like he deserved such a warm welcome.

"Where were you Tuesday morning?" Akihiko asked him. "And how come you haven't been answering your phone?"

"Hey, yeah," Yukari piped up. "Why didn't you go? I could've given you the grand tour."

He figured it best to just be honest. "I didn't wanna go," he said, taking a seat on the couch next to Fuuka. "I wasn't really up for it. And about my phone: Dad smashed it when I checked my email during my shift."

"You still blame yourself for Mitsuru-senpai's father's death, don't you?" asked Fuuka.

"That wasn't your fault," Minato said firmly.

"Quit beating yourself up for something you didn't do!" Ken scolded him.

Ryuichi raked his fingers through his hair. "Look, I get that I didn't pull the trigger," he told them all. "But, imagine that you had the opportunity to do something to change that outcome. Imagine that all you had to do was act, but you didn't. That's basically what the Board of Directors said, and they're right—I had so many chances to do something, but I just stood there and watched."

"Then I, too, am at fault," Aigis said, surprising everyone. "Though my programming was altered, I still aided Ikutsuki-san in capturing all of you."

"We don't blame you either, Aigis," Yukari said to her. "Like you said, Ikutsuki-san did something to you, so that's not your fault."

Junpei shrugged. "Anyway, enough about all that. I got you something from Kyoto, so lemme get it really quick."

Just about everyone went upstairs and came back with souvenirs they got from the school trip. Candies with monkey faces, candies shaped like flowers, and matcha tea sweets were dumped into Ryuichi's lap. Fuuka presented him with a hand-painted rice bowl and a pair of personalized chopsticks to match. Aigis gave him a small, wooden ema made in the shape of the famous red torii gates.

"Wow. Thanks, guys," Ryuichi said as he marveled at the gifts.

"And thank you for dinner last night," Fuuka added, smiling.

Junpei shot a nasty look at Minato. "Yeah. It was so good that _somebody_ ate enough for a frigging family of sumo wrestlers!" he sneered. Minato just shrugged in response.

Ryuichi opened one of the monkey candies first and offered some to everyone. "So, anything interesting happen on the trip?" he asked, curious about what he missed.

Their faces fell. Aigis' expression was as blank as ever while Fuuka sat quietly, shifting her wary gaze to the boys every so often. Yukari glowered at the guys, and Ryuichi noticed that Akihiko, Junpei, and Minato all shivered at the same time, rubbing their arms as though the room's temperature had plummeted without warning. Clearly, he missed out on something big, but he wasn't sure if that was necessarily a bad thing.

That evening, Ryuichi retreated to his room to take a painkiller for the growing pains in his arm, side, and leg. His body began to constrict with agony halfway through dinner, and when everyone kept asking if he was all right, he just smiled and waved them off while trying to not shake from the pain. With quaking hands, he pried open the little medicine bottle and shook a pill out. The medicine worked within a minute, his muscles going slack as the pain faded away. Sweating and panting hard, he collapsed onto his bed and passed out with relief.

The next day, Ryuichi and Kikuno were the only ones in the dorm again. Everyone had gone out for the day, busy enjoying their lives while Ryuichi was still trying to figure out his.

"And it looks so nice out today, too," he groaned when he peered out the window.

The sunny day looked so inviting, warm and comfortable, though he could feel a draft blowing the autumn chill into his room. He was all bundled up in layers to keep warm, with sweat pants, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a hoodie, a beanie, and his hood to top everything off. His heater was still on, along with his humidifier to combat the dry heat that pumped into his room. After another disappointed sigh, he went back to bed, and Kikuno helped swaddle him in his thick blankets. As comfortable as it was, he felt like a prisoner in his own room.

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi-san," Kikuno said on her way out with his dirty laundry. "You know what the doctor said."

He did, and he hated it.

When Kikuno left, he got out of bed and sat down at his keyboard to see how well he could play despite his injury. It didn't hurt when he moved his arm around, but that was with the slow songs and a painkiller. He wasn't about to try the fast ones, as he was already pushing himself beyond what he was allowed to do.

"Okay, so if I take my meds, I should be fine for Tuesday," he told himself, satisfied with his discovery.

He played for a little while before getting too worried that he was worsening his injuries. For the rest of the day, he played video games while combating another mild anxiety attack from his lack of productivity. He kept telling himself that resting and taking time to recover was necessary, that he wasn't slacking off at all. When he looked at the clock, all he saw were the wasted hours he spent messing around in his video games, even if they helped him get his mind off of his worries every now and then.

Mitsuru was out all day again. Ryuichi missed her, of course, wondering how things were as the new head of the Kirijo Group, but he also feared when he would have to face her again.

That night, he lay in bed listening to some of the accompaniments he recorded on his mp3 player. He practiced the fingerings for his saxophone on his stomach, imagining the melody in his mind when he heard his door open. He feigned sleep as someone stepped inside his room. His visitor hovered over his bed, then carefully removed his headphones and took his mp3 player from him, setting both down on his desk. Ryuichi stiffened when he felt his visitor stare right at him.

"You should get some rest," Kikuno said quietly, but her voice was farther away, by the door.

The visitor left his side. When the door closed, Ryuichi opened his eyes. He exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath, but it did little to ease the tingle of panic in his chest.


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77**

There was no school on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday, so when Ryuichi came out of his room, he expected to see a lounge full of energetic dorm mates eager to enjoy their day off from school. What he happened upon instead was a gloomy bunch in the dining room, picking at soggy instant noodles, stale toast, and cold leftovers from last night. Akihiko stood in the kitchen, mindlessly mixing a protein shake for far longer than necessary. Yukari, Fuuka, Minato, and Ken were all seated at the dining table, sighing over their sad meals. Next to Fuuka's knee, Koromaru sat whimpering with his ears drooping, and Aigis stood by Minato with her head tilted down slightly.

"Um, good morning," Ryuichi said uneasily to all of them as he approached the table.

The others murmured their greetings. All of them looked unusually morose, making Ryuichi worry.

"Did something happen?"

Fuuka glanced left and right to the others but said nothing.

Akihiko came over to the table, still stirring his protein shake with a spoon. "Last night, Fuuka sensed someone at Tartarus," he told Ryuichi in a low voice. "It was Chidori."

It took Ryuichi a moment to remember who that was. "Chidori? You mean, that girl who kidnapped Junpei?"

"Yeah," Yukari confirmed softly. She kept her face down. "She attacked us, so we had to fight back. We managed to stop her, but—"

She had to pause to take a breath, but it was Minato who finished for her.

"Strega showed up," he said. "Takaya shot Junpei."

"No." Ryuichi felt his heart drop into his gut. "Is Junpei all right? Wait, Strega? How did they—"

"Junpei's fine," Yukari told him, and Ryuichi breathed again. "He actually fought Strega off by himself. They escaped, but—"

"We don't know how they survived jumping from Moonlight Bridge," Akihiko said with a sigh. "All we know is that they're still out there, so we gotta be more careful."

Nodding, Ryuichi asked them: "Then, is Junpei in the hospital right now?"

Fuuka shook her head as she set down her piece of toast. "After he was shot, Chidori healed him, but at the cost of her life."

Ryuichi hung his head. His chest became hollow, echoing with the anguish he could only begin to imagine that Junpei was going through.

"How did she save him?" he asked.

"It was her Persona's power," Ken told him, his voice slightly muffled by his thick turtleneck sweater collar covering his mouth.

"But, why did she—?"

They all grimaced, and Ryuichi understood immediately: Chidori gave her life to save Junpei simply because she loved him.

He felt badly for Junpei, and he was sure the others felt the same. What they all thought was just an infatuation ended tragically, with Chidori returning her feelings for Junpei through the ultimate sacrifice. If only she could have expressed her love for him in a different way, under different circumstances.

Ryuichi worried for the others, too. They had seen yet another one of their friends get shot, and worse still, get his heart ripped out of his chest from the loss of someone dear to him. Chidori had been their enemy, but Junpei already loved her no matter what she did. There was nothing they could do for Junpei except be there for him while he grieved.

The gloomy mood hung in the air, even as everyone went about their day. Ryuichi returned to his room, still feeling terribly for Junpei. His appetite failed him when Kikuno brought his breakfast for him to eat in bed, but out of respect for the Kirijo Group, he forced himself to eat. As he nibbled on some toast, he heard Mitsuru leave the dorm.

All day long, he waited for Mitsuru to return. Once again, he played video games to try to pass the time, but sitting still for hours just made him jittery. Every so often, he would go upstairs to check on Junpei, asking if he wanted anything to eat. He never responded, and when Ryuichi tried to bring him a snack, Kikuno sent him back to his room.

Reluctantly, he went back to his video games, thinking about what he would say to Mitsuru when he saw her again. He wanted to apologize properly for her father's passing, and then thank her for everything she had done for him, from the care he received the past few days to helping him learn to find his own value. Part of him was still afraid to face her, not knowing if he was worthy of seeing her ever again, but at the same time, he missed her.

Whenever a car passed by, he would get up to see if it was a Kirijo car. Every time the front doors to the dorm opened up, he listened for Mitsuru. When Kikuno popped in to check on him, he asked her when Mitsuru was coming back.

"Not until late tonight, I'm afraid," she said apologetically.

"But it's Labor Day," he pointed out. "Don't tell me she has work on a holiday."

The pity on her face said it all. Ryuichi felt like an idiot for forgetting that most jobs don't follow the holiday at all.

The day passed, and once again, Ryuichi didn't see Mitsuru.

Early the next morning, Ryuichi waterproofed his wounds with plastic wrap and duct tape so he could shower before school. He could feel his injuries stretch with a few painful twinges as he moved around to scrub and wash himself, feeling like he was tearing his wounds open again. There wasn't any blood when he checked, but there was a dull ache in his side that was more of an annoyance than anything. For the moment, he wouldn't need any painkillers. Yet.

Getting dressed was just as bothersome, especially without Kikuno's help. He never noticed just how much bending and moving was involved in putting on clothes, particularly clothes that didn't have elastic waistbands or weren't naturally stretchy. He almost gave up going to school by the time he got his shirts tucked in. His vest gave him almost no trouble, as he was able to put his left arm in first and had free movement of his right arm. His necktie was simple enough, but the real challenge was putting his sling together with his blazer.

At first, he tried putting on his blazer and then wearing the sling over it, but having so many layers of clothing around his left arm made him feel too bulky. He tried wearing his blazer just on his right arm and then drape the rest over his left shoulder, but it kept falling off. When he tried to put his blazer on around his shoulders, he would barely move and find it on the floor a second later.

"How did Kikuno-san get it to stay, then?" he asked himself, then simply put his right arm back in the sleeve to let the rest dangle off of his right shoulder.

He took up his school bag ("Was it always this heavy?") and left his room. He was surprised to see an empty lounge, where even Kikuno wasn't anywhere to be seen. Confused, he ducked back into his room to check the time.

"Guess I'm a little early," he said to himself, though he was relieved that he could eat a simple breakfast without the guilt for a change.

After a quick cup of instant noodles, Ryuichi once again struggled to get his blazer on over his left shoulder. After numerous frustrating attempts, he finally got it to stay put and prayed that it wouldn't fall off again. He glanced back at the empty lounge, wondering why no one else was coming downstairs yet. He figured that everyone just needed an extra day off after what happened Sunday night and left the dorm without question.

About a block away from the train station, his blazer fell off of his shoulder again. Scowling, he let it dangle until he made it to the platform. There, he got into another fight with his blazer until someone pulled it back over his left shoulder for him.

"I gotcha covered," Shiori said, fixing his lapels. She wore a somber look on her face, keeping her head slightly bowed.

"Shiori-san?" Alarmed, Ryuichi almost stepped away from her.

She started straightening his tie for him. "Is it true?" she asked, not meeting his eyes. "They said you were shot last Friday."

Ryuichi felt cornered. "Word gets around fast," he sighed.

When she finished, she stooped to pick up his bag for him. He thanked her, to which she gave a hollow "No problem" in return.

The train arrived, giving him about five minutes of not having to talk and tell Shiori about what happened. Inside the car, all the seats were taken, leaving Ryuichi to have to hold both his bag and the overhead strap with his right hand. Every so often, his blazer would start slipping off of his shoulder, but Shiori always put it back for him.

"Do you want me to hold that for you?" Shiori offered, already reaching for his bag.

"I got it," he said, then quickly added a belated "thanks" afterward.

He spent the quiet five or so minutes recalling the story he created for his family about the shooting, knowing she would ask for details. When they got off the train, she fired the question at him, and he was ready.

"A-And, you're okay?" she uttered once his tale was through.

"I'm fine," he reassured her as they passed through the school gate.

Shiori looked to still be in a state of shock. "They made us stick around after school on Saturday to try to clean those signs off. There were rumors about what happened, but I didn't think they were real until you said all that."

She stared at his sling. "Are you sure you're okay to be at school? It's only been a couple of days."

"I'm fine," he said again, this time with finality in his tone.

He had to stop by the faculty office to talk to his homeroom teacher about missing the school trip. He expected her to be upset, but when she saw him approach her at her desk, she looked at him with compassion. Without a doubt, she already knew what happened to him, just like the rest of the school.

He started off his story by apologizing for not going on the school trip, then explained that he stayed behind to help his family at the restaurant. The awkward part was telling her that he ended up quitting the next day and took up another job elsewhere. When he got to telling her about Sakai and his friends tagging the school, he noticed that all the other teachers were listening in.

"Did you go to the police about this?" his teacher asked.

"No," he told her, realizing that the thought never crossed his mind. "Right after I got them out of the school, someone shot me just outside the gate. I've been on strict bed rest ever since."

"Excuses," he heard one of the teachers mutter.

Ryuichi's homeroom teacher gave the other teacher a dirty look. "I remember you used to have trouble with Sakai and his friends. Is it possible that one of his other friends shot you?" she asked Ryuichi.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't get to see who shot me."

She folded her arms in front of her. "If I recall, Kirijo-kun did say just about the same thing you just told me," she said, looking to be thinking back to last Saturday.

"She did, huh?" Always on top of things, he thought.

"Anyway, I'm glad that you're safe, but maybe you should change your work hours to an earlier time."

"Yeah. I've already let my boss know and she's fine with the change."

He turned to leave when he remembered one more thing. "Oh, uh, so, I still have to take pain meds every now and then. Is that okay?"

That's fine," she said. "Just take care of yourself."

Shiori was waiting outside the faculty office when he came out. "How'd it go?" she asked.

"Well, she wasn't mad, so I think I'm good," he answered, and the two went on their way to their classroom.

Up on the second floor, he noticed that all the lights were off and none of the desks were filled.

"Is there something going on for all the second-years?" Ryuichi asked Shiori.

"It's Career Week," she told him. "They're getting time off from school to work at their assigned jobs."

Ryuichi nodded, having completely lost all track of the days in the past month.

When they passed some students in the third floor hallway, all their conversations died off. Ryuichi would catch some of their classmates staring at him before they quickly looked away, all of them avoiding his gaze.

"Just ignore them," Shiori murmured under her breath. She ushered him past the students, guiding him with her hand on his back.

The same thing happened when he entered their classroom. He caught pieces of his name before the chatter faded away, and all the stares wandered to him before getting whipped to another part of the room. Ryuichi paused just outside the door to let Shiori enter first, but she waved him through so she could close the door behind them.

If there was one benefit to sitting near the front, it was not having to see his classmates stare at him. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from feeling it. The whispers didn't start up again, making him feel like he had killed the mood for everyone. Sighing once more, he looked up at the board to see that someone had drawn that same strange symbol he had seen Sakai and his friends tagging throughout the school. He realized in hindsight that he hadn't seen a single one of the spray-painted symbols anywhere.

"Captain!"

A bunch of guys from the kendo team rushed in and swarmed him. They stared at the sling and demanded to know if the rumors were true about him getting shot. Some even yelled at him that, had he gone on the school trip, he wouldn't have gotten shot at all. Each time Ryuichi tried to talk, someone cut him off. The guys shushed one another just to let him be heard.

"Don't stay out late at night," was the only advice he gave them, and they quickly bombarded him with more questions.

"Who shot you?"

"Did it have to do with those weird symbols?"

"What was it like?"

"Was the nurse hot?"

The door at the front of the room opened, and all conversations and questions ceased. At first, Ryuichi thought their homeroom teacher had entered until he saw loose, wine-colored waves between the shoulders of his classmates. He shuddered when his gaze accidentally met Mitsuru's, and in that instant, he felt so much pain, worry, care, and relief from her that it was like someone had plunged a knife into his gut and removed it in a single motion.

From what he felt in that moment, she didn't seem angry at all. And yet, the slightest brush of their sights made him sweat cold. Despite the intense fear he felt, he knew he had to speak with her. He had to apologize to her. He had to thank her.

Homeroom began shortly after. All the fear that prickled under Ryuichi's skin faded off by the first class of the day, allowing him to sleep through his morning classes. He didn't even try to nod himself awake, nor did he make any attempt to take notes. The effort it took for him to get dressed, trek to school, and deal with his classmates wore him out.

About a half hour before lunch, Ryuichi felt the familiar, dull pain grow hot in his side. Worse, it seemed that all his extra movements trying to get ready for school aggravated his wound. It hurt worse than yesterday, like his chest was slowly being torn open from the inside out. His left arm also ached, but the pain there was overshadowed by the one in his side.

He shakily raised a hand in the air. "S-Sensei," he grunted. "May I—"

Without turning around from the board, the teacher glanced at his watch. "You can hold it another twenty minutes," he said gruffly, and went back to writing on the board.

"But Sensei, I have to—"

"You should've gone during break."

Ryuichi lowered his hand. His body seized up, trembled—anything to try to counter the pain. He reached into his pocket for his medicine while thinking of sour candies to fill his mouth with saliva. When he got one pill out, he pushed it through his lips, swallowing everything in one gulp. After pocketing his pills, he sat back in his chair, let his chin rest on his chest, and waited for the pain to subside.

There was a distant series of bell tones in his dreams, so far off and yet so near. Murmurs grew, and Ryuichi slowly blinked awake in confusion. He lifted his head to see Mitsuru turned sideways in her chair, watching him with a serene look in her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" was the first thing she asked him. "Do you think you could accompany me to the Student Council Room?"

She was patient with him when he gingerly got up from his desk. His body had stiffened from sitting for so long, where just the effort of standing up drained his strength. Pushing in his chair could only be accomplished with small movements, and when he struggled too much, Mitsuru did it for him before striding ahead to get the door.

He paused short of the open door and sighed. "You really don't have to do everything for me," he told her.

"As long as you're recovering, I think it's necessary," she said as she took out her phone. She snapped it shut on their way down the hall to the stairwell.

The other students didn't try to hide their stares as the two passed by. Ryuichi pretended not to notice as he marched behind Mitsuru. It was when she opened the door to the Student Council Room that he got a good look at her face: she was ghastly pale, and he suspected that she covered the bags under her eyes with a touch of makeup. But when she looked at him, he thought he saw a tiny twinkle of warmth in her eye.

"I have to pick something up downstairs," she said as she ushered him inside. "Have a seat; I'll only be a minute."

Shivering in the freezing room, Ryuichi found the remote control for the air conditioner and turned on the heater. He checked the water boiler in the hopes of making tea, but all he got were a few dry spurts of air. With an annoyed sigh, he headed downstairs to the little shop in the foyer to buy some bottled water.

More stares. More expressions that had questions they wanted to ask Ryuichi. At least this time, the chatter didn't die down when he passed by. When he reached the line for the little store, the timid first-year girl in front of him took notice of him and squeaked with fright.

"O-Okazaki-senpai?" she stuttered, hunching low as she quivered. "A-Are you a-all right?"

He tilted his head at her, putting on a weak smile. "I'm okay, Fushimi," he told the class treasurer kindly.

"A-Are you s-sure? Here, you c-can go in front of me, if you want."

"That's okay, but thanks anyway."

Reluctantly, she turned back around, but she was still tense enough that she shook with nerves. She surprised him when she spoke to him, as she had always cowered from any guy who so much as looked at her, even though they both knew each other from serving in the Student Council.

After making his purchases, he managed to fit one bottle of water in his sling and held the other in his right hand. When he returned to the Student Council Room, he found a worried Mitsuru pacing the floor with her open cell phone in hand. She snapped it shut upon his return.

He set the bottles down on the table. "The water boiler was empty," was all he said, and Mitsuru's icy glare defrosted as she retrieved them.

"I wish you had said something instead of getting them on your own," she admonished him, filling the water boiler. "The doctor said not to exert yourself too much."

She turned around and shot him a stern look. That was all it took for Ryuichi to obediently plant himself on the chair she had pulled to the front of the room to join hers. It was then that he took notice of the shiny black, three-tier bento box that now sat on the table.

"Kikuno brought that for us just now."

He blinked. "For us?"

Mitsuru nodded, taking her seat next to him. "She never said it explicitly, but I'm sure you can tell she had the chefs prepare enough that it wasn't intended to be eaten by only one person."

She handed him a pair of chopsticks before separating each section of the bento to lay out before them. Ryuichi just stared at the spread, from the rolled omelets to the karaage fried chicken to the potato salad and so on.

"There's no need to hold back," Mitsuru said to him. "Eat as much as you like."

Ryuichi just stared at the different foods glumly. As appealing as the meal looked, it didn't feel right for him to have even a single bite.

Hanging his head, he set his chopsticks down on the table, followed by his hat. "Can I say something first?" he asked.

She set her own chopsticks down, as well. Her expression dampened as she did so.

"Actually, there's something I need to say, too," she answered him. "May I?"

He barely made out what she said over the thunder of his rapidly beating heart. At Ryuichi's nod, Mitsuru folded her arms over her chest and stared right through the table.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where to begin," she said with a sigh. "So much has happened in just these past few weeks, but I will say this: I apologize for all the trouble I've caused you."

Ryuichi stared dumbstruck at her. Mitsuru glanced his way a few times with a flicker of her eyes as she held herself tighter.

"What are you even talking about?" he managed to utter through his dry mouth.

She picked her head up. She still didn't look right at him. "The Board of Directors shouldn't have fired you, and I should've overturned their decision the moment they handed it down to you."

His shoulders sagged, letting his head hang. "No, they were right," he sighed. "Looking back, there were so many opportunities for me to have done something to protect your father. I didn't do enough."

"You did exactly as you were supposed to." Mitsuru's voice became bolder. "Your job was to protect me, and you did just that."

"I was the only active bodyguard at the time," he argued. "His safety fell to me when the others transmogrified. It's my fault that he died."

"No, it's not." Mitsuru looked to him now with pain in her eyes. "Ultimately, the one who could have prevented his death was me."

Ryuichi shivered. "No—Why would you even think that?"

She gripped her sleeve. "I was the one who gave the order for everyone to go to Tartarus that night," she said quietly, her voice coming out strangled. "My father was left vulnerable because of my mistake. We shouldn't have gone anywhere; we shouldn't have left him."

"You did what you thought was best." Ryuichi turned in his chair to face Mitsuru fully. "None of us could've predicted that Ikutsuki would betray us. Ultimately, _he_ was the one responsible for your father's death."

Mitsuru sat in silence, her arms still clenched tight against her body. Slowly, she exhaled, and her expression softened as the air left her. But the pain was still there.

"If that is what you believe, then do you still blame yourself?" she asked him. She watched him so carefully that her stare made him shiver.

"Well, yeah," he admitted. He deflated in his chair. "Like I said, I should've done more."

There was compassion in Mitsuru's eyes as she shook her head. "I never blamed you for his death," she said. "The Board of Directors' hysteria over the situation caused them to look for someone to pin the blame on. With the Chairman dead, their anger was misdirected onto you.

"I should have contacted you as soon as their decision was made," she murmured regretfully. "You never should've been fired in the first place."

"You had a lot of other things to worry about," Ryuichi told her. "Like yourself, for instance. To lose your father like that—I can't even imagine how you endured that and all the Kirijo Group stuff at the same time."

She shook her head again. "If the board members hadn't fired you, you wouldn't have honored their order to keep your distance from me. You would've gone on the class trip, and you wouldn't have been shot."

Ryuichi shrugged. "I came out all right, though," he figured, and to show her he wasn't lying, he pushed his blazer off of his shoulder and gingerly removed his sling.

"Should you be doing that?"

With a satisfied groan, he moved his shoulder around in slow circles. "I need to loosen it up every now and then," he told her. "And if you think about it, if I went to Kyoto with you all, Sakai might've been dead by now."

Mitsuru's eyes were still dim. "None of this should've happened," she kept saying. "Sakai shouldn't have been trapped inside Tartarus, you shouldn't have had to rescue him, the Chairman—"

"Mitsuru."

Ryuichi stared at her in earnest, silently astonished at how calm he was. "If it's all right with you, I would like to continue to help you get rid of the Dark Hour," he said softly. He looked away uneasily. "That is, if you are okay with that."

Mitsuru lowered her hands to her lap. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she just stared at him without saying a word. He squirmed in his seat.

"You still want to help me?" she finally uttered. "After everything that's happened?"

"Well, yeah." He set his blazer down on the table with his sling. "The Dark Hour's still a threat, right? We can't bring back those we've lost, but we can still do something to protect those who remain."

Mitsuru's slow nod was reassuring to him. "Then, may I make a selfish request?" she asked. She wrung her hands in her lap. "As long as you're going to help me put an end to the Dark Hour, would you be interested in becoming my bodyguard again?"

It felt like a bullet had pierced into his brain. Mitsuru waited patiently for his answer, though her arms were once again back across her chest, crushing her.

"You really want me back?" he croaked. "Even though—"

She gave one solid nod. "I still need a bodyguard. For the past few weeks, the Board has been searching for a suitable replacement for you, but each one they presented to me, I rejected them."

Mitsuru looked almost gleeful just then. "They became frustrated with me and kept telling me to forget about you, but I saw no reason to replace you when you had done nothing wrong. By all accounts, you did everything correct that night. And furthermore, you're the only bodyguard we have who has a Persona.

"If you are still interested, I would like to have you back as my bodyguard and butler again," she said to him. "Your parents were quite vocal the other day about you putting yourself in danger for my sake, and I'm sure they will raise their voices again should you accept your job back, but..."

Her voice tapered off. Mitsuru struggled for a bit to get the words out. In a small voice, she said to him: "But, as much as I want you back as my bodyguard again, what I really want is to have you as my friend again, if you will have me."

Ryuichi's eyes burned as tears flooded his eyes. It was as if all the agony and anguish from the past month was getting washed away. His lip quivered, and he shamefully looked away to rub his tears onto his sleeve.

"W-Wait, don't cry!" a flustered Mitsuru blurted out.

"S-Sorry," he murmured through his sniffles. His face grew hot from the humiliation. "After all that's happened, I just—I don't feel worthy."

"Say what you will, but I see no reason for you to feel that way," she insisted, her expression warming with compassion. "If possible, I just want everything to go back to normal between us."

Her face flushed. "I, I've missed you."

Ryuichi felt his chest tighten as he watched Mitsuru squeeze her arm. His legs shook so violently he feared that she could feel the tremors he caused. His whole body started to fall forward, wanting to hug her, but he held fast.

Mitsuru's face fell. "But, I understand if you don't want to work for me anymore," she said quickly. "You aren't obligated to—"

He couldn't take it anymore. He flung himself onto her, hugging her around her shoulders. Her surprised gasp didn't slacken his embrace. She became rigid in his arms.

"I've missed you, too," Ryuichi blubbered. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I wasn't a good friend, and I—"

"I'm sorry, too," she sighed into his shoulder. Her hands slowly came up around his back, timid and tentative. "You've been a good friend to me, and I should've been here for you—"

"It's okay. You had more important things—"

"—it shouldn't have taken precedence over—"

"—if anything, I should've—"

Mitsuru released him first. "Look at us," she sighed. Ryuichi pulled away in time to see her wipe a single tear away. "The things others might say if they see us lose our inhibitions like this."

Ryuichi looked her up and down, confused by her neat appearance. "Uh, what part of you 'losing your inhibitions' are you even talking about? I'm the complete mess here!"

She let out a dry chuckle as she offered him a packet of tissues. He took a tissue and smashed it against his face to mop up his tears. Next to him, Mitsuru lightly dabbed her tissue around her eyes.

"About your job," she began while Ryuichi wiped his nose clean, "in addition to guarding me during the Dark Hour and during school hours, you will also have to accompany me to my meetings. For your dedication these past few years and for all the trouble the Board caused you, I've also decided to increase your pay, but you won't start until after you've made a full recovery. Do you accept these terms?"

"Yeah," he uttered, feeling fresh tears sprout again. "I accept, and I promise I'll do better."

She cracked a smile first. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, and pushed the bento towards him once more.

Mitsuru wouldn't take a single morsel until Ryuichi took one first. He tried one of the pieces of rolled omelet and was met with the perfect blend of salty and sweet. There were finger sandwiches, tiny fruit tarts, rice balls, one-bite cakes, fluted cups of salad, fried chicken wings, sausages cut to look like little octopi, fruit shaped like flowers and animals—the Kirijo chefs clearly spent a lot of effort into making a little picnic for them.

"So, how've you been?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru when she got up to make some tea. "It's been awhile since we last talked."

"I'm doing a lot better now," she replied. There was a sullenness in her voice. "Though, I will admit that for a time, I lost my will to fight."

She brought two steaming teacups over and took her seat. The fatigue and stress on her face had spread to her voice.

"I fought for my father for years, wanting to protect him," Mitsuru continued as she circled her hands around her cup. "I wanted to help him get his old life back, before my grandfather started those experiments. When I lost him, I thought that there was no point in continuing the fight."

Ryuichi nodded quietly as he took another bite from his salmon-filled onigiri. Mitsuru picked up a little bit of potato salad with her chopsticks and sighed.

"But, during the school trip, Yukari helped put me back into perspective."

He nearly choked. "You called her by her name!" he gasped.

"Yes, I did," she said, showing a tiny wince of a smile. "You could say that we've gotten closer during the class trip. It's thanks to her that I was able to snap out of my stupor and get my resolve back.

"And that's not all—Penthesilea transformed into Artemisia, and she's much stronger than before."

"Artemisia?" He recalled the night he was shot. "Oh, so that was her last Friday? No wonder that Shadow went down in one shot!"

Mitsuru nodded, looking proud of her Persona. "And before I forget to mention it," she began, her smile softening, "my mother returned from abroad."

Ryuichi froze. "Your mother?"

"Yes." She took up an apple slice and held it. "When she received news of Father's passing, she came home as quickly as she could."

He was in shock. For years, he was under the impression that her mother had passed away, as Mitsuru never spoke of her except for a memory or two.

"How is she?" he asked meekly once he found his voice.

"She was always of delicate health, but she's in better spirits now," Mitsuru replied. "She puts on a strong face for me, but it's clear that she needs more time to grieve."

Hearing the news stuck needles into his heart. He shoved the rest of his onigiri into his mouth, chewing rapidly to distract his attention away from his guilt.

"Let me turn the question on you now," Mitsuru said to him. "What have you been up to these past few weeks?"

He let out a groan, tired of telling the story. But at least now, he could tell the true version, starting with the night he was fired. He caught her trying to spy the scar on his brow beneath his bangs when he spoke of his encounter with the Board of Directors and the Group's head of security. She listened quietly as he told her about how he ended up working at the restaurant and caring for his niece non-stop, and how he started working at Chagall Cafe playing the piano for a little extra income during the school trip. When he got to the part where he quit the restaurant, he became short of breath. His stomach writhed as he relived the memory.

"But, I needed to quit," he said, almost gasping for breath. "That place was toxic. Things weren't getting better no matter what we did."

He looked right at her. "You and your father were always trying to teach me that I needed to learn to take care of myself," he told her. "I used to think that the needs of others took precedence over my own needs, that if I didn't try to help, I was being selfish. You both helped me to see how wrong I was, and it's thanks to you two that I finally found the courage to quit the restaurant."

He managed to smile. "Thank you, Mitsuru," he said, bowing in his seat as far as his injury would allow. "And if I could, I would thank your father, too."

She dabbed a napkin around her lips. "All we did was encourage you," she replied humbly. "It was by your own strength and resolve that you were able to walk away.

"But, what happened afterward? How did you end up inside Tartarus?"

His smile soured as he told the rest of the story. He knew she wouldn't like the idea of him searching for his old bullies by himself instead of fleeing to safety to wait for the others, but all he could do was tell the truth.

"I see." Mitsuru still held half a finger sandwich in her hand. "So it's because you were working late at Chagall that you saw Sakai enter the school and went to stop him."

He lowered his face. "Yeah," he sighed.

"And you just happened to have your Evoker with you that night?"

He sighed again. "I figured I should keep fighting the Shadows while everyone was on the trip, so I kept it on me. I felt kinda like I owed it to your father."

Ryuichi sagged in his chair. He sank even lower when he expelled his breath.

"I didn't realize that my father's passing had such an impact on you," Mitsuru said apologetically.

"I didn't think so, either, but I didn't want to take away from your grief." He started to get up to get more tea, but Mitsuru swept up his cup to refill it herself.

"That was very considerate of you, but you shouldn't have had to contain your anguish just for me."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be right for me to do otherwise. He wasn't my father, after all."

Mitsuru looked back at him from over her shoulder. "He clearly meant a great deal to you," she remarked, turning back around. "You should know that he was only stern with you because he saw great potential in you."

When she brought over his teacup, her cell phone rang. Pain shone in her eyes when she checked the small display screen on the front.

"Excuse me for a minute," she said, and left the room.

Ryuichi wondered who it was who called just then. He imagined the Board of Directors begrudgingly consulting her for something they needed her approval for, likely still bitter from getting in trouble for firing him without Mitsuru's consent. Amused by his thought, Ryuichi checked the clock on the wall and decided it was time to clean up. He started with getting his sling on, not yet ready to wear it again for a couple more hours after just having regained his freedom.

While he struggled with his blazer, he came to realize that talking with Mitsuru wasn't painful at all. It was as if they picked back up where they had left off weeks ago. Except, he saw no reason for her to apologize to him, and she wouldn't accept his apology, either.

Although they were able to catch up and chat for a little while, a part of him still carried some guilt for not preventing her father's death. At least now, his determination to protect Mitsuru was back and stronger than ever. It was all he could offer to the late Takeharu Kirijo, both in apology and as thanks for all his help.

Mitsuru returned as he attempted to get his blazer to stay on his shoulder. He tried sliding his right hand along the blazer's collar so he could try to pull it over his left shoulder, but all the extra bending and stretching only succeeded in hurting himself more.

"Here." Mitsuru pulled his blazer over his left shoulder for him. Her hands were so gentle as she smoothed it out and adjusted the lapels, as if she was afraid to cause him further injury.

Ryuichi grew hot with her face so close to his. She reached behind his neck to adjust his collar, then slipped her hands forward to rest against his chest. Her eyes blanked out, and she stood frozen, as if stunned to have detected a secret hidden in his heart.

He avoided looking directly at her. "Um, was that work just now?"

She gasped, clearly flustered. "Y-Yes, it was," she uttered, throwing her hands down at her sides. "Sorry. I was supposed to have the day off today, but it looks like I have some business to attend to after school."

She quickly turned away to start reassembling the bento box. Ryuichi cocked his head to the side, then stuck his hat back on his head before helping her clean up.

"Looks like being the new head of the Group isn't as fun as most people would think," he said, trying to help her dispel her embarrassment from zoning out. "Think you'll have a chance to rest tonight?"

"I doubt that, but I should be home sometime after dinner."

"You can rest then."

"Unfortunately, no," she sighed. "I have a lot of school work to catch up on."

She surprised him with a simple smile. "Although, those notes you left me have been most helpful. It's nice to see you rebel against the board members in a constructive manner."

He exaggerated his frown. "Well, I couldn't just let you give me the number one spot in exams. It wouldn't sit right with my pride," he jabbed playfully.

"Oh?" Her smile grew warmer. "Is it your pride that's on the line, or are you making an excuse for when you don't score the highest?"

He grinned. "Yes."

The smile dropped off of her face. "That doesn't even answer the question."

They finished cleaning up. The water boiler was full again, any fallen grain of rice was picked up, and any stray puddles of sauces were wiped away.

"Thank you for being such a good friend to me all these years," Mitsuru told him on their way out. "I'm glad to have you back."

He got the door for her. "I'm glad to be back," he replied, smiling. "And, thank you for being a good friend to me, too."

She stepped through the threshold first. "Before I forget, remind me to give you my notes for the days you missed."

"Hey, yeah. Thanks for the offer."

"Of course. What good is a rival if he isn't prepared for exams?"

He pouted. "Tch. Rude."

Mitsuru seemed more at ease now. She smiled and even chuckled with him, and the tiniest glow of light returned to her eyes.

"Oh, right." He matched her pace on their way back to their classroom. "Thank you for, well, everything from the past few days."

She cast her tired gaze over to him. "I hope everything was to your liking," she said. "Were the meals okay?"

"They were great, actually." He filed in behind her when they climbed the stairs. "Kikuno-san told me that you sat up with me in the hospital all night, too."

She paused on the stairs. Ryuichi almost walked into her.

"It really meant a lot to me that you did that," he said softly with a smile. "Thank you."

She reached for the rail, her fingertips barely finding it. "You're welcome," she said, and glanced back over her shoulder at him. "Let's try to keep you out of the hospital from now on."

He couldn't agree more. The two continued to their classroom, chatting just like they used to before all the trouble started earlier that month.

After school, Mitsuru didn't need any reminders to give Ryuichi her notes to copy. She did, however, appear somber during the walk across the schoolyard to the awaiting car. Her stern tone returned when she urged him to get in the car so he wouldn't have to walk all the way back to the dorm.

"I originally planned to give you a ride to school this morning, but you had already left by the time it arrived," she said once they were both in the car. "How you survived the walk to school astounds me, considering your injuries."

"Why else do you think I was passed out all day?" he moaned.

The car pulled away from the school. Ryuichi stared out the window, but he could feel Mitsuru's stare on him.

"When you get home, just get some rest. Don't worry about homework or copying notes," she admonished him. It was more like an order, but he felt a familiar care from her.

When they arrived at the dorm, Mitsuru once again told him to get plenty of rest. As he shut the car door, he caught one final glimpse of her, startled when he saw the vacant look in her eyes. Before he could pull the door open again to ask her if she was all right, the car drove off.

"I think she needs to rest more than I do," he muttered under his breath. Unable to do anything more for her, he went inside to drop off his bag before heading over to Paulownia Mall.

 **End of Arc 3**


	78. Chapter 78

**Arc 4**

 **Chapter 78**

Shortly after being dropped off at the dorm, Ryuichi took the bus from Iwatodai to Paulownia Mall in the hopes of getting to work on time. The car ride home from school made him late for work, but Eshima was completely understanding when he arrived. She told him that she only wanted him to play for an hour anyway out of concern that he might aggravate his injuries more, and all he could do was agree. Despite the loss of an hour's worth of pay, he took comfort in seeing that every seat in the cafe was filled, practically securing a small bonus for him.

"And if you need to take a break, just take it," Eshima said to him.

Thanking her, he turned to see Fuuka wearing the Chagall Cafe apron over her Gekkoukan uniform. She gasped with delight when she saw Ryuichi by the counter.

"Ryuichi-senpai," she greeted with a big smile. "Is it all right for you to be here?"

"It should be, since I work here," he replied, getting nervous that he got caught by someone from the dorm. "When did you start working here?"

"Just today. It's for Career Week," she explained. "But, what about you? Your arm—"

He made a show of rotating his arm a few times, feeling only the tiniest twinge of pain. "I'm good," he lied, glad that he ditched the sling at home. "Besides, I'm not going to be doing anything tough like waiting tables. I'm just the entertainment."

Fuuka had a wary look about her. "Well, all right. If you say so," she said hesitantly.

Ryuichi clocked in, making note of the time to start his one hour of work. After Eshima introduced him to the customers, he took his seat at the piano, paying attention to any pain he had. For now, he felt no pain or tightness, but he hoped that his medication would last him through the next hour.

For his first song, Ryuichi started off with something light and bouncy, one that he knew would let his hands have a chance to work out their nerves and stiffness while he got used to being back in front of an audience. Some patrons listened, others continued to enjoy their coffees and teas while chatting softly with their friends. If they were paying any attention to him, he barely noticed, getting so immersed in the song that by the second one, he no longer felt jittery about playing in front of them.

The songs he played were all the same ones he performed the previous week, but Ryuichi could hear that they were warmer and more lively than before. He enjoyed himself while he played, no longer bound by melancholy. He felt free from the anguish he endured the past few weeks, riding the elation of every note.

He played love songs, easy-listenings, jazzy tunes, and even upbeat anime opening themes that he slowed and stylized into soothing ballads. He could almost see the confusion on some of the customers' faces, where they seemed to recognize the tune but couldn't quite recall what it was or where it came from. When he really felt the music, he started to sing while accompanying himself on the piano, much to the patrons' delights.

Just short of the half-hour mark, he felt the dull ache begin to form in his side again. It was worse than it was during lunchtime, feeling like a thick rod was being shoved between his ribs. His body tensed up, but he made his fingers keep moving on the keys while he tried to keep singing without straining his voice. Somehow, he survived through the song and waited for everyone to finish their applause.

"We'll be taking a short break," he said into the microphone. It took all his strength to loosen the tension in his throat to speak while masking the strain in his voice. He stopped by the counter for a glass of water before disappearing into the back to take his medicine.

He discovered Fuuka in the small locker room, also on her break. When she saw his sweaty face, she offered him her chair and had him sit. He handed her his bottle of painkiller, and she quickly opened it up to shake a pill out.

"Senpai, maybe you should go home and rest," Fuuka said as he took his medicine.

He gulped half the glass of water before answering. "As long as I don't go overboard, I'm fine," he told her. "Besides, it'll be bad if I fall asleep on the bus ride back. This stuff knocks me out pretty hard."

Sipping more water, he remembered something else. "By the way, thanks for helping me out last Friday."

"Helping you? With what?"

"When I was trying to get Sakai and the others out of Tartarus."

Fuuka smiled at him. "It was nothing. To be honest, it was Mitsuru-senpai who asked me to search for you that night."

Ryuichi felt like a cord had been plucked in his chest. "She did?"

"Yeah. When you didn't come home that night, she came to me before midnight and asked me to start searching for you right away. She was really worried about you."

He never knew. Mitsuru didn't mention anything, but he suspected that it was something he should have known from the start.

He was back at the piano within minutes. Ryuichi played more of the soothing tunes despite feeling like a gaping hole had been gouged into his gut. While he played, he started nodding off thanks to his meds, but he managed to stay awake and finish out the rest of his hour, even playing for an extra fifteen minutes when he forgot that he was supposed to stop early.

"Good work today," Eshima said to him when he went to collect his earnings. "You looked like you could've kept playing for another hour."

He gave a pitiful grin. "Can I?"

"Nope!" She handed over his pay. "And get some sleep, will you? I saw you nodding off there."

She flashed him a big smile as he thanked her. On his way out, he nearly ran into Fuuka, who was carrying over some empty cups and plates to the counter.

"Going home already?" she asked him. "Will you be okay going alone?"

He gave it some thought. "I'm a little worried that I might fall asleep on the bus ride home," he admitted to her.

She gave him a simple smile. "Then, if you wait another hour, we can go home together. Is that all right?"

"That's fine," he agreed. "I'm going to need the protection."

She giggled. "Okay. If you'd like, you can sit somewhere while you wait."

He thanked her for the offer but declined. Instead, he headed to the food court in search of something to eat for dinner. He ended up settling on some yakisoba, since he only had one good arm to use. When he finished his meal, he sat back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh.

"She was worried about me, huh?"

He thought about Mitsuru, wondering how she still found the time to look out for him despite how busy she had become. Now that she was the head of her family, he was certain that she was saddled with even more responsibilities than ever, and he was only adding to her troubles. Apologizing to her wouldn't be enough. He needed to take better care of himself so that she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

At the end of the hour, he met Fuuka just outside of Chagall Cafe. They rode the bus back to Iwatodai, the two of the chatting softly the entire way back. As tired as Fuuka was, she seemed content with her first day at work, grateful to have someone as patient as Eshima watching over her.

At the dorm, they found everyone except for Junpei sitting around in the lounge watching TV, some of them slurping up some instant noodles. Everyone glanced over to the doors when they entered, but none of them offered a warm greeting. As Ryuichi turned around to lock the doors behind him, he felt a chill like an icicle tracing up his spine. When he turned back, he flinched at the sight of Mitsuru standing before him with a glare so frigid his heart nearly froze with fright. Fuuka slipped away to sit with Yukari, leaving him to deal with Mitsuru by himself.

"I-I'm sorry," was the first thing out of Ryuichi's mouth.

"If you're truly sorry, then you wouldn't have gone out after we dropped you off," Mitsuru said in quiet rage. "Now tell me: Where were you?"

He swallowed hard. "W-Work?"

"Where?"

"Ch-Chagall Cafe."

"Doing what?"

"Playing piano."

Her frigid glare stabbed icicles into him. "You always do this, Ryuichi!" she lashed out, making him cower away. "Every time you get hurt, _I'm_ the one who worries because _you_ always act so reckless! Now, why did you think that work was more important than your health?"

Her livid aura alone had him pressed up against the doors. Even when he sidled over to the front desk and inched his way towards his room, Mitsuru followed, not once letting up on her paralyzing glare.

"Why do you always do this, Ryuichi?" Mitsuru demanded. "Do you not understand how close we were to losing you?"

"W-Well, I—"

"I should execute you where you stand!"

Both Minato and Akihiko flinched. Mitsuru stood so close to Ryuichi that his spine bent backwards painfully over the front desk just to get away from her. His sweat turned to beads of ice on his forehead.

He looked over to the others with pleading eyes. "G-Guys? Help!"

Akihiko shook his head, shivering. Next to him, Minato bowed his head, appearing to be saying a small prayer for him.

"Don't just leave me!" Ryuichi begged them, but quickly turned back to Mitsuru with his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry! Really, I'm sorry!"

"Then _why_ did you do it?"

"Because I—"

He hesitated. He thought about how far he had come, finally accepting that he needed to take care of himself, but there he was, falling back into his old habits. He had been anxious about sitting around in his room, not having anything to do and not enough money to provide for himself that month, but there was no way Mitsuru would accept any of those reasons.

"It seems that Mitsuru-san and Ryuichi-san are back to normal," Aigis remarked.

Fuuka looked to Aigis, then to the two seniors in amazement. "That's actually a good point, Aigis," she said in agreement.

"You can really see that they care about each other," Yukari added, smiling.

"More Mitsuru-senpai doing all the caring than Okazaki-san, though," noted Ken.

"Yeah," Minato said with a smirk. "Ryuichi-senpai's just dumb."

"I heard that!" Ryuichi snapped.

Mitsuru's glare was a dagger's tip digging into his throat. "Ryuichi, I know that you enjoy your job, but you have to let yourself heal," she said in a quiet but seething tone. "Call your boss and let her know that you are not well enough to work."

Ryuichi frowned, knowing she was right. "Yeah, okay," he agreed in a hollow voice. "I'll call her. I'll call her right now."

"Good."

She stepped back to give him some space. Ryuichi had to ease himself up carefully, feeling a stiffness in his body that needed some time to loosen up. When he was okay to move, he went over to the phone at the front desk and started punching in Eshima's cell phone number.

"What are you doing?" Mitsuru asked.

"Calling Eshima-san."

"Where's your cell phone?"

"Dad smashed it like, two weeks ago, so—"

"I'll take care of it," she said, and motioned for him to return to the phone.

He made the call, apologizing to Eshima about not being able to come in to work anymore due to his injury.

"I suspected as much," she said with a sigh. "But, it was great hearing you play again. I started getting phone calls last week from others who also wanted to play. I just hope they don't suck."

She wished him to get better soon and to come visit sometime. He said he would, if his schedule and his health permitted him. He felt terrible for having to quit after everything she did to try to accommodate him, but more than that, he felt even worse for angering Mitsuru. Again.

The next day after school, Mitsuru proposed that they get back to studying for their college entrance exams in January. Ryuichi noticed that she was oddly subdued compared to yesterday, to which he hoped meant that she had forgiven him for his idiocy. Still, every time she addressed him, he couldn't help but flinch.

"Are you okay, though? You look pretty tired," he said to her. "Maybe we should go home first."

Mitsuru looked to the rainy day outside, the darkened skies bringing a downpour. Some of their classmates gathered by the windows, some groaning about having forgotten their umbrellas at home while others griped about wanting snow instead.

Ryuichi grimaced at the sight. "Okay, maybe we'll wait for the rain to let up before we go," he suggested.

He went with Mitsuru to the library, finding it to be almost devoid of student life. The librarian wasn't at her desk at the center of the room, leaving the few students among the shelves and tables to prove just how well-behaved they really were. Some were actually hunched low over their books and notes, deep into their studies. One student sat in the corner with one of those fancy cell phones that let him watch videos online. When the student glanced over to Mitsuru, Ryuichi noticed that he quickly snapped his phone shut and pretended to be studying. Mitsuru didn't bother to scold him, nor did she seem to notice.

The pair picked an empty table. Ryuichi pulled Mitsuru's seat out for her, amused but also concerned when she let him serve her, despite his injuries. He now attributed her unusual behavior to exhaustion, wishing she would rather go home and rest instead.

The moment they pulled out their books, Mitsuru was back to her old self. She started them off with calculus, asking him where he struggled. He showed her the unit in their textbook, and she began to explain what to do. When he was able to solve the equation himself, she asked him to do a few problems in the book. He surprised himself by answering them all correctly on his first try, whereas Mitsuru seemed to believe in him the whole time.

As Ryuichi copied down some of Mitsuru's history notes, she sat back in her chair and sighed. He eyed her for a few seconds, thinking about how worn out she was lately from balancing school, Kirijo Group business, SEES duties, and making sure that he didn't end up in the hospital again. How she managed to make time for everything, he wasn't sure, but without a doubt, she was pushing herself far too hard.

"Everything okay?" he asked her softly.

She stared out the library windows at the gray, gray world. "It's hard to believe that it's almost December," she said idly, her voice hitching a ride on her gentle breath. "We'll be graduating in the spring. Soon, we'll be looking back nostalgically on these times."

He hadn't given it much thought before. Hearing her speak of it now hit him hard.

"Time really flew by this past year," he murmured, sitting away from his work. He looked to her, seeing how pale she was. "Hey, are you feeling all right? You look like you could use a nap."

He closed his notebook. "The rain's already let up. Let's go home so you can rest," he insisted, and closed her notebook, too. "You don't have work today, do you? You can probably fit in a nap in before dinner. Sound good?"

Mitsuru languidly shook her head. "It's quite all right," she murmured. She just sat there, her arms crossed in front of her, her right hand sometimes squeezing her arm. She sighed again, releasing more of her years on her breath. She seemed so much older to him now, more mature, and more dejected.

Ryuichi turned in his seat, facing her. "Talk to me," he told her. "You never sigh this much unless you're worried about something."

Her head lolled towards him, her gaze swinging like a pendulum towards him, only to swing away before she could meet his eyes.

"Since my father passed away, I've been faced with many problems—my inheritance, the future of Kirijo, and the expectations of everyone involved with both," she began, squeezing her arm again. "Most likely, I won't be able to attend college or begin a profession. I will have to find another path."

Ryuichi felt a painful pang in his chest. "Are things really that bad?" he asked, his mouth going dry. "I mean, I get that you're gonna be busy as the new head, but there's really no way you can get your degree?"

"I'm afraid not," she sighed. "Even now, I'm being discouraged from taking the college entrance exams because of how busy I've become."

She let out another sigh. "I wonder if this is how my father felt when he was the head of the Group," she murmured. "I knew he was a busy man, where I would only see him a few times during the year, but he always did his best to come home and visit me, even if we only had time to have dinner together.

"As busy as he was, I saw him more often than my mother," she continued. "She was always so frail and had to seek treatment overseas. It was always difficult for her to come home from abroad, and since I was always busy with school and the Dark Hour, I couldn't see her as often as I would've liked."

Ryuichi watched as her arms appeared to squeeze her a little tighter. "Despite my father's busy schedule and my mother's poor health, they were still very fond of each other, though they didn't start out that way," she told him. "They were arranged to be married for strategic reasons, but as time passed, they slowly grew to love each other."

"That's good to hear," he said, surprised to hear her speak so much about her parents.

"Indeed." She loosened her hold on herself. "An agreement between two parties such as marriage must be carefully considered, and in my parents' case, their union was more for business than anything else. It was just fortunate that their relationship blossomed into something more."

Mitsuru held herself tightly again. "Still, it's a curious thing, marriage," she said in a small voice. She looked to him now, her vacant gaze making him sit up higher. "Tell me, what are your thoughts on it?"

"On what? Marriage?" He thought about Mitsuru's parents, then his own. He realized that both his examples were too different to even begin to compare, unable to decide if one marriage was better than the other.

"Let me pose the question differently, then: For what reason do you think people get married?"

He lowered the brim of his hat, blocking Mitsuru's intense stare so he could concentrate. "Well, um, people get married because they're in love, don't they?" he reasoned out. "For the most part, at least."

She let out a dry chuckle. "You're so straightforward," she remarked, and he thought he detected bitterness in her tone. "Though, it's just as you said: my parents were among those who couldn't make that decision based on their emotions.

"I don't consider them unfortunate, though. Love comes in all different forms, and theirs just happened to develop after their marriage. Don't you agree?"

Ryuichi squinted hard at her, tilting his head. He felt like a large thorn was being pressed slowly into his back, gouging a big hole into his chest. He had a feeling he knew what she was getting at, but he refused to believe it. Instead, he stupidly asked:

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Mitsuru winced. "N-No," she answered curtly. "I'm not very good at romantic relationships. Besides, I don't have any spare time to devote to another."

He felt the tension in his chest come undone like a loose thread. "Well, maybe I'll just have to learn to behave myself so you can have more time for that kind of thing," he joked pitifully.

She cast a judgmental side eye at him. "Or you can do as I say and give yourself a chance to heal," she said. "At least that way, you'll make a full recovery and stay out of trouble."

She was right, and he knew it. As he apologized to her, an announcement came over the PA system letting everyone know that the library was about to close for the day. Mitsuru let out a sigh as she began to pack away her books.

"I can't believe the library's closing and we're still here," she muttered, looking disappointed in herself. "Talking in the library—I'm not setting a very good example as Student Council President."

"Even the student council president needs time to unwind every now and then," Ryuichi reassured her. "You've just had what's probably the worst month of your life. Give yourself time to bounce back."

It seemed that his words did little to cheer her up. "If you ever need a break or someone to talk to, you can always come to me," he said as he stuffed his pencils into his pencil bag. "Even if I can't really use my arm yet, I've still got two ears and a willingness to hear what you've got on your mind. Okay?"

Mitsuru nodded weakly. "Thank you," she said, appearing slightly more lucid as a tiny glimmer of appreciation lit up in her eyes. "We should probably hurry; I actually have a meeting today, but we can still drop you off at the dorm on the way."

Sure enough, a Kirijo car was waiting for them outside the school gates. Ryuichi had to remove his sling just so he could hold his umbrella and his bag, ignoring Mitsuru's protests. He helped her get into the car first, holding his umbrella over her so she could put hers away before taking her seat. She took his school bag, giving him a free hand to close the door and slip into the car through the other side.

During the car ride back, Mitsuru was back in her dazed state, her eyes dim and unfocused. Ryuichi wanted to say something to encourage her, but all he could do was put his arm back in his sling so as not to upset her any further.

Throughout the silent ride, Ryuichi thought about their conversation in the library. He had a strong idea of what she was talking about, but every time he came close to acknowledging the topic, his mind would change to a different thought, as if he refused to accept what Mitsuru was facing. He wanted to ask her about it, but denial kept him quiet.

They arrived at the dorm. Ryuichi thanked Mitsuru and the driver for the ride, watching them drive away as he fished in his pocket for his keys.

"She's got it rough," he muttered to himself. "Can't they give her a break?"

He was about to put the key into the lock when the door opened from the inside.

"Whoa! Hiya, Ryuichi-senpai!" Ryoji said with his signature smile. "Sorry I missed you today. Maybe I'll catch you next time. See ya later!"

Ryuichi stepped aside to let him leave. Ryoji opened his umbrella and walked off, whistling a cheery tune on his way.

When Ryuichi turned to head inside, he nearly walked into Aigis, who poked her head out the door while glaring at Ryoji. He had never seen her show even an ounce of emotion before, surprised to see her brows furrowed and a spark of warning in her eyes.

Slipping past her, Ryuichi went straight to his room. There, he turned the heater on before changing out of his uniform.

"I really hope she's doing okay," he muttered, and went to check his injuries in the mirror.

The next morning, he wanted to ask Mitsuru more about their discussion yesterday, anxious that his suspicions were true. As they left together for school, some of the other SEES members caught up to them. He couldn't ask her then, and at lunch the Student Council needed her help with some paperwork. When he worked up the courage to talk to her after school, her cell phone rang, interrupting him.

"Hello?" she said, walking out the door. "They moved the meeting? But, why would they—"

Ryuichi quickly threw his books and pencil pouch into his bag and hurried after her.

"—I understand," he heard her say, her voice heavy with irritation. "I'm on my way."

She hung up and turned to him. "They moved my meeting up to four o'clock," she said with grit in her voice. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to give you a ride home today."

The tension and worry that Ryuichi felt dissipated as he smiled at her. "That's all right," he said, relieved that that was all it was. "Let's hurry and get you to that car, then."

At the awaiting car outside the school gates, Ryuichi held the car door open for Mitsuru, who hesitated to get in.

"Ryuichi, go straight home and rest," she ordered with a firmness that he knew not to question. "Don't try to go to work at the cafe or run around doing things for other people. Just go home and give yourself time to heal. Understood?"

She slid into the seat and pulled the door closed herself, leaving him stunned as the car drove off.

"I'd better do as she says," he told himself, getting worried for Mitsuru again.

He returned to the dorm. He didn't try to cook anything, didn't bake the apology cake he considered making for her, nor did he even touch any of his instruments. He changed into his pajamas and an oversized hoodie, deciding to just play video games in bed to rest, as Mitsuru ordered. She already had plenty to worry about, and he needed to stop adding to her stress.

Something was undoubtedly wrong, and he had a feeling that Mitsuru wasn't telling him everything about what was going on within the Kirijo Group. He knew it wasn't any of his business, but—

Ryuichi let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to help her out, but he didn't know how.


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79**

Friday after school, Mitsuru told Ryuichi yet again to go home right away. After she left to attend to more business, Ryuichi followed her advice and went to his house to visit his sister and niece. When he arrived, Shizue opened the door, dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and striped pajama pants. The moment she saw her brother, she squealed and hugged him.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed. "How've you been?"

"Been curious about you guys, to be honest," he replied, smelling what had to be the start of curry rice.

The two went to the living room, where Ryuichi could feel his skin dry out from the heater pumping in hot air. As he sidled closer to the humidifier, he spotted Megumi napping on a blanket on the floor. He smiled at his niece, tiptoeing around her until he noticed the tiny, gray kitten curled up next to her. The kitten's bottlebrush tail made it look as though it had been struck by lightning, and when it yawned and stretched, Ryuichi's stomach clenched at how cute it was.

"We found it yowling outside," Shizue said to him from the kitchen. "Well, more like it found us. When I got home a few days ago, it slipped in the moment I opened the front door. Couldn't get rid of it since, but he's making good friends with Megs."

"Lucky," he groaned, and sat down on the couch. He braced himself to ask her something he had been wondering about for more than a week:

"So, how's everything at the restaurant?"

He heard ingredients sizzle in a pot. "After you quit, Dad was furious and got even more psychotic on all of us. Kaminori and Akamine both quit the next day, and some of the others just stopped cooking when Dad started yelling. He threatened to fire the rest of them, but they just stood there and let the food burn."

Ryuichi felt ill. "I wasn't trying to make a statement or encourage anyone to quit," he said, shaking his head. "I was just sick of it all."

"I know, but I think you might've encouraged everyone to stand up for themselves and show Dad that they weren't going to deal with his BS anymore."

She tapped her wooden spoon against the pot. "After you were shot, Dad got really quiet," she continued. "When everyone heard about what happened to you, they all just worked and offered to help Mom and Dad and me in any way they could. Kaminori and Akamine came back to help out, and by the end of the day, Dad offered them their jobs back."

Something clawed at his leg. The little kitten climbed into his lap, mewing at him with the tiniest, squeakiest little voice that made Ryuichi break into a smile as he pet the little beast.

"Look at you!" he gushed, scratching its chin.

Shizue brought over some tea for him. "Looks like Otoro's taken to you just fine," she said, smiling.

"Otoro, huh?" He nearly squealed when the kitten mewed up at him again. "Why would you name it after fatty tuna?"

"Ayaka came home with leftover sushi the other night and gave it to me. I turned my back for one second and the little punk stole my otoro!"

At the sound of its name, the kitten mewed again. It clawed its way atop the couch and mewed at Shizue, mewing again and again, as if expecting her to give it some fatty tuna. She rolled her eyes while Ryuichi chuckled and reached for the kitten.

Back at the stove, Shizue pushed around the onions she had sautéing in the pot. "But yeah, when Dad shut up, everyone was able to work better. It's been the nicest work week we've ever had."

"And all I had to do was almost die," Ryuichi grumbled. "Great. I hope it lasts."

"I hope so, too, but you'll never know with our family."

Ryuichi lightly tapped his finger to Otoro's nose, who batted back with its little paws.

"You should probably visit Mom and Dad to let them know you're alive," Shizue called to him from the kitchen. "Mom was pretty pissed at Dad for breaking your phone, since they couldn't call you to see how you're—Are you even listening?"

Ryuichi was too busy with Otoro, all smiles as the kitten gnawed on his fingers. "Huh? Sorry, what was that?"

Shizue frowned at him. "I was saying that you should let Mom and Dad know that you didn't die and that you should get a new phone."

"Oh, Mitsuru got me one already, so—"

"She got you a new phone? Just like that?"

He held up his new silver flip phone. "Well, she also gave me my job back, and so I had to have a way for her to contact me," he explained. "It's made by the electronics branch of her family's company, and it's got this neat little function that lets us track each other in case we get separated—As a precaution, of course."

He stuck it back in his pocket. "But, since I'm out for a whole month, I won't be working until I'm all better, so I'm just enjoying a four-week break for now."

"Hold up." Shizue shot him a look that made him flinch. "She _gave_ you your job back? You're going back to being a bodyguard?"

"Well, yeah." Ryuichi rubbed the noisy kitten's belly. "She even gave me a raise."

"Are you stupid? After what happened, you're still going back to a job that could kill you?"

Ryuichi tried not to smile. "The ironic part is that I got shot when I was out of a job. If you think about it, I was safer back when I was—"

"You dumbass!" Ryuichi didn't react when Shizue raised her voice. "What if you get shot again? Did you even stop to think about that?"

"I have." He set the kitten down and went to join his sister in the kitchen. "And honestly, I find being a bodyguard to be a lot safer than working for Dad."

Shizue started to argue back, jabbing her wooden spoon towards him when she froze.

"Actually, that's a tough call," she sighed, lowering her spoon. "But, what about those scars? We were really freaked out when you showed them to us. Like, what the hell do you do as Mitsuru-san's bodyguard? How did you get so torn up like that?"

The kitten followed Ryuichi to the kitchen and climbed him again, digging its claws into his skin as it dragged itself up his leg, his back, and onto his shoulder. When it reached the top, it mewed noisily into his ear.

"How else? I did my job, and because of that, Mitsuru's safe."

"But why does it have to be you? There are tons of other people who are probably more skilled than you, so why did she have to pick you? Why do you have to agree to it?"

"Because," he said, taking the kitten and cradling it in his arms, "it's what I want to do."

"Bullshit. You're just doing it just so you can stay close to your crush!"

He rolled his eyes. "This again?"

Shizue clearly wasn't satisfied. She kept arguing with him, desperate to get him to quit and just live a normal, quiet life, not knowing anything about Shadows and how he was, in all technicality, the only one who could actually do such a job. No matter what his sister said, Ryuichi didn't budge. He already made his choice and not once regretted it.

After dinner with his sister and niece, he returned home to the dorm, still fuming about everything his sister had said. Shizue couldn't possibly understand that the enemies he protected Mitsuru from weren't human, that it was monsters that put the scars on his body. Even if he told her everything, he was sure she wouldn't believe him. He probably wouldn't have believed it, either, but the least she could do was not call him an idiot for going back to his old job.

Back in his bedroom, Ryuichi took up his guitar with the intent to let out his frustration. Just as he was about to strum the first chord, he stopped with his hand high above his head, poised to dive down onto the strings. In that instant, he pictured Mitsuru somehow sensing that he was about to exert himself more than his body could handle.

"Dammit." He lowered his hand and set aside his guitar, sitting there silently while trying to think of some other way to vent. When he noticed how cold his room was, he got up to turn on the heater and refill his humidifier. The small chores were enough to help him calm down a bit, where he felt like he could try to play some music to try to quash his irritation. He pulled his keyboard over to his bed and tested a few notes, deciding to not use headphones this time.

He pounded out some songs, using speed and dexterity with complex chords, runs, and melodies to expel more of his annoyance. It sounded like a composed hurricane swirled within his bedroom. Gradually, the roar of songs quieted as the storm passed. Ryuichi was able to breathe again, feeling winded and dazed with a dull ache in his side.

With his anger quelled, he started a slower song from one of his favorite bands. The song's lyrics sang of a love that spanned many years with a passion that never died, a trust that never wavered, a connection that never frayed. He got as far as the first few lines before pushing his keyboard back against the wall.

He picked up his guitar again, starting the song over. At the chorus, he belted out the lyrics, unhindered by the aches he felt forming in his side and his arm. The chorus finished, letting the guitar tie him to the next verse. He took a breath, and a knock came at his door. He choked on air.

"C-Come in!" he yelped sheepishly, startled that someone had heard him. He felt as if he had been caught with his hand down his pants.

Mitsuru entered the room. She had the familiar, forlorn appearance Ryuichi had seen her wear all month long, and yet, she still managed to have a tiny twinkle in her eye.

"I thought that was you singing," she said as she approached. "I hope you weren't straining yourself playing the guitar just now."

Panic sizzled through him. "N-Not really," he murmured, unable to meet her gaze.

She stood with her arms crossed, but an apologetic expression crossed her face. "I'm sorry if I intruded," she told him, turning to the door. "If you would excuse me—"

"Wait."

Ryuichi gestured to his desk chair. "Have a seat," he offered. As she did so, he adjusted his guitar, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. He dared to take a glimpse of Mitsuru, who sat with her head slightly bowed and eyes closed, her arms still folded across her chest.

He started the song anew again—slow, soft—gradually finding courage before his audience of one. When the chorus came, he crescendoed, becoming deeply immersed in the song. His leg moved to the beat, keeping time. He belted the chorus out louder when it came around again, his muscles in his neck straining.

He strummed a single chord and let it ring. His voice carried on alone, exposed as it hung suspended in the air. A few soft plucks of the strings kept him aloft, and when the chorus picked up again, so did the guitar. He belted out the words once more, and at the end, quieted the last few lines and finished out the song.

He was shaking. The song hurt him more than he expected, taking him back to a time he never wanted to revisit. Singing it then brought back so many painfully familiar sensations that converged on him all at once. He swallowed hard, worried that Mitsuru might see how vulnerable he had rendered himself just then.

Applause. He looked up as Mitsuru swiveled the chair around to see the others standing in the doorway with appreciative smiles. Seeing them made Ryuichi ill.

"That was really good, Senpai!" Fuuka cheered.

"Incredible!" marveled Ken.

"I knew you were good, but wow," Yukari said in awe.

Akihiko nodded, smiling. "Not bad."

"Woof! Woof!"

"C'est magnifique, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said appreciatively as she stood from her chair. "It really felt like you had someone in mind as you sang."

Everyone gasped, all looking delighted while Ryuichi felt a nerve twitch in his face.

"Did you have to put it that way?" he stiffly asked Mitsuru while setting his guitar aside.

"Does that mean—?"

"Senpai has a crush on someone?"

"Who could it be?"

Amid the chatter, Minato smirked.

"Were you serenading Mitsuru-senpai just now?" their leader asked loudly.

All eyes fixed on Ryuichi. His face grew hot from their stares.

"I-I was just practicing," he uttered, cursing himself silently for his weak delivery.

"He's blushing!"

"Does that mean he likes—"

"Wait, then who was that other girl—"

"Other girl?"

"Then, he likes someone else?"

He started shaking again. "No, there's, there's no one—"

"But that other girl—"

"Oh, from the girls' kendo team?"

"Yeah! Her!"

"But then, what about Mitsuru-senpai—?"

Ryuichi got up. "I said there's no one!" he raged defensively, pushing them all out the door.

"But that song—"

"So it's not Mitsuru-senpai?"

"We're just friends!" he yelled over all of them, and slammed the door in their faces. Panting, he leaned his head against the door, vowing to never sing a ballad to a friend ever again.

"Is there really no one you like, Ryuichi?"

He had forgotten that Mitsuru was still behind him. "Not you, too!" he blurted out.

She nodded, stepping around him to get to the door. "I see. But, when you do find the right woman, that would be a nice song to express your feelings to her. Though, based on the lyrics, I suppose it's more for a couple who's been together for quite some time, isn't it?"

"Yeah, um, I guess?" he half-heartedly agreed, just wanting her to drop the subject. "So, uh, how was your day?"

She didn't talk much about it, only saying that it was tiresome and that she was ready to take a bath and go to bed. He insisted that she go and do just that when he remembered one more thing.

"Uh, Mitsuru?" he called to her just as she closed his door behind her. She returned, watching him in earnest.

Ryuichi scratched his head nervously. "Um, okay, so, I'm planning to visit the restaurant tomorrow so my parents know I'm alive, so—Can I go?"

She thinned her lip, making him worry that he was asking too much.

"Would it be all right if I joined you?" she asked, surprising him. "But, I don't know if I can do tomorrow, so—"

Ryuichi studied her for a second. "Um, is there a reason why you wanna go, if you don't mind me asking?"

She looked to him, her expression brightening a little. "I just thought I might pay them a visit and thank them properly for allowing you to work for me," she answered.

He rubbed his neck. "Um, do they know that you hired me back?"

"They do. Actually, I spoke with them on the phone about it just the other night," she said, and Ryuichi's gut shrank and wrung itself out. "Initially, they were against the idea, but after I told them that you would be working with others, they accepted."

"By 'others' you mean everyone in SEES?"

"And the maid staff, as well. You are to be my bodyguard both during the Dark Hour and during the day. Have you forgotten?"

Mitsuru smiled, as though amused that her clever twist on words appeased his parents. "As I was saying before, would it be all right if I accompanied you on your visit?"

Ryuichi saw no harm. "How about Sunday?" he asked. "Are you free then?"

"Sunday." She tested the word out herself. "Yes, I think Sunday should be fine, thank you."

"Actually, I should be thanking you," he replied with a small bow. "Thank you for dealing with my difficult family."

"And thank you for the beautiful song. Though, I apologize if my being your audience caused you trouble with the others."

His smile stiffened. "No trouble," he said without moving his lips. "Just gotta wring the neck of a certain leader, is all."

Once they had settled on the time they would go see Ryuichi's parents, Mitsuru left, letting Ryuichi finally relax. Since he saw Shizue's reaction to him going back to being Mitsuru's bodyguard, he had been afraid of how he was going to tell their parents the news. He was a little annoyed that Mitsuru had taken care of it for him, but he started to think that, as his employer, she probably thought it was her responsibility to inform his parents that she had offered him his job back, especially after everything he had been through.

But still, he made a big mistake, letting everyone hear him sing, especially Mitsuru. There was no way they were going to accept that he was just singing to practice, now that they were all convinced that he had someone he liked. And worse, since they all caught him singing to Mitsuru, he was sure that rumors would fly around about them again.

As if Mitsuru didn't already have enough to worry about...

No one had the energy to go to Tartarus that night, thanks to Career Week. Akihiko tried getting Aigis, Ken, and Koromaru to go with him, but without Fuuka, there would be no one to guide them. He ended up going on patrol around Iwatodai by himself.

Ryuichi went back to studying, wondering how Sunday would go. He imagined that his parents were livid with Mitsuru for giving him back his job, though he commended her for having the courage to go and face them again anyway. All he could do about it was coach himself to tell his family that he was set on staying as Mitsuru's bodyguard no matter what.

The next day after a half-day at school, Shiori came up to Ryuichi while he finished packing up his bag.

"You're looking a lot better now," she said, smiling.

He peered down at his sling. "Yeah, well, I'm getting there," he said, shrugging. "How've you been?"

"Pretty busy," she sighed, stepping back so he could get out of his desk. "Hey, I heard some girls say that you don't play at Chagall Cafe anymore. Is it because of your injuries?"

"Yeah. It was getting pretty hard to play," he replied, trying hard to not think about his jam session yesterday.

He looked to the empty desk in front of him. "Wait, where'd Mitsuru go?"

"Huh? She left already. You didn't see her?"

He started for the door, checking the hall through the classroom windows.

"Is everything okay?" Shiori asked him, following him to the door. "Are you two having a fight or something?"

"No, nothing like that," he said, realizing how crazy he must have looked to her right then. He exhaled, calming himself before turning back to Shiori, remembering that Mitsuru wanted him to head home directly after school again.

"Sorry. I was just going to ask her something," he murmured, unable to look Shiori in her eyes.

She flashed him a pitiful look. "Can't you just ask her when you guys see each other at the dorm?"

"Perhaps, yeah." He let out a sigh, feeling downcast that she had left him behind so quickly.

Shiori eyed him suspiciously for a second before shrugging it off. "Anyway, I'm thinking of getting some lunch, so would you like to come with me?"

He had already stepped through the classroom door. "Sorry, but maybe another time," he said as he hurried down the hall to the stairs.

Outside, he briskly crossed the schoolyard, looking for the black Kirijo car that always came to pick Mitsuru up. When he passed the school gate, he continued to search for the car in the distance, wondering how she could have left so quickly. Eventually, he gave up and figured it was best to head home. When he arrived at the Iwatodai Station, he glanced over to the strip mall in time to see Mitsuru with Minato walking into Wild-Duck Burger.

"Oh, right," he sighed to himself. "She did say that she was gonna hang out with him today."

He recalled their brief conversation during one of the breaks between classes. Mitsuru barely had a chance to tell him of her afternoon plans when her phone rang. He saw no problem with it, figuring she was perfectly safe with someone as reliable as their leader.

Breathing easier now, he figured he should grab something for lunch and headed upstairs to Beef Bowl. Halfway up the spiraling stairs, he paused.

"Did those two always hang out before?"


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter 80**

That evening, Mitsuru returned to the dorm earlier than usual with a sketchbook she received from the hospital. Everyone who saw what she had with her knew exactly what it was and where it came from, and that it came especially for Junpei. They all gathered in the dining room, sending Ken to get Junpei from upstairs. Mitsuru and Akihiko sat across from each other at the dining table, the sketchbook between them as the focal point for everyone's silent stares.

When Ken returned, everyone stiffened up. Junpei's labored footsteps thumped down the stairs and were dragged into the dining room. He kept his head down with his cap low over his eyes, avoiding everyone's gazes while digging his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Cheer up, Junpei," Akihiko said when he approached the table.

"Yeah," the morose teen muttered. "So, whaddya want?"

Mitsuru pushed the sketchbook towards him. "This came for you," she said. "It's from the hospital."

Junpei lifted his head slowly and recognized it right away. "That's—!"

"They were going through her items when they found that," Mitsuru told him.

Everyone watched him in earnest, but he just stood there, dropping his head low again.

"I know I have to snap outta this, but it's just so hard," he murmured in his anguished drone.

"You should look in it," Minato advised, but Junpei shook his head.

"Hey, Junpei? Can I take a look?" asked Yukari.

He turned away. "You wouldn't be able to understand her drawings anyways."

Despite him saying that, Yukari flipped open the sketchbook, her eyes widening.

"Wait, is this—?" she gasped.

"Wow. It's really good," Fuuka remarked with admiration.

"This is amazing," Yukari said, turning to Junpei. "Who wouldn't be able to understand it?"

He glanced back over his shoulder. "Huh?" Turning, he bent over the open sketchbook, staring at the drawings. "Is this—?"

"It's a detailed portrait of Junpei-san," Aigis said for everyone.

The likeness of the sketches were undeniably Junpei, from his ball cap to his goofy grin, and even his goatee. In every picture, he was smiling and laughing. It was likely the way that Chidori always saw him, and the Junpei that she fell in love with.

Junpei's tears spotted the page as he fell to his knees. "Chidori," he uttered, breaking down over the sketchbook.

Yukari patted his shoulder in pity. Everyone hurt for Junpei, but no one knew what to say. It had been almost a week since he lost her—too short a time to grieve. Ryuichi squeezed Junpei's shoulder, wishing he could help him somehow.

Koromaru whimpered and flattened his ears back in sympathy for their mourning friend. They all stayed with Junpei as his sobs gradually diminished. Slowly, he rose to his feet, rubbing his sleeve across his eyes as he sniffled. When he lowered his arm, his face was gaunt with grief, but a tiny ember flickered in his eyes.

"It's like she's telling me to stop moping around," he mumbled, his voice still a bit shaky.

"She must be looking out for you," Fuuka said with kind reassurance. Koromaru barked in agreement.

Junpei turned to Minato and held out his hand, looking at him with determination in his glassy eyes.

"I promise to fight to get rid of the Dark Hour," he said firmly to their leader. His expression softened. "And, I'm sorry for all the times I snapped at you. It still bothers me a little, but I want you to know that I'm counting on your abilities."

Minato took his hand and shook it. "I'm counting on you, too."

Yukari managed a weak smile. "Junpei."

Everyone had a chance to pat him on his back and shoulders, giving him encouragement. He managed a smile for them, but retreated to his room shortly after, taking the sketchbook with him.

"Poor guy," Akihiko sighed as they watched him go.

"I can't even begin to imagine what he's going through," Yukari said, turning to the others.

"Let's do our best to be there for him," Ryuichi told everyone.

"Yeah," Ken agreed.

Fuuka glanced over to the kitchen, then to the stairs where they last saw Junpei. "Oh. I don't think I saw him eat anything today," she realized. "Should we make him something?"

Everyone looked to Ryuichi. When he saw their eager stares, he let out a sigh.

"What should 'we' make him?" he grumbled.

Fuuka, Minato, and Koromaru all went with Ryuichi to the local grocery store to find something to make for dinner. They agreed that it should be something simple that Ryuichi could make enough of for everyone, something that required minimal effort that wouldn't tear his wounds open again.

"You can't go wrong with pizza," Minato suggested.

"Oh! We can all make our own!" Fuuka exclaimed.

"We have one oven and a ton of people," Ryuichi reminded them both, and saw their excitement get siphoned out of them.

When they arrived at the store, they had to leave poor Koromaru outside so they could shop. Ryuichi grabbed a cart, thinking about what other simple dishes they could cook when the two juniors started plucking items off the shelves. Ryuichi's eye twitched when the cart quickly filled up with potato chips, packets of instant curry, chocolate, strawberry cream-covered biscuit sticks, and other snacks.

"Okay, whatever we're going to make for dinner, I'm willing to pay for that, but all your little snacks and stuff you can pay for yourselves," he barked at the two juniors.

"Aw, come on, Senpai," Minato said, putting on his sad puppy eyes. "Treat us."

"If Ryuichi-senpai's treating us, then—" Fuuka wandered over to the baking aisle.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" he yelped, but the two continued to pile more goodies into the cart. "I hate you all!"

He decided for himself that he was going to make gyudon. He went around to grab all the ingredients he needed, noticing how much heavier the cart had become thanks to the others. He ended up ditching the cart for a basket, hoping to escape having to pay for everything by telling Fuuka and Minato that he couldn't push the heavy cart anymore due to his injury. To his delight, Fuuka took the basket to carry for him.

"Minato-kun, can you push the cart, please?" she asked.

When Minato followed them to the checkout lines with the full cart, Ryuichi nearly wept for his wallet.

At home, he put the two to work in helping him cook dinner. He had them prepare the onsen eggs for him while he parboiled the thin slices of beef. Fuuka watched as Ryuichi made the sauce for the beef and took notes as Minato cooked the rice. When the beef was done, Ryuichi allowed Fuuka to stir the remaining sauce for him while he added the onions and other ingredients. He added the beef last, and soon it was time to eat.

Everyone sat down to dinner, even Junpei, who filled his bowl with plenty of rice and beef. Mitsuru joined them, observing the others first while they ate. Some of them put the excess slices of beef onto a separate plate so they could balance the meat with the sauce-soaked rice. And then there was Akihiko, who ate his beef until he saw the rice underneath, and then added more beef to his bowl.

"Ryuichi-senpai, aren't you going to eat?" Minato asked when Ryuichi didn't sit down with them.

"I'll eat a little later," he said. "I had gyudon for lunch, so I'm not really feeling it yet."

He went to his room, where he changed into pajamas and a hoodie again. He was getting too used to spending much of the day in comfy clothes, but there was really no point in him stayed dressed up when he wasn't going to be hurrying anywhere anytime soon. If anything, he was amazed that Mitsuru allowed him to go grocery shopping at all, let alone cook for everyone.

He turned the heater on and refilled his humidifier. While he waited for his room to warm up, he lay horizontally across his bed to watch TV, finding a show featuring competitive eaters. With a sigh, he rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.

"Minato, huh?" He thought about when he saw Mitsuru head into Wild-Duck Burger with their leader earlier that day.

Seeing them together surprised him, as Mitsuru had been so busy lately that she almost never had any time to do anything but work right after school. To see her finally get a chance to take a break helped him breathe a little easier, though he was curious about her unusual companion of choice.

"She probably talked battle strategies with him," he said, nodding to himself. "Does she ever rest?"

After lying in bed for more than an hour, he finally felt hungry enough to have himself a beef bowl. Even though he already had one for lunch, he still managed to crave another one, and this time he knew it was tastier than what he bought. When he went out to the kitchen, he saw that the bowls were piled up on the drying rack, and the pots and pans were left drying in the sink. He stuck his face in the refrigerator and frowned.

"Seriously, guys?" he shouted towards the stairs. "You couldn't leave me any?"

He grabbed a cup of instant noodles from the pantry. "See if I cook for you all again," he muttered, imagining the satisfaction of cooking just enough for himself and making everyone watch him eat.

The next morning, Ryuichi saw Kikuno in the lounge setting up the dining table for Mitsuru's breakfast.

"Ah, good morning," she greeted him. "If you wait just a few minutes, I will have breakfast ready for both you and Ojou-sama."

"Me?" He looked at the cart by the table to see covered dishes, unable to identify what she brought.

"Ojou-sama said that the food you cooked last night was so delicious that everyone forgot to leave you some. She hoped that this would make up for that."

He almost hugged her. "I owe you both lots."

She pulled out a chair for him. He thanked her and sat down, suddenly remembering that he still owed her an apology for his behavior.

He stood back up. "Um, Kikuno-san, about the way I spoke to you before? I'm sorry," he humbly said as he bowed to her. "You were only trying to help, and I was a jerk."

Kikuno set down a plate of grilled fish in front of him a smiled. "Are you feeling better?" she asked him kindly. "If you ever need someone to talk to, you always have me."

"Thanks," he replied, still burning with some shame from his previous actions. "Oh, and, um, thank you for helping me out at the hospital and taking care of me."

"You're welcome. And thank you for the tea."

"It came already?"

"Just yesterday. Though, you didn't have to have it expedited from France for me."

He grinned. "It's better fresh, right?"

By the time Ryuichi was halfway done with breakfast, Mitsuru still had not come downstairs. After Kikuno set up Mitsuru's meal on the table, she went upstairs to check up on her. Ryuichi quickly finished the last of his meal so he could wash his dishes before Kikuno could stop him. When he finished, he headed to the back to take a look at his motorcycle before their trip to his family's restaurant. Inside the storage room, he noticed that Mitsuru's motorcycle was no longer next to his.

"Weird. Is she having it repaired?" He walked around the spot where her motorcycle should have been, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes and had to feel the empty space for himself. When nothing changed, he looked over his motorcycle, debating if he should attach the sidecar.

By the time he returned to the lounge, Mitsuru was seated at the table, almost done with her breakfast.

"Good morning," Ryuichi said to her with a smile.

She was still chewing her food as she covered up her mouth with a hand. Not until she swallowed did she return his greeting.

"Good morning. Have you eaten already?" she asked him.

"I finished before you came down," he said, grabbing a paper towel to wipe the grease off of his hands. "We're still on for today, right?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go with you today," Mitsuru told him remorsefully. "I received a call earlier saying that they moved our meeting earlier in the afternoon."

"They like doing that, don't they?" He wasn't about to give up just yet. "Where's your meeting going to be? Port Island?"

"No. It's actually not too far from your parents' restaurant, but we won't have enough time to enjoy the visit at our leisure."

"Then, what time's the meeting?"

"Three o'clock."

"And what time is it now?"

"It's just past nine."

He gave a few slow nods, thinking about their options. "How about this: we leave around twelve-thirty, eat by one, and then you can have a car pick you up at the restaurant afterward," he suggested. "Will that be enough time?"

Mitsuru's face brightened. "I think so. I'll have Kikuno make the arrangements."

"Awesome. All right, I guess I'll see you later."

"Are you going somewhere?"

Ryuichi took an exaggerated step towards his room, then rotated slowly on the balls of his feet to turn back to her in an attempt to be funny. "I was thinking I should bring something for my family and the workers, so I'm gonna bake them a cake. I have to get the ingredients, though."

"I see." Mitsuru dabbed her napkin at the corner of her lips. "Then I will accompany you."

He smiled big. "Sure thing," he replied. "And while we're at it, maybe you can help me bake."

Her expression turned fearful. "I've never baked anything before."

"That's all right. They'll eat it as long as we tell them you baked it."

"I-I resent that!"

He let out a hearty laugh that Mitsuru added a few of her own chuckles to. After she finished her breakfast and he washed the grease off of his hands, the two got ready for their trip to the local supermarket. Mitsuru made him wear his sling as a precaution, which roughly translated to "Don't you dare try to carry anything heavy" in his ears. He was able to wear it over his fleece pullover, at least, so it wasn't as bothersome as when he wore his school uniform.

Mitsuru looked at his blue jeans, his fleece pullover with the popped collar, and at his tennis shoes. She peered down at herself, wearing a short, black peacoat that ended at her waist, khaki pants, and her knee-high stiletto boots.

"Perhaps I'm over-dressed?" she asked, and he could see her expression sour.

Ryuichi smiled. "You look fine," he insisted. "That's to say, you look normal to me."

"But, you're used to seeing me like this."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

He scratched his cheek. "Actually, wait right there," he said, and returned to his room. When he came back out, he was dressed in his dark blue suit with a light blue dress shirt, black leather belt, and black leather shoes. He had his arm back in its sling, but he once again couldn't get his jacket over his left shoulder.

Mitsuru got up from her chair. "I didn't mean for you to change your clothes," she said uneasily.

"Because you were concerned that you looked too formal, right?" he asked, smiling. "It's cool. Besides, my parents are probably expecting me to look a little more presentable, especially around you since you're my boss."

She helped him get his jacket to stay on his shoulder. "This is actually considered casual, what I'm wearing," she explained to him. "It seems that our ideas of what casual is differs too greatly."

"Maybe someday we'll get you a pair of blue jeans, but you'll have to wear it to get that rugged, ripped and faded look," he said, seeing her delight at the thought. "Anyway, shall we go?"

Ryuichi put on his sunglasses and decided to forgo the fedora. He did feel a little silly going to the store in a suit, but Mitsuru seemed a little more at ease now that she wasn't the only one a little dressed up.

They barely made it out the door when they saw one of the Lost huddled just outside the dorm. He stared unblinkingly up at the sun, his school uniform filthy and hair matted. They both frowned when they recognized the Gekkoukan insignia on his jacket.

"Their numbers are increasing and we have no way to stop it," Mitsuru murmured as they passed by.

There were two more at the street corner. Another was getting pelted with rocks by some children. Ryuichi shouted at them to stop, and they fled, leaving the Lost where she swayed.

"There's gotta be a way to stop it," Ryuichi said, pitying the battered Lost. "The Dark Hour, Apathy Syndrome—all of it."

"The answer might be at the top of Tartarus," Mitsuru added. "We still have a long way to climb, but I'm sure we'll get there before graduation."

She peered over at his arm again. "I imagine you are eager to get back on the frontlines, aren't you?"

Ryuichi shot her an annoyed glance.

"All right, all right," she chuckled. "However, the best I can allow for you to do is come along with us but not engage in battle."

"So basically, Persona only, but no climbing Tartarus."

"Precisely."

"I can do that, but what about you?"

"Me? Oh, you mean not having an active bodyguard."

She pressed the crosswalk button at the street corner. "Not to belittle your job nor your abilities, I think I should be fine with our leader and whoever he chooses to be in the exploration team," she said. "I'm actually more concerned about you, as you won't be able to defend yourself until you're fully recovered."

Ryuichi could see where she was coming from with her logic, but it still hurt to hear.

"We're both in vulnerable spots, then," he remarked, trying to not sound bitter from her statement. "But, you're right; we have to trust in our teammates, kind of like what Fuuka has to do whenever she's busy navigating for us."

"Yes. If she can have faith in us, then we should be able to do the same."

At the store, it seemed like everyone in the city was there for groceries. There was less of a rush for items compared to the time when the typhoon was going to hit, but people still left their carts in the middle of the aisles, or tried squeezing through opposite traffic with their carts instead of going around a clogged section. Small children slipped through other shoppers, giggling as they made a game of the chaos. Overhead, announcements for featured items on sale came on, and some people flocked over to the displays. There were some small tables around the store where workers called out for everyone to try their samples of sauces with mushrooms, noodles, and a new brand of sausage. Ryuichi encouraged Mitsuru to sample some while he guarded the cart, but she always came back with some for him, as well.

"This is my second time here, but it still amazes me how low these prices are," Mitsuru mused as they wandered up and down the baking aisle.

Ryuichi checked some of the signs of the sale items. "Some of these are actually still kinda pricey."

"Are they? You mean, these prices can go lower?"

"Yup."

"Incroyable! But, how is that profitable?"

"It depends on the material and the cost of productions, doesn't it?" he asked, unsure of himself. "But, some things are good quality but low price, so I really have no idea."

They passed a section with cheap kitchen knives, cutting boards of plastic and wood, cookie cutters, rolling pins, and metal bowls.

"I almost forgot: I still haven't given you your souvenir from Kyoto," Mitsuru piped up.

"Aw, you didn't have to get me anything," Ryuichi said, astonished that she thought about him during the trip.

"I wanted to," she said as she examined a balloon whisk. "Seeing as you weren't able to go on the trip, I wanted you to at least have something that I thought you might find useful."

"'Useful'? So, not monkey candy?" he joked.

His words seemed to cause her grief. "Oh. Had I known, I would have—"

"Whoa! It's okay! It was just a joke!" he explained in a panic. "Besides, I ended up getting a lot of that stuff. Even Shiori brought me some."

Mitsuru cocked her head at him. "I'm sorry, but who is Shiori?"

Ryuichi paused to examine a potato peeler. "You know, Shiori Hayabusa, the captain of the girls' kendo team," he said, putting the peeler back. "She's kinda been hanging around me a lot, but she's cool."

Mitsuru took one of the cheap knives off the rack to examine. "So, is she the one you think about when you sing those songs?"

"No," he told her flatly. "I already told you before that I don't see her that way. She's been really nice to me and all, but lately I just feel smothered by her, you know?"

"Do you spend that much time with her?"

"No, I don't. She asked me if I wanted to get some lunch with her after school yesterday, but I—"

A thought struck him. "Hey, do you ever feel smothered by me?" he asked her timidly. "Like, does it get tiresome having me around? I know it's my job and all, but still—"

Mitsuru shook her head. "I've never felt that way, no," she told him, not knowing just how much pressure she had relieved in him. "I've always enjoyed your company. In fact, I've always found you very relaxing to be around."

"Really? I thought I caused you nothing but stress," he said with nervous laughter.

"Occasionally, you do," she told him bluntly with a warning look that made his smile stiffen. "But for the most part, you're a pleasure to be around.

"Now, let me turn the question back on you: Do you find me bothersome?"

"Not even in the slightest," he said with confidence. She seemed noticeably happier. "I just feel bad that I'm always taking up your time, making you study with me, and—"

Mitsuru stopped. "You've never forced me to study with you. I've always been happy to help. And as I've said before, tutoring you helps me learn the material better."

He almost brought up the argument for how he always aggravated her when he tried doing stuff instead of staying home to recover, but then realized that that was probably something best left unsaid.

They came to the end of the aisle near the seafood section, where everyone was shuffling along with their carts, some trying to pass in the opposite direction. Ryuichi took hold of the front of the cart to pull through the flow of shoppers. He could feel Mitsuru pushing it with a little more force than necessary, letting him know that she didn't need his assistance to get through. He let the cart go, walking ahead so Mitsuru could follow him through the crowds. He nearly stumbled when the cart accidentally nipped his ankle.

"Sorry!" he heard Mitsuru utter from behind him.

"It's all good," he told her, smiling through the pain.

He led her to the produce section on the left side of the store. They wandered up and down the aisles while browsing the different fruits. Ryuichi frowned at all the high prices, knowing that he had to be more careful with his budget until he could officially start working again. He just wished he didn't end up paying for his dorm mates' snacks last night.

"Going back to what we were talking about earlier, it sounds to me like Hayabusa still has feelings for you," Mitsuru noted while they looked for the nicest batch of strawberries.

"Still?" Ryuichi sighed. "Is this what it feels like when guys come onto girls?"

"I don't understand. What do you mean by that?"

"Like those guys at those parties you attend, who try to talk you up and stuff and won't leave you alone."

Mitsuru's eyes opened wide. "I didn't realize that men go through that, too."

"Apparently, we do," he sighed again. "But, I can't just tell her to go away. She hasn't done anything wrong, and she's been really nice and all, but—"

He made a face. "Great, now I just sound like a whiny jerk."

"You do," Mitsuru agreed with a chuckle. Ryuichi stuck his tongue out at her. "But really, she does seem like a good person. I've noticed that she seems to care very much for you. Perhaps you could give her a chance?"

Ryuichi stuck a package of strawberries into the cart and went searching for another one. "Is there any point if you're not attracted to the person?"

Mitsuru paused, appearing momentarily taken aback. "Like I said before, my parents learned to love each other over time. Perhaps the same will happen for you."

"But, that's different: They were arranged for each other. If my parents were going to arrange a marriage for me, they'd most likely pick someone like you," he said, frowning when he saw a strawberry with a bruise on it.

He found another package of strawberries he was satisfied with. "Okay, next we need to get eggs," he announced. When Mitsuru said nothing, he turned around and saw her wearing a blank stare. "Hey, are you okay?"

She jumped. "Hm? Oh, yes. Eggs," she said quickly and began pushing the cart.

"I think your parents give me far too much credit," she told him as they passed by the seafood section again.

"Please. They adore you."

"No need to flatter me, Ryuichi." She didn't look amused at all. "I'm really not all that remarkable."

"But you are," he insisted. He paused so he could push someone's abandoned cart off to the side of the aisle. "You're incredibly smart, kind, caring, bold, and stronger than anyone else I know. And did I mention that you're really smart?"

"You have your good points, too," Mitsuru said, sounding slightly combative. "You're also very smart, compassionate, have an affinity to music that you don't see often, and I've always admired that you were able to support your family despite your differences. It takes a strong person to be able to do that."

He shrugged, embarrassed that she had so many nice things to say about him. "You forgot hot," he added jokingly.

She chuckled. "Very well. You're not unpleasant to look at."

"Hey! Well, your face doesn't hurt my feelings, so I guess you're okay."

They both ended up laughing as they neared the dairy aisle. Between giggles, Ryuichi pointed to one of the cartons of eggs for Mitsuru to grab while he went to get the butter.

"I've missed this," she said as she put the eggs into the cart. "Being so carefree, talking with you—I feel like I didn't fully appreciate my life as a student, now that I've become the head of the Group."

Ryuichi kept smiling, even when he heard the wistful tone in her voice. "Just because you're the new head of your family doesn't mean you have to give up on having fun," he told her. "It just means we gotta work a little harder so you can have fun, and that kinda makes it more worth it, doesn't it?"

She smiled easier now. "You're right," she agreed.

Mitsuru paid for the groceries this time, but only because Ryuichi couldn't get to his wallet fast enough, thanks to the sling. He wasn't mad, but pretended to be displeased, allowing her to enjoy her victory for the time being while he silently thanked her for sparing his bank account.

Back at the dorm, Ryuichi removed his sling and his blue blazer and rolled up his sleeves. As he put on an apron, Mitsuru shed her coat and white scarf to reveal a crisp, white blouse with an amethyst brooch at the base of her throat.

"Are you ready to make a strawberry shortcake?" Ryuichi asked her grandly as he handed her a spare apron.

"I think so," she said, sounding unsure. "I don't know how much help I will be."

"Plenty. You've got two arms."

"That can't be all it takes," she chuckled.

He went to preheat the oven. "Then, I'll be the brain and you be the muscle."

Together, they worked to make the cake batter. Ryuichi assembled the electric hand mixer to use himself, but Mitsuru took it from him before he could even plug it in. She did, however, let him add the ingredients into the mixing bowl. When everything was combined, it was Mitsuru again who poured the batter into the cake pan. Ryuichi handed her a silicone spatula to scrape off the batter stuck to the bowl.

"You read my mind," she said as she took the spatula. "I would sometimes happen upon a cooking show that never seemed to get the excess out of the bowl. It always bothered me, since it seems like such a waste."

"Right?" Ryuichi blasted in excitement, startling Mitsuru. "I don't care if they just edited the footage to cut out that part—It's just so unsatisfying!"

She chuckled as she put the cake pan into the oven. He was still smiling broadly while he set the timer for fifty minutes.

While he had Mitsuru wash and slice up the strawberries, Ryuichi got started on the frosting. He watched as she cut off the leafy ends of the strawberries, sometimes taking off more strawberry than necessary. She then set them down on their flattened tops to cut them in half. He couldn't help but smile when she carefully touched the edge of the knife's blade to the narrow tips of the strawberries, then with her other hand, gently pushed down on the knife to slice through. She had a hardened look on her face from concentrating so hard, where she didn't even notice that he snapped a photo of her on his phone. When he showed her the intense look on her face, she blushed and became hesitant when she went back to work.

He finished the frosting before she could cut the entire package of strawberries. Then again, she was so focused on cutting them perfectly while trying to not look so tense that she didn't even notice that he used the hand mixer. He apologized for troubling her with the photo and grabbed another knife to help her out.

"I almost forgot: Let me get your souvenir," Mitsuru said as she set down her knife.

"Really? Right now?" he asked as she hurried off. He checked the amount of strawberry halves they had ready, figuring he should cut a few more. He finished washing the strawberries in the second package just as Mitsuru returned with a small cardboard box.

"It's one of those torii gates, isn't it?" he joked.

She flashed him a smug smile. "Guess again."

He took the box and sliced through the tape with the knife. Inside was another box, thin and black. He opened it to find a kitchen knife, the blade so clean and smooth that he almost thought it was made of pure silver as he stared at his reflection. On one side, it read the maker's name in big characters, and his name was engraved in smaller characters just above it.

"Holy cow," he uttered, turning it over and over in his hands. "This is from one of the best kitchen knife makers in all of Japan, isn't it?"

"Do you like it?" she asked nervously. "I remembered that you would often have to take time to sharpen the knives here at the dorm, so I thought this might keep its edge better."

He admired the simple wooden handle, liking the way it fit in his hand. "Wow. I gotta try this out," he said as he washed the knife.

He washed an apple and began to peel off the skin in a single, long ribbon. He then cut a few slices, shaving off layers so thin and transparent that he could see his fingers through them.

"Daaaamn!" he laughed. "That's quality! Thank you, Mitsuru!"

He wiped the blade clean, looking for more things to cut. "Can't let the others touch this," he said ecstatically to himself. "They'll lose all their fingers."

Next to him, Mitsuru gave a satisfied nod. "I'm glad you like it," she said.

"More than like! I love it! But, wow, I gotta work on my cooking skills if I wanna be worthy of this," he said, still grinning. "All the more reason to keep cooking!"

He almost moaned when he sliced through more strawberries, where all he had to do was let the weight of the knife fall through them, doing all the work for him. When he had only a few full strawberries left to decorate the cake, he turned back to the half-cut apple to reduce to wedges and removed the core with ease. He let Mitsuru snack on the apple slices while he grabbed another apple, making more slices to look like little rabbits by using the skin to give them their signature long ears.

"Mitsuru, you're the best!" he couldn't stop saying. "I still can't believe you got me this after all that's happened."

"Why not? You are my friend, and I felt terribly that you didn't join us," she told him as he washed the knife again. "And in regards to what happened in the past, let this be the last time I have to say it: I don't blame you for this past month's events, so you have nothing to feel remorseful for."

Coming from her, he realized that he had no reason to doubt that she didn't blame him one bit. He had already slowly begun to accept that he wasn't entirely at fault for her father's death, but hearing her say it again kept making it more and more real for him.

With nothing more to do but wait for the cake, Mitsuru and Ryuichi both headed to their rooms. He put his new knife back in its box for safekeeping, searching for a place to keep it. At first, he put it in a drawer, but soon took it back out to admire again. He thought about putting it on one of his shelves, but worried about it getting covered in dust. He almost considered getting a special stand made to put it on display like a sword, but realized that dust would still settle on it. When he heard the timer go off in the kitchen, he left the knife on his desk and went to check on the cake.

He let the cake cool on the countertop before attempting to remove it from the pan. With the kitchen so cold from the chilly fall weather, it didn't take long for it to cool down. Ryuichi called Mitsuru on her cell phone to let her know that it was ready for them to decorate.

He let her use a bread knife to cut the rounded top off the cake to make it flat. They both sampled the scraps, getting a light taste of vanilla. When they both agreed that it tasted good, he had Mitsuru saw the cake in half horizontally. They put wax paper on a cake turntable, then set the bottom layer of the cake on top of it.

Under Ryuichi's instructions, Mitsuru slathered a thick layer of vanilla frosting over the first layer of cake. Together, they arranged some strawberry slices in the frosting, taking care to fill in the gaps so there was a strawberry in every bite. Mitsuru then put another generous helping of frosting before laying the other half of the cake on top.

Ryuichi took over the next part. He coated the entire cake with frosting, rotating the turntable to spread it around and smooth it out. He then took a plastic zipper bag and snipped off one of the corners, fitting a little metal piping tip in the opening. After filing the bag with the remaining frosting, Ryuichi showed Mitsuru how to squeeze a swirly dollop onto the cake, then let her do the rest. They topped the crown of fluffy frosting puffs with whole, fat strawberries as a final touch.

"It looks wonderful," Mitsuru told him as they put the cake in a cake box.

"And you were worried that you wouldn't be able to make a good cake," he said, grinning. "You did good!"

"Only because you guided me on what to do," she replied, but smiled nonetheless. "So, shall we go?"

"Sure. Just one thing, though."

"What is it?"

He patted the cake box lightly. "How exactly are we going to transport this?" he asked with a sheepish grin.


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter 81**

They agreed that taking Ryuichi's motorcycle would be the fastest way to the restaurant, but only if they ditched the sidecar. Mitsuru was concerned that, since Ryuichi was still recovering from his injuries, the strain would be too great on his body if they got stuck in traffic. If they took a Kirijo car, Ryuichi would be left stranded at the restaurant, and Mitsuru expressed her disdain at the thought of him walking home, where he would be vulnerable to attack. When he told her he could ride the bus, she argued that he would still be open to the dangers of the city. When he saw that she was set in her decision, Ryuichi became quick to agree with her.

He had to somehow tie the cake down in front of his seat on the motorcycle so that Mitsuru could sit behind him. She offered to drive instead, as she had full use of both arms, but then remembered that she had not driven in months.

"It might not be safe if I drive," she said miserably.

"I got this," he told her as he finished strapping down the cake box with some bungee cords.

They both left the storage room to freshen up. Ryuichi put his blue blazer back on, tossing both their aprons into his hamper to be washed later. They met back up in the storage room while Ryuichi checked and double-checked how securely tied down the cake was, and when they were both ready to go, he got on his motorcycle first. Mitsuru settled in behind him, and when she put her arms around his middle, he flinched.

"Gotcha!" he laughed.

"That wasn't amusing in the least," she hissed.

"You're right, you're right. Sorry." He guided her hands to where she could latch onto him safely without aggravating his injury. When her hands found purchase, she was still so gentle with her touch that he shook his head.

"If you don't hold tight, you're gonna fall off," he warned.

Mitsuru finally wrapped her arms around him, though she did so carefully. They went on their way, filled with elation from their freedom until they hit traffic just a few blocks away.

"We're not even on the main road yet," he murmured, his voice muffled by his helmet.

They slipped right between long lines of cars with ease, eventually seeing the flashing red lights of police cars and fire trucks up ahead creating a barricade to block something from view. During their slow ride through the traffic, Ryuichi could see a number of the Lost up and down the sidewalks. Their numbers made the conscious passersby look like the odd ones out.

Even the outskirts of Iwatodai had some of the Lost dwelling in the streets, though their numbers were significantly fewer. Young mothers would pull their children away from them when one came too close. Ryuichi witnessed a Lost step off the curb and into the street when they passed by. Tires screeched behind them, and enraged drivers leaned on their horns.

"Do you think that's what caused that other accident?" Mitsuru called from the back.

"Could be!" Ryuichi shouted over the engine.

Before long, Ryuichi parked outside the restaurant. There was no line leading out the door, and the seats inside were half-empty. As far as he could tell, people were still eating the food, though no one seemed to be buying the burgers. They all had brisket, ribs, or pulled pork sandwiches, and someone had a grilled chicken sandwich.

"So this is the famous Toshio's," Mitsuru said as she got off the motorcycle first.

"It's barely even half the restaurant it used to be," Ryuichi said woefully. "We used to get lines that almost wrapped around the building."

She helped Ryuichi get his sling on. His side was starting to ache again, just minor enough to be annoying without hindering him. After helping him adjust his jacket, Mitsuru carried the cake while Ryuichi got the door for her.

There was a short line at the counter with just Ryuichi's mother at the register. The two waited at the back of the line, giving Mitsuru a chance to marvel at the pieces of Americana all over the walls. There were pictures of a young, silvery-gray-haired Toshio at the Grand Canyon with some college buddies on one of their road trips, pictures of Toshio wearing a black cowboy hat while riding horses with the same friends, and post cards of various places around the country. Amid the Americana was a giant, glass case filled with numerous awards for his barbecue.

"It's so different from Wild-Duck," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi. "This place really immerses the customers in the aesthetic of the American culture, although I'm not sure how well the paraphernalia captures its true essence."

"Dad loved America so much he wanted to make a restaurant about it," Ryuichi explained, feeling some pride swell in his chest. "I guess he wanted to share the flavors with Japan."

"I see. And, is that also part of the American aesthetic?"

Mitsuru pointed to a section of a wall that had been cleared away. "Oh, that's for people who complete the Mount 'Murica Challenge," Ryuichi explained. "It's basically a massive burger that up to two people can try to eat. If they finish it within an hour, they get their photos up on the wall and some T-shirts to commemorate their victory. So far, no one's even taken on the challenge."

She kept staring at the cleared space. "It looks like someone's already defeated it."

Ryuichi squinted hard at the empty spot, seeing that there was indeed a single photo near the top, just under the challenge's name. The two approached the wall, inching closer, closer, until both pulled back and gasped. There in the photo next to Toshio was their beloved leader, Minato, with sauces smeared all around his mouth, triumphantly holding up an enormous, empty plate and his commemorative T-shirt with his frustratingly indifferent expression.

Ryuichi almost needed to sit down for a moment while they both processed what they had just seen. As he leaned against an empty booth, he noticed that something was missing. There was American rock music playing softly overhead, the light murmur of customers talking, even a few lips smacking—But no yelling. Ryuichi's body became tense in anticipation of getting reamed with a lecture or getting mocked, but nothing came.

Ayumi was actually smiling at the customers up at the front, and he spotted Shizue salting fries fresh out of the fryer, talking happily with a coworker. The only one he couldn't see was Toshio, who was most likely in the back with the smokers.

It was while they were standing in line that Ryuichi felt nervous about having Mitsuru there. It was her first time at the restaurant, and Ryuichi wasn't sure if his family would be on their best behavior for longer than five minutes. Any second now, he expected his father to explode and start cussing out a worker.

Or worse, he wasn't sure if they were still upset with Mitsuru for giving him both his jobs back. For all he knew, they were going to yell at her.

"Ryuichi!" his mother cried with delight when they approached the counter. "Oh, and Mitsu—I mean, Kirijo-sama!"

Ryuichi grinned. "Hi, Mom."

Since there were no customers behind them, Ayumi came out from behind the counter to hug her son. "You're looking so much better now!" she exclaimed.

She turned to Mitsuru next. "Kirijo-sama, thank you for taking care of our son," she said, bowing. "Without you, he might not be standing here today!"

Mitsuru smiled at her. "Ryuichi has been a good friend of mine, so it's only natural that I would reciprocate the same care he's always given me," she said to her. "And, there's no need for formalities. Please, just 'Mitsuru' is fine."

Ryuichi's mother looked flustered. "But, you're the head of your family now."

"That's all right. You've known me for a few years now, so please feel free to call me by my name."

Ayumi beamed. "Then, thank you very much, Mitsuru-san!"

Without warning, Ryuichi's mother embraced Mitsuru. Ryuichi flinched, fearing that she had overstepped her boundaries, but Mitsuru stiffly returned her embrace with her one free arm. He quickly took the cake from her so she could hug Ayumi properly.

"Ryuichi," his mother said as she let the stunned Mitsuru go. "If you're going to continue as Mitsuru-san's bodyguard, then you'd better make sure to take good care of her."

He made a strangled noise. "Wait, you're actually okay with me being a bodyguard again?"

She frowned. "Of course I'm not! I don't like the idea of you putting yourself in danger, but I know I can't convince you to quit."

His mother hugged him again. "But, are you sure you should be out and about right now? Your injuries—"

"I'm fine, Mom," he reassured her, ignoring the dull ache growing under his arm. "And about being a bodyguard? Just think: I was shot when I _wasn't_ working for Mitsuru."

"But, those scars—"

Mitsuru stepped up. "It's because I was reckless before, Okazaki-san," she said to her mournfully. "For that, you have my deepest apologies. But I assure you that others will also work alongside your son while he performs his duties. He won't be working again until around the end of December, but until then, I will personally make sure that he makes a full recovery."

Ayumi blinked, looking like she was about to protest against her son putting himself in danger again.

She bowed instead. "Please continue to take care of my son," Ayumi said, surprising Ryuichi. "You've protected him from his bullies, and he's only become stronger since then, so I know that he is safest with you."

Mitsuru bowed in return, bending lower than Ayumi. "Thank you for letting your son continue as my butler and bodyguard, Okazaki-san," she replied.

Ayumi straightened up. "Please, call me 'Ayumi'," she told her with a warm smile, though Ryuichi could still see in his mother's eyes that she didn't want either of them in any danger whatsoever.

She called the others over so they could see Ryuichi. As his sister had told him before, Akamine and Kaminori had indeed returned to work, and both seemed strangely glad to be back. Everyone gave him pats on his back and shoulders, asking him to tell the story of how he ended up getting shot and what he was doing out so late taking on bad guys with guns.

Shizue hugged her brother before he could tell the story the others asked for. "I never thought I'd see you around here again," she said.

"And miss out on the best barbecue? Hell, no," he answered back with a laugh.

Toshio appeared, reeking of smoke and barbecue, as he always did. He had a big grin on his face as he pulled Ryuichi into one of his big bear hugs.

"You really scared us, son!" he told him.

"Sorry, Dad," he gasped. His arms were pinned down from the hug, his injured side screaming in pain. He somehow managed to keep smiling.

His father looked to Mitsuru. "Thank you again for saving our son. If you hadn't found him, we might've lost him for sure."

"I can't take credit for that. One of the other residents at the dorm saw him heading towards the school that night," Mitsuru told them. Ryuichi suspected that she meant Fuuka, but not in the way his family might think.

Toshio wrapped her up in a hug, as well. Mitsuru went rigid, but as she did with Ayumi, she stiffly returned the hug and started to look as though she was getting used to anticipating the amount of physical contact she was making with everyone.

"Are you two hungry?" Toshio asked them both with a grin. "Feel free to pick anything you like. It's on us as thanks for taking care of our son."

Shizue spotted the cake box that Ryuichi carried. "Hey, what's this?"

"It's a strawberry shortcake that Mitsuru baked," Ryuichi said, holding it out to her.

"With guidance from Ryuichi," Mitsuru added quickly. "It's just a small way of saying thank you for allowing your son to work for me."

Toshio's face fell. "So, you're really set on that?" he asked Ryuichi.

"I am," he said, growing with confidence the more times he said it. His father clapped a hand on his shoulder before pulling him into another crushing hug that the others had to rescue him from. Ryuichi had to resist touching a hand to his aching side.

Shizue thanked them again and brought the cake to the back. Ayumi and Toshio invited the two to place their orders before returning behind the counter.

"They all sound so delectable," Mitsuru said as she browsed the menu overhead. Her eyes paused for a few seconds on each item written in colorful chalk. "What would you recommend?"

"Everything," Ryuichi said, and whispered, "but, I'm not so sure about the burgers."

They ordered the brisket, a rack of ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, and a basket of fries, figuring that it would be best to share everything since they ordered plenty. They were each given their own monstrous, American-sized cups for drinks, and when Mitsuru tried to pay for everything, Ayumi refused her credit card.

"It's our small thanks for taking care of our son," she told her again, smiling.

Mitsuru obviously wanted to protest, but Ryuichi ushered her away towards the soda fountain while thanking his mother.

"It just doesn't seem right," Mitsuru said softly to him as they took their seats at a booth near the counter. "You've mentioned before that your family's restaurant isn't doing well financially, so for me to not have to pay—"

"There _is_ another way you can help," he suggested, though he worried that it looked like he was exploiting her guilt. "Just order a bunch of stuff for everyone at the dorm and pay for that."

The concern on her face faded off. " I see. It would be a simple way to show my support for the restaurant, and I'm sure everyone at home would appreciate the meal."

"It's gonna cost you quite a bit, though," Ryuichi realized, his eyes flickering to the prices on the boards.

"Not at all. Now, what do you think everyone will like?"

Ryuichi ran down the list of what he usually got everyone. "Akihiko's easy, and Junpei likes cheese and bacon, but I wouldn't recommend ordering the burgers anymore."

The two played around with ideas for what to get the other SEES members. Mitsuru pointed out that Yukari was being careful about her weight and thought to get either a grilled chicken sandwich or a salmon burger. The two had a good laugh about how Akihiko might look if they presented him with a salad.

"Just yesterday, I went with Arisato to Wild-Duck Burger for the first time," Mitsuru started telling him. "Since I only had your family's hamburgers to sample prior to the experience, my expectations were probably higher than I should have allowed them to be."

Ryuichi smirked behind his hand. "So, what did you think about Wuck's?"

She made a face, like she was fighting to not give a pitiful smile. "For a franchise, it had its charm for its prices, but it lacks the depth of your family's flavors."

His face hurt from smiling so much.

"It looks like you still have some fondness for this place," she said appreciatively. "Is it strange to be back here after you quit?"

"Kind of, since I left after verbally ripping my family apart," he murmured, lowering his face in shame.

"What is it that you said to them when you quit, if you don't mind me asking?"

Hesitating, Ryuichi glanced back at the counter to see Shizue bring their order to them. There was the half rack of ribs, the pulled pork sandwich already cut in half for them to share, and the brisket came sliced in a bun and also cut in half, with extra barbecue sauce set off to the side in a cup. The fries came in two baskets, one garlic and one regular, along with three big plastic cups of ranch dressing. It was the perfect excuse for him to not answer Mitsuru's question just yet, not wanting to ruin the mood.

"I gotcha, Little Bro," Shizue said with a wink. He knew she was referring to the extra cups of ranch dressing.

After she left, Ryuichi turned back to Mitsuru. Her eyes feasted on the food, darting from brisket to ribs to pork. For the moment, it appeared that she had forgotten about her question and was too busy admiring the spread.

Ryuichi removed his sling so he had more freedom to eat. While Mitsuru stared, he reached for a particularly long, golden fry and dipped it into some ranch dressing before taking a bite.

"It looks to me like your family isn't too upset with you over what you said to them before," Mitsuru said to him. "But, as for you continuing as my bodyguard and butler, it's clear that they wish you would change your mind, but I think they've come to accept that you're capable of making your own decisions."

He reached for another fry. "Sounds good to me," he said. "And don't feel bad about them being against me working for you. Like you said, this is my decision, and I think you're right that it's a lot safer for me to work with everyone."

They shared a smile with a mutual agreement to suspend the topic for the moment so they could enjoy their meal. Ryuichi helped himself to some more fries when Mitsuru got his attention.

"Um, Ryuichi? I see that these two are of a sandwich variety, but what is the etiquette in regards to this one?"

She gestured to the ribs. Ryuichi reached over and cut one loose from the rack. He held it with just his thumbs and fingers and bit into the tender, succulent meat, pausing to cover his mouth so he could lick the tangy sauce from his lips. Mitsuru looked positively mortified at the barbaric method of dining.

"That's why they gave us so many napkins," Ryuichi explained, looking to the healthy pile on the table. "Go ahead. Try one."

Mitsuru tentatively held the next rib with the tips of her thumb and finger while she sawed it off the rack. Ryuichi watched her while feasting on another fry, seeing the awe and wonder in her expression as she lifted the rib to her face. She took a careful bite, pulling her lips back and away from her teeth. A blissful smile drifted onto her face.

"It's so tender!" she marveled, almost moaning. "It just melts in your mouth! And that blend of spices with the sweetness of the sauce and the smoky flavor—C'est très bon!"

She took another bite. "I never told you this before, but my father first sampled your family's food a few years ago after you joined SEES," she said, covering her mouth. "He said that he enjoyed it so much, he would sometimes treat himself to it whenever he was in town."

"He did?" It was Ryuichi's turn to be awestruck.

"Indeed, and he said he loved everything, including the aesthetic of eating with your hands. I thought he was teasing me, but there's a unique charm to having the satisfaction of dining without utensils."

He tried to imagine Takeharu Kirijo teasing his daughter as Mitsuru tried the pulled pork sandwich next.

"Superb! The sweetness of the coleslaw pairing with the tang of the barbecue sauce complement each other well!"

Last was the brisket. "Perfectly succulent, but what makes it so delectable is that crust all around the edges. It's just the right amount of bitter with sweet, and the meat is cooked to perfection, as expected!"

Ryuichi felt proud each time Mitsuru praised his father's food. He caught sight of his father putting an arm around his mother as they observed Mitsuru enjoying the different dishes.

Mitsuru helped herself to some fries. "Incroyable! They're so light and crispy outside, and so fluffy on the inside. And, is that a hint of garlic?"

"Garlic fries, yes," Ryuichi answered as she reached for another fry.

During a lull, Ayumi came by their table, offering to refill their drinks and asking how the food was.

"Everything was absolutely divine," Mitsuru told her. "My compliments to the chef!"

Toshio came over as Mitsuru told Ayumi about her father frequenting the restaurant. The three Okazakis brimmed with pride, all blushing and smiling bashfully as they thanked her for her kind praises, deflecting some of it for the sake of humility.

"We are very sorry for his passing," Toshio said woefully to her about her father. "We can see what kind of man he was reflected in you. I'm sure he's very proud of you."

"Mitsuru-san, we would be more than happy to open our home and our family to you," Ayumi told her. "We'll be right here for you if you ever need anything, the way you've always been there for our son."

She cast a sidelong glance at Ryuichi. "I do hope he's been behaving himself," Ayumi murmured.

Soda bubbles almost went up Ryuichi's nose. "What do you think I do when you're not around?" he asked indignantly.

Shizue came by, snickering along with everyone. "Don't try to fight it, Ryu-chan. Mom and Dad are convinced you're wooing girls by singing to them."

"I'm not! Well, I mean, working at Chagall doesn't count—"

"So it's true!"

"They were just little old ladies at the cafe!"

"Dude, gross! Gold digger!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Ryuichi, I think it's time you and I had a little talk," his father said sternly.

"I know where babies come from, Dad!"

Ryuichi hung his head while the others had a good laugh. Out of all of them, Mitsuru's laughter was the heartiest. He never thought that his family would ever make anyone smile as much as she did just then, nor did he ever think he would enjoy himself around them.

When Mitsuru and his parents started talking about business, Ryuichi slipped away to go wash his hands. The dull ache in his side was now accompanied by painful spasms that came and went. He had been so distracted with all the fun that it was only when he stepped away that he took notice of it again. He still didn't take a painkiller, as he was too concerned that he might fall asleep during their visit or on the drive home.

He returned to the dining area to see Mitsuru engaged in conversation with his dad, who now occupied his seat. Ayumi was back behind the counter, serving customers.

Kaminori came by and grinned at Ryuichi. "So, it's not every day you survive getting shot," she said to him. "I'm guessing your girlfriend made the recovery go a lot easier?"

"Oh, we're not like that," Ryuichi said without hesitation. "She's my classmate and my boss."

"Your boss? The one who fired you?"

"Well, same boss, but she didn't fire me. It was the Board of Directors who fired me without her consent while she was in mourning, so she wasn't happy about that."

"Yeah? Why'd they go and fire you?"

"They thought that, since she's the new head of her family's company, she should have someone more experienced be her bodyguard."

"But she took you back?"

Ryuichi nodded. "Yeah. I guess I'm not too bad at my job, huh?"

Shizue happened to come their way and snorted. "Says the guy covered in scars," she said, flicking Ryuichi's bangs to show off the big scar over his brow.

"Yeah, but if he's the one covered in scars, doesn't that mean that she isn't?" asked Kaminori.

Ryuichi high-fived Kaminori when Shizue couldn't say anything back. Both women went back to wiping down tables, leaving Ryuichi to think that just because Mitsuru wasn't covered in scars didn't mean that he could slack off. He needed to get stronger, faster, smarter—not just for Mitsuru's sake, but for his, as well.

He looked back at the table to see Toshio unusually silent while Mitsuru spoke. He couldn't hear them over the music playing on the radio, nor the noises in the kitchen, but it was clear that she was telling him something that was changing his world. He couldn't remember a time his father actually listened to someone with such intensity before, having always been the one to do all the talking.

Ryuichi checked the time on his phone. It was about twenty minutes before the car would come to pick Mitsuru up. He went to let Mitsuru know when he saw her hand the list of orders for their friends to Toshio.

"We'll have it out in record time!" Toshio reassured her. "But, how will you get it to the dorm?"

"I'll do what we did with the cake," Ryuichi offered as he approached the table. "Just, make sure to wrap them up in a couple of bags and put them in a box, okay?"

Ryuichi went with Mitsuru when she paid. She struck up a conversation with Ayumi, also talking about business.

"—The food is exquisite, but from what I read online, there seems to be constant conflict amongst the staff," Mitsuru said.

"That would be Toshio and Shizue," Ayumi murmured in shame. "They've calmed down after what happened to Ryuichi, but I'm worried that it won't last for very long."

But Ayumi waved it all off. "There's no need to worry about us, Mitsuru-san," she insisted. "You have so many more important things to take care of."

"I can always make time to help my friend's family business," Mitsuru said kindly.

All there was left to do now was wait for the car to pick Mitsuru up. They returned to their table with containers for their leftovers, though it was really all Mitsuru's half of the food.

"It's interesting that I'm hearing different reasons for why the restaurant is struggling," Mitsuru said quietly to Ryuichi.

"Yeah. Um, I'm sorry that my family turned it into a business kind of day," Ryuichi said glumly.

"I had a lot of fun today," Mitsuru said, smiling. "I feel like I learned a lot about what's been going on here at the restaurant."

That caught his interest. "Care to explain?"

She cast her gaze over the cabinet full of awards. "It sounds to me like your father was afraid of ending up like his friend who was sued for putting out bad food," she told him. "His fear grew the more popular the restaurant became. More success means a greater chance of someone making a false claim against him for the sake of fast money—just like what happened to your father's friend."

Ryuichi began to see where moments of his father's psychotic rage started to make some sense.

"So all this time, it really was just because of a traumatic event that happened to someone else," he said with a sigh, recalling that it was what his father kept saying all year long when the restaurant started to tank.

Mitsuru gave a single nod. "It seems that way."

"That still doesn't excuse everything," Ryuichi pointed out. "Why did he have to lash out every time we screwed up? Why couldn't he take the blame for stuff he did?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but it could be simply because that is how your father is," she said in a low enough voice that only he could hear. "When you pair that with the stress and anxiety of possibly encountering someone who might try to find any excuse to sue him, he started to lash out to protect his livelihood. It's likely that he spent years developing his own rigid rules for the restaurant to prevent any possible mistakes that could cost him the restaurant.

"So, naturally, when he saw you and your sister doing things that did not align with his ways, he became hostile, but did so to protect his livelihood. And, in protecting his livelihood, he was also protecting his family."

Ryuichi had initially thought that his father was just being paranoid over something that had happened to someone else years ago. He never thought once that his father might have been traumatized by the event, that it would cause him to change into somewhat of a tyrant years later when the restaurant became famous. He knew his father to have been a little too proud at times, but to think that Toshio's fear was so deeply rooted in concern for all of them that it turned into arrogance made it even more difficult for him to stomach.

But, hearing Mitsuru's explanation made him begin to think that his father wasn't such a bad guy after all, though it would have been nice if he went about protecting the family livelihood in a less mentally and emotionally scarring way.

"There is still a chance that the restaurant can bounce back from all its losses."

Mitsuru's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "What?"

She set her soda cup down. "I had a talk with your parents, and we're going to try to restore the restaurant's image to prevent it from closing down. It will take some time, but I'm sure that we will be able to do it."

The determination in her eyes and in her aura made Ryuichi think that it might not be impossible. After all, she was the head of one of Japan's leading companies, and so far, under her leadership for the past month, the Kirijo Group was still standing. A little restaurant like theirs would be easy for her to fix, but what about his father's and sister's attitudes? If she could fix those, then she would have done the insurmountable.

Ryuichi found himself smiling. "You truly are fit to be the new head of the Kirijo Group."

She blinked. "You think so?"

"Yeah. Even though our restaurant's a small, failing business, you still took the time to do your research, asked my family about the situation, and are now trying to help us rebuild even though you've got a lot going on. You're taking charge and fixing the problems we couldn't fix ourselves."

He frowned at himself. "But me? I just gave up and quit."

"Even so, there's something admirable in you walking away from something that ended up being toxic to your wellbeing," Mitsuru told him. "I'm glad that you were able to take a stand and move on to pursue something you're passionate about."

"Are you talking about working at Chagall or working for you?"

She paused, looking a bit perplexed. "Well, which one do you prefer?"

Ryuichi exaggerated thinking hard by putting his hand on his chin. "Well, working for you is definitely more exciting than playing at Chagall, and at least I don't have to perform in front of a crowd."

"But, you always look so comfortable onstage."

"Oh, no. I'm a complete wreck until I finish the first song."

He looked outside in time to see a black car pull up in front of the restaurant. "Looks like your ride's here," he told her.

He reassured her that he would take care of her leftovers along with the food she bought for the other SEES members. Mitsuru stopped by the front counter to thank Ayumi and Toshio and was answered with big hugs from both. Again, she stiffened in their warm embraces, but was now quicker to return the favor.

"You should come and have dinner at our house one of these days," Ayumi offered. "We would love to have you. And don't worry: Toshio and I know how to cook more than just burgers and barbecue."

"I would be delighted," Mitsuru replied, still looking a bit flustered from their hugs. When they parted, she bowed to them and thanked them once more.

"I had a wonderful time today," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi on their way to the car. "Thank you for letting me accompany you. I apologize if I encroached on any time between you and your family."

"Believe me, I'm glad you came," he said gratefully. "Maybe next time, it won't be quite so business-y."

"I look forward to it."

He opened the car door for her and helped her inside. She had a firm grip on his hand, holding it for a second too long after she had already settled in the back seat. As the car pulled away, he saw that her smile had gone, leaving her looking grim and lost in a daze, the way he had been seeing her whenever she left for or returned from a meeting, or whatever it was that she did for work.

Back inside the restaurant, all their orders had been finished and were now being stuffed into thick, paper bags and then plastic ones, and lastly put into a box that Ryuichi could tie down onto his motorcycle. Toshio and Ayumi brought everything over to the table they had just vacated.

"Ryuichi, are you and Mitsuru-san dating?" Ayumi asked flat out.

It was a bad time to drink. Ryuichi choked on his soda, spraying it all over the table while some of it burned his sinuses.

"A simple yes or no would've sufficed!" Toshio laughed. "Does that mean you are?"

"N-No, we're not," Ryuichi sputtered as he grabbed a wad of napkins. "We're just really good friends."

"But did you see how happy she was with you?" Ayumi insisted.

"That's because she was excited about the food."

"Don't be like that. Maybe she likes you!"

"We're just friends, Mom," he grumbled with wasted breath.

He thanked his parents for everything and gave them and his sister a hug, but they wanted him to stick around and have some of the cake he and Mitsuru baked for them. They shared the cake with the other workers, all of them showering Mitsuru with praises for her ability to bake while completely forgetting that Mitsuru told them already that she followed Ryuichi's guidance to make it. Ryuichi saw no need to correct them as he divided the cake into slices. The last piece was packed up for Ryuichi to give to Mitsuru later.

"This was really her first time baking something?" Shizue marveled after her first bite.

"Amazing, right?" Ryuichi grinned, proud of Mitsuru's accomplishment.

His sister snickered. "If she ever finds out how good she is at baking, she might just have to fire you and bake her own cakes," she teased.

For her remark, Ryuichi stabbed the strawberry on Shizue's plate and ate it.

"You dick!"

"You asked for it!" he scoffed with his mouth full of her chewed up strawberry.

It was the first time in so many years that they felt like an actual family. It was strange, having everyone so cheery instead of Toshio being the only one in a good mood while everyone else sulked. They were the warm, welcoming family that they once projected themselves to appear as to others, even if just for a day. Ryuichi didn't want to doubt that they had reconciled with one another so quickly, but part of him worried that they had only put on their best behavior for Mitsuru's sake.

"So, are you feeling better?" Ayumi asked him. "How are you getting along at the dorm? Do you have someone taking care of you there?"

"I'm better, but it still kinda hurts if I use my arm too much," he admitted. "Mitsuru's maid helped me out the first few days, but now that I'm a lot better, I can cook for myself and stuff."

Toshio clapped a hand on his shoulder. "When you get better, you can come back and work for us again."

Ryuichi stared at his father's hand. He knew that he would say those dreaded words someday, but after being able to say it once before, he felt confident that he could refuse his father again, but more gently this time.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I've already decided that I'm going to continue working as Mitsuru's butler and bodyguard," he said in a firm voice. "Mitsuru was kind enough to give me back my jobs, and now that she's the head of her family's company, I need to be there for her more than ever."

His father took away his hand. The fat vein on his forehead popped out, and his face became a deep shade of maroon.

Ayumi touched his arm. "It's all right," Ryuichi heard her whisper to him as everyone backed away. "We gave Shizue the same chance. We should do the same for him."

Toshio blew hot air through his nostrils. "You're right," he said through a clenched jaw, and walked away without uttering another word.

Ayumi turned back to Ryuichi. "He'll be all right, I'm sure," she said to him. "Take care of yourself, Ryuichi."

She and Shizue gave him a couple of hugs again, and he was off on his way back to the dorm, bearing the gifts that Mitsuru bought for everyone. At the dorm, everyone eagerly grabbed the food with their names on it, and even Koromaru was given some ribs to chew on. There were two bags of fries that confused Ryuichi, as Mitsuru had said before that she was only going to buy one for everyone to share. When he saw his name on the other bag and the three containers of ranch inside, he realized that Mitsuru got it specifically just for him.

"And after all that, she still got something for me, too," he said to himself. "She even guessed my favorite menu item right."

Despite having just eaten, he retreated to his room to enjoy the extra treat from Mitsuru while it was still pretty fresh.


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter 82**

With no work, no clubs, no sports, and Mitsuru leaving school immediately after it ended, Ryuichi had nothing else to do during the afternoon. He still avoided Shiori as best as he could, ducking into classrooms or hiding around corners, but his desperation to keep out of her sight became most apparent when he ducked into a girls' washroom.

After school that Monday, Mitsuru offered to have the car drive him back to the dorm. He respectfully declined, not wanting to make her late for her meeting. After seeing her to the car, he took the train back to Iwatodai and stopped by the strip mall to pick up something to eat. He took it to go so he could eat in the comfort of his room.

Boredom set in after he finished his food. Video games became reminders of wasted time, and he wasn't in any mood to study. He missed being able to play music freely, without the hindrance of his injuries or the fear of people getting the wrong ideas about him when he played certain songs. At least when he performed at Chagall Cafe, he could play slow, relaxing songs and love ballads without fear of those assumptions. He found himself missing the audience there, especially making them smile whenever he played a song they liked.

The only thing he didn't miss was how nervous he always was before performing for an audience. He was always afraid of disappointing them, fearing that they might ridicule him or tell him that he should never touch a keyboard ever again because he sucked so bad. They never said anything like that to him, but it was a fear he always carried with him.

He messed around on his keyboard by playing whatever he felt like, from popular songs to a bunch of notes that happened to sound good together. The more he played, the more he got to thinking that it had been awhile since he recorded anything. He had a few weeks left until he was fully recovered, so why not spend that time doing something a little more productive? And didn't he owe his dorm mates some recordings?

He began recording himself playing a few songs on his keyboard. Halfway through one song, he got to thinking that he should record some with his guitar, too, so that he could either sing along or play his saxophone for the melody. He kept getting more and more ideas as he played on, trying to remember what other songs his friends requested.

Sometime during the evening, he heard voices in the lounge. The front door opened and closed, but the voices were still there. He removed his oversized headphones so he could hear what everyone was saying.

"He's dangerous," he heard Aigis say.

"Who?" asked Fuuka. "Ryoji-kun?"

Someone snapped their fingers. "Come to think of it, he _was_ hitting on Mitsuru-senpai the first time he met her," Yukari recalled. It was then that Ryuichi came out of his room to see what the commotion was about.

"He was?" asked Akihiko, looking mortified at the thought that anyone had the balls to be so forward with Mitsuru.

"Who are we talking about?" Ryuichi asked them all.

"Ryoji-kun," Yukari answered. "You know, the guy with the yellow scarf?"

Immediately, Ryuichi's face twisted up in disgust. "Yeah, I know him," he snarled.

"But, having him around has really cheered up Junpei-kun," Fuuka said happily.

Junpei rubbed his cap. "Well, it's not like moping around's gonna bring her back," he muttered darkly.

Aigis turned to him. "That's true," she agreed. "I envy you, Junpei. I'm a machine, so I cannot understand how it feels to 'live'."

Junpei looked her up and down. "But, you don't seem that different."

Aigis appeared to ignore his remark. "However, it is more accurate to say that I am 'functioning' as opposed to living. There are times when I malfunction, but I can always be repaired."

"So, if we were all like you, we wouldn't have to worry about dying," Junpei reasoned, becoming sullen with a far off thought.

Akihiko turned his attention to Ryuichi. "Didn't go with Mitsuru today?"

"I'm not officially working just yet," he replied with a shrug.

"Still out of commission? It driving you crazy yet?"

Ryuichi let his head loll back and groaned. "Don't get me started."

"Yeah? I know how you feel. At least yours is only for a month. I wasn't allowed to do anything for six weeks."

His words did little to cheer him up. Before anyone could ask him what was for dinner, Ryuichi retreated back to the safety of his room. Even he wasn't sure what he was going to eat, but there was a good chance that his meal was going to either come in a styrofoam cup or from a can. He hoped the others would be able to find something without resorting to asking him for food.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door. "Senpai, we're all planning to go to Tartarus tonight," Fuuka called through the door. "Mitsuru-senpai's not home yet, so Akihiko-senpai will be the one in charge. Would you like to come?"

"I think I'll stay," he answered. "I won't be much use, and Mitsuru might get an aneurysm if I go."

"All right. You take care here, then."

He wanted to join them badly, to be able to run around, swing a sword, fight Shadows, and work out his skills, but if cooking and riding a motorcycle was enough to get his side aching, then he knew he wasn't ready to fight just yet. Not to mention, he really didn't want to get on Mitsuru's bad side again.

He waited until everyone had gone upstairs to their rooms to search for his dinner.

"Instant ramen? Nope." He set aside the styrofoam cup. "Sardines in soy sauce and sugar? Nope. Egg? Nope. Natto? Probably not."

He found some blocks of curry bullion that he could use to make some curry rice. It would mostly likely be a plain curry without the potatoes or onions, though he wanted the extra ingredients without the work.

"Still not filling and too much effort," he sighed. "I should just order takeout or something."

But he didn't. He only allowed himself to have enough spending money to last the week, since he wasn't getting paid just yet. For dinner that night, he settled on rice with soy sauce.

He got halfway through his meal when Mitsuru returned from work. She once again wore that rundown, exhausted expression upon entry, but the moment she saw Ryuichi, her face brightened and her eyes lit up.

"Welcome home," Ryuichi called to her. "Shall I prepare some tea?"

"Kikuno will be arriving shortly with my dinner, so that won't be necessary," she replied on her way to the kitchen. She spotted his pitiful meal. "What are you eating?"

"Rice." He tipped the bowl down to show her.

She frowned. "Is that all? That doesn't seem like enough for you."

He shrugged. "Tasty to me."

"Be that as it may, I invite you to share my meal. Our chefs always make more than enough for me, so there should be plenty between the two of us."

"No, I don't wanna be a bother, so—"

"It's no trouble at all," she said. "You won't get the proper nutrition just by eating such a meager meal. I insist that you join me for dinner."

Ryuichi smirked, though it was a cover up for how embarrassed he felt for not being able to afford a decent meal. "Are you just saying that stuff so that you'd have an eating buddy?"

"No. I'm saying all this because I'm concerned about your diet," she said in all seriousness.

Ryuichi could see that she was sincerely worried about him. "I was just kidding about that. Sorry," he told her, feeling badly for teasing her. "So, what's on the menu tonight?"

Kikuno arrived with vegetable soup, salad, a rack of lamb pops (with a few tasty little sides with names Ryuichi couldn't pronounce properly), and for dessert, a slice of chocolate fudge cake topped with a shell of chocolate that Kikuno poured hot fudge on top of to melt. Not surprisingly at all, she brought a second slice of cake, as if she had already planned to serve another person.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," Mitsuru whispered to Ryuichi over dinner. "But not now. Wait until everyone goes to Tartarus."

He wasn't sure what to expect. Did something happen during her meeting? Had he done something wrong?

Around eleven thirty that night, the team left for the train station. Ryuichi saw them off, telling them all to be careful and to watch out for one another.

"Koromaru, I'm counting on you," he told the dog, who barked dutifully in reply.

"You're putting the dog in charge?" griped Junpei.

"He's more reliable than some of us," Yukari jabbed with a playful smirk.

"Yeah. At least he won't shoot me in the butt with an arrow."

"That was one time and it didn't even happen to you!"

The others laughed. Even Junpei, dour as he was before, managed a dry chuckle. When the team left, Ryuichi turned to head back to his room when he saw Mitsuru waiting for him.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, feeling worry pool in his gut again.

She went to the window, her eyes fixed in a concerned stare as she watched the others go. "I received a phone call today from the hospital," she began, folding her arms in front of her. "There was an unusual occurrence that has the doctor perplexed. Even I can't understand it."

"The doctor? What, is it about me?"

"No. It's about Chidori."

Ryuichi cocked an eyebrow. "Chidori? But, I thought she died giving her life to save Junpei."

Mitsuru let out a heavy sigh. "She did, but according to the doctor, her body transmogrified last night."

Ryuichi couldn't believe it. "How is that even possible? That would mean she's—"

"Alive." Mitsuru turned to face him. "I couldn't believe it, either. The doctor said she hasn't regained consciousness, so for the time being, he had her moved from the morgue to a hospital room for further observation."

He had to sit down on the couch to process the news. "How could she come back to life? Wait, if she's alive, what does that mean for Junpei? She brought him back, right? You think she's leeching off of the life she gave him?"

"I would hate for that to be the case, but it is a possibility that we have to consider."

"But, what should we do if that _is_ the case?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and sighed again. "I don't know. However, it should be noted that for someone to transmogrify means that she does not have the potential anymore."

Ryuichi sank low in his seat. "I think I'm actually okay with that," he mused.

Mitsuru nodded. "However, there is another concern that I have regarding Chidori. Did I ever tell you about the pills Strega took?"

He straightened up. "What pills?"

Mitsuru crossed her arms, staring at the floor. "Strega had to use suppressants to ensure that their Personas would remain docile," she explained. "Apparently, their Personas have a tendency to become violent and would attempt to kill their owners."

"They become violent?" He gasped. "That sounds like what happened to Shinjiro!"

"Precisely." She let out a sigh. "For the past few years, Aragaki had been taking those same pills he got from Strega to suppress Castor. However, the side effect of those pills is fatal."

"'Fatal'? But, if they—If Chidori was taking it, then that means she also would've..."

Mitsuru nodded slowly. "That's what makes her situation even more perplexing. If she was already dying from the medication, does that mean that the life she gave Iori is also diminishing? And, if that medication is still in her body, could she still die from it?"

"Oh, no." Ryuichi felt sick. "So, not only could Junpei be losing Chidori again, he could be dying, too? I don't think he can handle that kind of news."

"Which is why we need to keep this strictly between us. The doctor will continue to observe Chidori, and we will have to observe Iori."

Chidori was alive, but with no telling of how long she or Junpei might have to live. For now, all Ryuichi could do was go back to his room to mull over their speculations. He didn't want to think about the worst possible scenarios, but, if Junpei could be living his last few days on earth, then shouldn't they tell him about Chidori?

The next day, Ryuichi was still pondering his questions while he walked with Mitsuru to school. It rained lightly that freezing morning, and while Ryuichi hadn't bothered to wear his sling, Mitsuru voiced her disapproval of him carrying either bag or umbrella in his left hand.

"Let me hold your bag for you," she offered, reaching for it.

"I got it," he insisted. "It'll look weird if people see you holding my stuff, especially without my sling."

"Then you should wear it."

"My side doesn't hurt."

"It could start hurting again if you're carrying a heavy bag."

He walked around to Mitsuru's other side, so now his bag was too far for her to reach. "My bag's not even that heavy today," he said. "Is it just me, or are you worrying a little too much about me?"

Mitsuru's expression soured. "Ryuichi, how would you feel if a dear friend of yours was shot and almost killed?" she stabbed him with her question.

"Like I would wanna stick that friend in a bullet-proof bubble and then put them in an armored car," he muttered. "Fine. You win."

She held his bag for him while he took out his sling. As he put it on, he started thinking about how every time Mitsuru expressed care for him, he always ended up feeling as though he had done something wrong. It was all for his sake, he knew, but sometimes he felt like she could be a little too overprotective of him.

As protective as she was, Ryuichi also noticed that there were times when she seemed more lax about her own safety. Lately, she had been spending more time with Minato, which was fine, except that Ryuichi would have expected her to at least take two bodyguards with her, the way her father used to. Even though both Minato and Mitsuru were capable fighters, Ryuichi couldn't help but worry that, as the new head of the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru could end up being a prime target for trouble.

During lunchtime that day, Mitsuru informed him that she was planning to hang out with their leader after school. She urged him to go straight home again so he could rest, and while Ryuichi reluctantly agreed to it, he was confused that she could be so worried about him but still send him off on his own without protection.

After school, Ryuichi packed his bag slower than usual to let Mitsuru leave ahead of him. He kept his distance as he followed her down to the first floor, where she met with Minato in the faculty hallway.

"There's someplace I would like to go," he heard her say.

Ryuichi hid as they changed their shoes and headed out the front, the two walking side-by-side while they discussed their plans for the afternoon. Watching them, he debated whether or not he should follow to make sure that Mitsuru would be safe. Even though Tatsumi Port Island was Kirijo territory, he still wanted to make sure that no harm befell her.

"Sorry, Minato, but as capable as you are, it's not Shadows you'd be up against," Ryuichi muttered under his breath while he changed his shoes. "Her safety comes first."

He followed them to the train station, where he saw both Minato and Mitsuru on the platform together, standing near the yellow line. They didn't seem to notice that Ryuichi was there as he shuffled in behind some people waiting for the train. He kept hidden in the crowds, watching over them, and even got into a different car when the train arrived.

When the train pulled into Iwatodai Station, he let the two head down the stairs first. They went straight to Octopia's little stand on the first floor of the strip mall, where Mitsuru placed an order for takoyaki and looked surprised about something that Ryuichi couldn't make out. He observed them for a little while longer, getting frustrated at Minato for not being more aware of their surroundings.

"What am I doing?" Ryuichi asked himself in disbelief. "He's not a bodyguard, but Mitsuru's a lot safer with him than she would be with me right now."

Sighing, he looked down at his sling and sauntered off. Somehow, just saying that aloud hurt him in a way that left him feeling like he was carrying a boulder on his back. He dragged his feet past the dorm and headed to the nearby supermarket to try to drown his sorrows in shopping for ingredients to make curry rice.

He wouldn't cook his dinner when he got home, anticipating that the other residents might want some. He couldn't afford to feed them, and hoped that his one big pot of curry rice would be enough to last him for a few meals. After putting the ingredients away, he warmed up with some hot tea and went back to his room.

His mind was too muddled with his crushing realization earlier. Right now, Mitsuru was roaming free with only their leader for protection while he was still recovering from his injuries. As useless as he felt right then, Ryuichi was filled with determination to make a full recovery so he could get back to his job.

He quickly became anxious from just sitting around. Giving himself time to heal with no way to speed it up frustrated him to the point where he just needed to keep himself busy somehow. He spent the afternoon messing around on his keyboard, changing the sound to pipe organ to pound out some grandiose chords.

The following night on December second, Fuuka awakened everyone in the dorm during the Dark Hour, alerting them to an incident that had occurred on Moonlight Bridge. Ryuichi awoke so abruptly that when he sat up from his desk, he heard a loud ripping sound that nearly made him forget to breathe. He checked his side to see if his wound had reopened, but quickly found a torn page from his notebook glued to his face by his dried saliva.

Koromaru led the way to Moonlight Bridge. The full moon lit up the city, revealing darkened corners where the Lost slumped or sat. The melted snow-soaked asphalt glittered with moonlight beneath their feet, almost beautiful except for the blood-colored puddles all around them. When they reached the bridge, Koromaru shot far ahead of them and circled around Aigis' collapsed form. He barked for them to hurry.

"Aigis!" Yukari called to her, but she remained down on her knees.

As they approached, Ryuichi could hear electricity crackle and metallic whirring noises coming for Aigis. Smoke rose in puffs above her head. Her chest plate had cracked, exposing metalwork and wires that shot sparks. Mitsuru knelt by her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking over the damage. Aigis' head twitched as she turned to look at Mitsuru.

"I'm sorry, I—" Aigis uttered, her speech warped with mechanical screeches and glitches. "I remember everything. Who I am—Who _he_ is."

She reached a cracked hand towards Minato. Mitsuru backed away to allow Minato to step forward and take Aigis' hand.

"I know why I wanted to be by your side," Aigis said weakly. "I'm sorry. I failed."

"Aigis, what happened?" Minato asked.

Up ahead came a familiar voice. "There's no need for you to apologize."

Ryoji walked up to them from the opposite side of the bridge, keeping his distance. He wasn't the same, smiling guy who frequented the dorm, but a sullen one with his face half-buried in his yellow scarf.

Yukari's mouth fell open. "Ryoji-kun? Wait, what're you doing here?"

Aigis strained to get up. Metal grinded, as if the slightest movement was tearing her apart from the inside. Minato helped her turn over to lay on her back, holding her up off the ground for support.

"Aigis!" cried Fuuka, and the grinding noise wound down.

Akihiko shot a glare at Ryoji. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Ryoji lowered his face. "It's all my fault."

Furious, Akihiko started towards the frightened Ryoji when Mitsuru threw her arm out to stop him.

"Akihiko, wait," she said. "He's not showing any signs of aggression."

Mitsuru lowered her arm without taking her eyes off of Ryoji. "Tell us: Who are you? _What_ are you?"

Ryoji kicked a pebble into one of the blood-stained puddles nearby. "I'm the same as the beings you call Shadows," he said softly.

"You're a Shadow?" Junpei gasped.

He nodded. "I'm the embodiment of all Shadows—The Appriser, born from the union of the twelve Arcana."

Ryuichi cocked his head at him. "'The Appriser'?"

"I remember everything now," Ryoji continued in a trembling voice. He nervously smoothed his hair back. "The frightening truth about myself, and Shadows—It's all so hard to believe."

He dropped to his knees. At that moment, Ryoji looked nothing like the cheerful guy they had known him to be. All they saw was a terrified young man who was forced to face a terrible reality.

"You know the 'truth' about Shadows?" Mitsuru asked, keeping a cautious hand on her Evoker.

Ryoji picked his head up, struggling as though he bore the weight of sin. "Yes. Shadows are here to facilitate the rebirth of the maternal being. She will begin to awaken as she is drawn to me: The Appriser."

"You? You're the Appriser?" Mitsuru asked for clarity.

"What is this 'maternal being'?" asked Fuuka.

"She is a great entity. There is no comparable word in your language for her," Ryoji tried to explain. "Ten years ago, a man collected a great number of Shadows and contained them in a laboratory. That's where I was born."

Ryuichi's eyes darted to Mitsuru, who didn't even flinch, but the anguish was plain in her hard stare.

"But, the unification was interrupted, and I awoke in an incomplete state. Not long after, I fell to Aigis as she did to me," Ryoji continued.

"Aigis?" Junpei uttered, and everyone glanced over to the battered girl Minato held. "Is that true? Ryoji?"

Once again, Ryoji lowered his face so his scarf cover up to his nose. "She knew she could not defeat me. So in an act of desperation, she sealed me within a child who happened to be standing nearby. That child grew up, carrying me inside him. And by a twist of fate, he later returned here as a transfer student."

Everyone shot their gazes to Minato.

"You mean—?" gasped Yukari.

Ryoji nodded. "Yes," he confirmed, looking right into Minato's eyes. "I lived inside him. His special Persona awakened, as did the twelve Shadows, all in order to become one with me."

Junpei shook his head. "Ryoji, you're the Appriser? A-And you were inside of him? None of this makes sense!"

Ryoji covered his anguished face with his hand. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

He shuddered, and in a strained voice, said, "There's more I need to tell you—"

Before he could finish, his eyes rolled up inside his head, and he pitched forward, unconscious. Fuuka ran to him, calling out his name, but he didn't stir.

"He appears to be exhausted," Mitsuru observed. "Let's let him rest. We have Aigis to attend to, as well. We'll continue our talk later."

They dragged both Ryoji and Aigis to the side of the bridge. Aigis required everyone's muscles just to move her a few inches at a time. Ryuichi felt like his side was tearing from the labor and backed off, clutching his injury.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to tap out," he said gruffly through the pain.

"We'll take care of this, so just be ready to call Kikuno when the Dark Hour ends," Mitsuru instructed.

It was hard enough moving Aigis off the street, but getting her into the limousine when it arrived was even more of a challenge. Akihiko had to climb into the car through the other side and pull her in while the others supported her weight as best as they could. Her feeble thanks came out as clicks and buzzes, where they couldn't make out her words anymore. She seemed to be breaking down before their eyes.

Ryoji was easier to load, taking only Akihiko and Minato to get him into the limousine. With no more room for the others to ride, the rest of the SEES team had to make the long walk back to the dorm.

"How's your side?" Mitsuru asked Ryuichi on their way back.

He no longer clutched his injury. "It's annoying, but I don't think it's serious," he murmured. His side betrayed him when he winced at a particularly painful spasm just then.

There was nothing more they could do that night. The next day, Mitsuru received a call during lunch, informing her that Ryoji had awakened. After school, everyone met back at the dorm without taking any detours, but it wouldn't be until evening when Ryoji would make his appearance.

Ryuichi had his arm in a sling again, but it didn't stop him from serving everyone tea upstairs in the command room with help from Fuuka. Ryoji occupied the lone armchair while everyone else sat on the sofa or on the ottomans. Ryuichi leaned against the sofa's armrest next to Mitsuru.

"Are you okay, Ryoji-kun?" Fuuka asked him gingerly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks," he replied, smiling at her and looking more like his usual self. "Besides, there's more I have to tell you guys."

"Yes, there are many questions we need answered," Mitsuru agreed. "To begin with, you said Shadows were here to facilitate the rebirth of the maternal being. Please elaborate on this."

Nodding, he began by saying: "The maternal being is called Nyx."

"Who the hell's Nyx?" Junpei asked bluntly.

"Nyx is the mother of Shadows," Ryoji explained. "In ancient times, she bestowed 'Death' to this world. If she is awakened, darkness will once again cover the land and all life will vanish."

"You mean, everyone will die?" Akihiko blurted out.

Mitsuru stared at Ryoji in horror. "'All life will vanish'?" she echoed. "Th-Then that must mean—!"

Ryoji looked upon her and the others with pity. "It would be more accurate to say that everyone will forfeit the will to live," he answered in a plain voice.

"You mean, like the Lost?" Ryuichi asked, mortified at the thought.

"The Fall," Mitsuru groaned, and everyone shuddered as they recalled Ikutsuki's chilling words.

Yukari looked uneasily to Ryoji. "But, it's still possible to keep it from happening, right?"

He wouldn't answer. He wouldn't even meet her gaze.

"Wh-What?" Yukari asked. "There's no way to prevent it?"

"I'm sorry," he replied, letting his face sink into his scarf.

"Wait, what are you apologizing for?" Yukari was on her feet, her raised voice making him flinch. "Are you saying it's for certain?"

"Yes," he said in a tiny voice smaller than a whisper. "You heard the bell. I'm the Appriser: The Appriser of Death. My existence is the affirmation of the Fall."

"The affirmation of the Fall," Fuuka repeated, staring down at her knees.

No one could find the words to say. They were all faced with the realization that they, along with the rest of the world, were doomed to become just like the Lost.

Ryuichi's eyes flickered to Mitsuru, remembering how she looked after her father had been murdered, how the light had gone from her eyes, the way she appeared far more gone than any of the Lost ever did. The image gutted him, especially when he applied it to everyone else.

"When?" Akihiko asked urgently. "When will it happen?"

Ryoji cast his eyes to the table. "I'm afraid you will not live to see spring," was his answer.

Junpei sprang to his feet in a panic. "But, that's not too far away!"

Everyone murmured their concerns, terrified by the news. Out of nowhere, Junpei began to laugh, alarming them all.

"Wh-What're you guys freaking out about?" he tried to laugh off nervously. "All we have to do is defeat this Nyx! And that won't be a problem cuz we've never lost!"

Around the room, there were mixed expressions of hope and fear, but all appeared to be accusing Junpei of having lost his mind.

"Yeah!" Minato agreed emphatically, startling everyone with his unusual pep. "We'll beat it!"

"Defeating Nyx is impossible," Ryoji told them all again. "It has nothing to do with strength, ability, or power. Just as all living things die and the flow of time is continuous, Nyx cannot be defeated."

The sincerity in his voice just about killed Ryuichi.

"What?" Junpei blasted. "That's bullshit!"

Ryuichi admired his tenacity. "We can at least try," he agreed with him. "What's the point in waiting for our deaths?"

No one backed him. Not even Junpei.

"This is all so sudden," Ken said softly, still as shocked as the rest.

Knees quivered and frightened stares fixed on the floor. It was as though they had all accepted their doom right then.

"I was born from a collection of Shadows," Ryoji said. No one looked up. "But now, I have a human form, so I can talk with you, cry with you—All gifts I received because I was inside Minato-kun. Of all the people on Earth, it was Minato-kun who carried me. Thanks to that, I am able to give you a choice."

"A choice?" Yukari asked. Everyone looked up in earnest.

He nodded. "Nyx's coming cannot be avoided. But, it is possible to live in peace until she arrives."

Ryoji took a deep breath and released it slowly. "You'll have to kill me."

The air stagnated in the room. They were beyond words now.

"If I were to disappear, all memories of the Dark Hour would disappear with me, as would any recollection of the fate that awaits you," he explained. "You won't remember anything. The coming of the Fall will be instantaneous, and you will not suffer."

"We'll forget everyone?" Mitsuru choked, and everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"You'll be able to return to your normal lives," he coaxed with an encouraging smile. "And in doing so, the time until the Fall will be slightly delayed. In essence, I am the same as Nyx and cannot be killed.

"But, thanks to Minato-kun, there's a part of me that's 'human'. So, if death comes from his hands, it may be possible."

No one could look at Minato. Ryuichi didn't know what to think, wondering if the others were already considering having their leader end Ryoji's life, even if in all technicality he wasn't going to die.

"Ryoji-kun," Fuuka started to say, but he shook his head.

"If you don't kill me, you will suffer more than you could ever imagine," Ryoji said firmly, looking directly at Minato without blinking. "With no hope for salvation, you will live every day paralyzed by the fear of your impending death, and I—I don't want you to have to endure such pain."

"I could never kill you," Minato told him, and Ryoji turned his gaze away.

"You're so kind," he murmured into his scarf. "I'm sorry to put you through this."

"I don't want my memories to be erased," Yukari said, startling everyone. Yet at the same time, the energy in the room collected to her, vibrating, empowering. "To forget everything would be like hiding from the truth."

Ryoji stared at her in awe. "Would that really be such a bad thing?" he asked her. "All that awaits you now is despair. You don't know the terror of absolute death! Please, don't make your decision without at least thinking about what I've said."

Yukari said nothing, but Ken popped out of his seat.

"Why is this happening?" he demanded. His outburst went unanswered.

Ryoji stood up. "You don't have to decide right now," he told them softly. "You have until December thirty-first—New Year's Eve—to think about it. After that, I'll dissolve into the blackness of the Dark Hour and become intangible."

He looked woefully at the table, staring through it. He clearly didn't want to go.

"Ryoji?" Junpei called to him.

"I will disappear with the coming of Nyx anyways," Ryoji said. "So don't worry about me. I'll be back on New Year's Eve."

With a final look at everyone, Ryoji headed for the door.

Junpei looked up after him. "H-Hey! Ryoji, wait!"

Ryoji didn't stop. He closed the door behind him, leaving them all to fester in their worries and fears.

"Wait!" Fuuka cried, making everyone jump. "I can't sense him anymore. Ryoji-kun's no longer here."

"Are you sure?" Akihiko asked.

"Yes," she said, and that was that.

They all marched down to the lounge, no one saying anything. Fuuka helped Ryuichi bring the tray of full, untouched teacups back downstairs to wash. Everyone gathered in the lounge, where the chatter started up once they had all gotten over the initial shock of Ryoji's revelation.

"I've never imagined my life ending," Mitsuru softly told Minato. "It feels like my insides are being torn apart."

Ryuichi overheard her and agreed with her description. Though, he had dreamt up what it would be like for his life to end many times before in the past. Back then, he had hoped that it was blissful, an escape from the ugliness of the world, free from bullying, from abuse, from everything, only for him to regret his decision the moment he jumped from the train platform. The death that Ryoji described was far worse, filled with even more anguish and despair than he could ever imagine.

"Does anyone know if the Lost are actually aware of their surroundings?" Ryuichi asked the others. "Are they conscious?"

"I'm not sure, but I saw someone throw rocks at one. He looked, but he didn't seem to care," grunted Ken.

"Hence the name 'Apathy Syndrome'," Mitsuru sighed. She looked to Ryuichi. "Why do you ask?"

"Just trying to imagine what it might be like," he replied. "Like, we're conscious, but we have no consciousness, or no mind. If you ask me, that sounds worse than an actual death."

"And we're headed straight for it," Yukari murmured.

"Or, we can go with Junpei's idea and kick Nyx's ass," Ryuichi retorted.

"Yeah! That's the way, Senpai!" Junpei flashed him a thumbs' up, but his energy quickly faded. "It still feels so crazy, though. I can't believe this is happening."

"We have to stay calm," Akihiko called from the dining room. "We need to have a clear mind when we make our decision."

"It's not just that; we have to also consider who will be dealing with our decision," Fuuka reminded them all from the kitchen.

Minato didn't shrink beneath everyone's somber stares. "Ryoji is our friend," he said firmly, and no one could deny that.


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter 83**

Ryuichi was still numb from Ryoji's words from the previous night. After listening to what Ryoji had to say, he tried to distract himself by studying in his room. When the Dark Hour began, he lit candles so he could keep working, but the drive just wasn't there. He couldn't stop thinking about their inevitable demise, trying to imagine what it would be like to exist without truly living. The more he thought about it, the more he looked at his study guides and kept asking himself: "What's the point?"

But then, he would think about his family, his classmates, and everyone in SEES. He thought about how he should have died many times over, only for him to end up in a form of purgatory that he couldn't even begin to imagine. It wouldn't be a true death when they all turned into the Lost, but if they were fortunate enough, then death would come shortly after.

When he peeked outside his window and saw some of the Lost swaying in the street, he found himself recognizing some of them, having been out there through rain, snow, and freezing winds for days now. Their longevity made him begin to lose hope in death.

After the final bell rang at school the next day, Mitsuru turned around in her seat and looked right at Ryuichi with woebegone eyes.

"Why don't we take a breather today?" she suggested.

He didn't question her. Ryuichi packed his bag and followed her out of the classroom.

"What kind of breather did you have in mind?" he asked her.

"I was thinking that it might be nice to watch a movie today," she replied. "Oh, but, you don't like movie theaters, do you?"

They headed down the stairs, Ryuichi filing in behind Mitsuru to get past a bunch of girls walking slowly.

"They're not so bad," he said idly. "Besides, I could use a break from all that studying."

"Studying? Is that why you look so tired today?"

"Kind of. I tried to study, but after what Ryoji told us last night, I couldn't focus at all."

Mitsuru nodded. It looked to Ryuichi like she also experienced a similar struggle.

They headed out to Screen Shot, the movie theater just outside Tatsumi Port Island Station. The cool, late autumn air nipped at Ryuichi's face and hands as they stopped to look at the different movie posters to figure out what to watch. Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru stared at each one with intrigue, but skipped over the one with a chainsaw-wielding murderer completely.

"So, which one looks interesting to you?" she asked. She flinched when he pointed to the horror movie poster she avoided. "Th-That one? Are you sure?"

"Actually, no," he replied, amused by her sigh of relief. "I'm not really a fan of slasher movies."

He looked to all the other movie posters. "Was there one in particular that you wanted to see?" he asked her.

She picked one. As they went to pay, Ryuichi explained that they had to simply ask for the movie they wanted to watch and purchase their selected seats for that movie. She paid for both of their tickets, to which Ryuichi said he would pay for their snacks. When they got their popcorn, soda, and candy, she placed her credit card in the little payment tray before he could get his arm out of his sling to get his wallet.

"As I was the one who invited you, the least I could do is treat you," she said, looking pleased with herself.

"That seems to be happening a lot lately," he murmured suspiciously, but all that did was make her smile even more.

Mitsuru gasped at the vastness of the theater, admiring the screen's colossal size and the stadium seats rising steadily towards the back. Their seats were on the edge of the aisle towards the rear—For optimal viewing, Ryuichi explained. As they got settled, Ryuichi set his school bag down on the floor by his feet. Mitsuru did the same.

For almost two hours, Ryuichi's worries about the Fall didn't cross his mind anywhere near as much as the other movie-goers crossing in front of them during the movie. Too often, he and Mitsuru had to pull their feet under their chair to let people sidle past them to get more snacks or use the toilet. As if that wasn't enough of a distraction, cell phones rang and lit up in the darkened theater as people sent emails to their friends. The bright screens kept tearing Ryuichi's attention away from the film.

But the worst part was the chairs. He wasn't sure if it was because of the discomfort of his injuries, but the chairs, cushioned as they were, felt like they were trying to fold him in half to crush him. And worse still was the stranger next to him who kept stealing his armrest. He already felt suffocated from the crushing chair and the stranger invading his personal space, but on top of that, the heater pumped dry, hot air into the vast room. He kept sipping his soda to keep cool, but he worried that he might have to use the toilet in the middle of the movie.

The hero faced a horde of enemies while carrying a puppy in one hand and his sword in the other, defeating every man who stood in his way. He then handed the puppy to a little girl standing just inside her parents' oden shop, who thanked him before disappearing inside.

There were some action sequences that Ryuichi questioned, managing to stifle his groans when he saw kicks that obviously didn't land but still sent enemies flying. The slowness of their strikes made him cringe, thinking that he could definitely fight them all one-handed just with his speed alone. Explosions went off for almost everything, and Ryuichi could have sworn that he saw one of the explosions come from a cat doll standing in for the real thing. Eventually, he grew to accept that it was all so ridiculous that he had to laugh.

During another series of explosions, Ryuichi reached into the bucket of popcorn they shared. His buttery fingers accidentally brushed Mitsuru's hand as she did the same.

"Sorry." He offered her a packet of tissues to clean herself up.

"It's all right," she replied, taking a tissue.

At the end of the movie, they separated briefly to use the washrooms. Ryuichi finished quickly and waited while Mitsuru was still stuck in the women's line. He took her school bag for her and told her he would be waiting by the cardboard cutout of the murderous chainsaw guy from the poster they saw earlier.

"It's so easy," Mitsuru said after they left the theater. "You simply purchase a ticket at the window and you can watch a movie."

They both sat down on one of the benches by the fountain just outside the movie house. Mitsuru glanced back at the little box office where they bought their tickets while Ryuichi moved his arm around in his sling, relieved to be outside in the cool, open air.

"It may sound strange, but I have been eager to experience a film in an actual theater," she said to Ryuichi.

"Wait, so you've never been to an actual theater before?" he asked in amazement.

"No, never. I've seen movies in our home's viewing room, which is a smaller room with comfortable chairs and a projector in back and a large screen in front, but nothing like this."

"I've never seen your viewing room before," he mentioned, wondering if he might prefer watching movies there than in a theater.

She looked upon him with intrigue. "You've never looked around my home before?"

"It didn't feel right to just explore. Maybe if I was five years old and reeeeally curious, I might've looked around."

She chuckled. "Perhaps I can show you the next time we visit," she offered.

Mitsuru was still buzzing about the movie theater. He could feel her warm energy pouring out from her, happy to see her enthusiasm for something so commonplace. Her intrigue with the theater made him appreciate going out to see movies a little more, where he thought he might be able to tolerate all the annoyances he often experienced.

"Even though we sat at the end of the aisle, I didn't feel like my view was compromised in the least," she carried on. "Aside from having other viewers passing in front of us constantly, I find it interesting that so much thought is put into the design and construction of a movie theater."

"Sounds like you enjoyed yourself," Ryuichi said with a grin, even though it seemed to him like she had been paying more attention to the structure of the building as opposed to the movie itself.

"Thanks to you," she said, beaming. "I've always felt too uncomfortable to come here alone."

"That's actually normal for anyone," he replied. "Not a lot of people see movies by themselves, so it's really more of a social thing."

"Yet the irony of it is that we enjoy the movie quietly without talking to those around us," Mitsuru noticed. "It's only after the movie that we discuss what we've just watched."

He paused to think about what she had just said. "That's actually a good point."

Without warning, Ryuichi's thoughts began drifting back to his concerns about the Fall. Would he be able to miss going out to places with Mitsuru? Or would his mind be completely shot, devoid of all sense of yearning, passion, and joy? He imagined becoming an empty husk of what he used to be, left with only his memories of his brief life and no way to feel an emotional connection to them.

"I don't think I would normally have this type of conversation," Mitsuru said, calling him back from his thoughts, "but it seems to me that Yukari is the type of girl who wouldn't feel inhibited watching a movie by herself. She's also more suited to ride a motorcycle."

"You think so?" Ryuichi asked, suppressing a shudder from his earlier thoughts. "Personally, I think you might be more suited to a motorcycle than her, but that's probably because I'm used to it."

"Maybe, but for me, it's my modest attempt at rebelling against my restricted life. With it, I can go where I want, when I want, all by myself."

"Well, you have good taste in how you rebel."

They both chuckled. "Hey, why don't we go for a ride?" Ryuichi suggested. "It's been a while since I last saw you ride your motorcycle."

Mitsuru smiled. "I had planned to get rid of it after it was damaged, but as you might have seen, I've had it repaired only recently."

Her smile faded. "However, it's been so long since I've ridden. I'm afraid I've already forgotten how, and I would hate to slow you down."

"Then, what better opportunity to practice than right now?"

"Right now? But, I don't want to risk endangering us," she insisted, eyeing his sling. "Not especially since you're still recovering. It would be bad if we got into an accident because I'm out of practice."

He shrugged. "That's fair. Then, I'll drive and you can sit in back," he offered, making her eyes light up. "We'll ride around the city, and I'll take you to a restaurant you might find intriguing."

"Oh? What kind of restaurant?" she asked, her voice rising in interest.

Ryuichi flashed her a grin. "Have you ever been to a conveyor belt sushi place?"

They stopped by the dorm long enough to drop off their bags, grab their helmets, and get on Ryuichi's motorcycle. Mitsuru's motorcycle had indeed been returned and now stood in its rightful spot in the storage room. Thanks to Kikuno's efforts, it was kept free of dust and shined up like new.

They rode off, Mitsuru clinging to Ryuichi from behind. They weaved between cars, slipped through traffic, riding wherever they pleased as they admired the city lights outshining the incoming stars. Each time Mitsuru squeezed him on turns or accelerations, he tensed up.

After their fun joyride around the city, Ryuichi looped back around and took Mitsuru to the promised conveyor belt sushi restaurant, where a track went around to all the tables without obstructing any walkways. They took the seats at the bar so Mitsuru could watch the chefs at work.

"Incroyable," Mitsuru gasped as she observed the plates of sushi pass by in front of them. "So you can pick any plate you like, as long as it's on the conveyor belt."

"And if there's one you like but it's not there or you want it fresh, you just order it," Ryuichi added.

Despite all the popcorn they had before, they helped themselves to the sushi. They had fun pointing out some of the more interesting plates, where thin slices of beef topped the rice instead of fish or the sushi came accompanied with deep-fried veggies or fresh green onions. There were others with questionable ingredients that made them both snicker, and Ryuichi couldn't help but give some of them a try. Some ended up being pretty tasty, and he would share the second piece with Mitsuru so she could try it. Others Ryuichi regretted immediately, making Mitsuru laugh when his face twisted up in disgust.

There was a piece of natto sushi that both of them watched go round and round many times, questioning how something like that could even be called sushi to begin with. Despite Mitsuru's pleas for him to not try it, Ryuichi snatched it off the track and shoveled one of the enormous pieces into his mouth. The strong bitterness and thick, slimy substance coated the entire inside of his mouth like tar, and all he could do was stomach his regret.

"Oh, look," he said with a grimace as he held the plate of questionable sushi out to her, "I saved you your very own piece of ancient natto sushi. You'd better appreciate it because it's got a special sprinkle of dust for extra flavor."

"All I did was point it out," she uttered between laughs. "You didn't have to eat it."

He jabbed the plate in her direction. Sighing, she took it from him.

"You're just exaggerating," she said, and tried the other piece. Her face broke as her chewing slowed almost to a complete stop. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth.

"Nah, _you're_ just exaggerating!" he laughed as she sipped some tea to rinse away the taste.

"I deserved that," she said miserably, selecting another plate from the track. "You know, I think I needed today more than I originally thought. Between work, school, and everything else that's been going on, this outing helped me to breathe a little easier."

"Tell me about it," he sighed, grabbing another plate before it passed them by. "How are we supposed to study for exams after hearing that we're doomed?"

Mitsuru lightly dipped her salmon into some soy sauce, dabbing the excess onto another piece of sushi. "Normally I would say that we just have to push through, but with nothing more to push through to, we're left with the question of 'Why bother?'."

She let out a defeated sigh. "I want to believe that there is a tomorrow after Nyx's arrival, but Ryoji sounded so sure last night that there was no way to defeat her."

Ryuichi cleared his plate and stacked it with the others. "If I forget about everyone, what would my life be like without you all?" he murmured, feeling a gaping hole grow in his chest. "I can't go back to that life. After everything you've done to help me, I can't go back to how I was before. I don't want to forget you."

Mitsuru opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. "I don't want to forget you, either," she said, her voice becoming small. "Nor anyone else. It would also be an insult to those we lost."

Ryuichi instantly thought about Takeharu and Shinjiro, and then Chidori, too. "Then, I guess we owe it to them to fight," he decided, unsure of why she seemed so shy all of a sudden. He glanced around the restaurant, searching for anyone she might have recognized that caused her discomfort. He didn't see anyone suspicious.

"But, yeah," he continued, turning back around, "I think we owe it to them to fight, but if Ryoji said that we're pretty much doomed, is it worth it?"

"That's where I'm also confused," Mitsuru agreed. "It would be easier for us to forget everything and let the Fall come, but if everything ends at the same result, is it better for us to try fighting, or to just let it come with the state of euphoria that Ryoji offered us?"

"If it all leads to the same end, then I really don't know."

He sipped some tea while thinking things through. "All I know is that I don't want to forget anyone, least of all you," he said boldly. "It's probably selfish of me, but I think I wanna fight Nyx, even if it's hopeless. I mean, how many times should I have died these past few years just so I can become like the Lost? I think I'll take my chances."

"And, if we win, what will you do after?" Mitsuru asked, looking upon him with curiosity.

"What else? Graduate high school and work as your bodyguard for a while, and when I'm older, I'll help train the newbies. Simple as that."

He scratched his temple. "Although, becoming head of the Kirijo Group's security doesn't sound too bad, don't you think?"

Mitsuru watched him carefully. "You're set on being my bodyguard no matter what I say, aren't you?"

Ryuichi shrugged. "It helps that my charge is pleasant to be around."

"And if I wasn't?"

"Well, then what the heck am I doing taking bullets for someone like that?"

He frowned. "But, I guess I'd still end up doing my job, wouldn't I?"

"You would," she agreed, sounding pleased. "But that's because you're kind, Ryuichi. You saved Sakai and his friends, despite all the years of torment they put you through, even if they will never know what you did for them. I think that was admirable of you."

Ryuichi blushed down at his pieces of fatty tuna. "If I left them, I'd be no better than them, would I?"

"Except you didn't leave them. That makes all the difference."

"Good to know I'm doing something right for a change," Ryuichi said, grinning.

For those few hours, the Fall didn't cast its nefarious shadow over them, except for the brief moments when it raised its head in Ryuichi's thoughts. They finished their dinner but lingered at the restaurant, still talking about anything that came up in conversation. They spoke of school and their college entrance exams coming up, ideas that Mitsuru had to help promote and gain back the reputation for Ryuichi's family's restaurant, and talked a little bit about the movie they saw earlier. When Ryuichi asked about how work was going, Mitsuru would always refer to it as "dull business meetings that wouldn't be of interest to anyone".

"We can't forget that we have final exams in less than two weeks," Mitsuru realized aloud.

"Are you going to be okay with your busy schedule and all?" Ryuichi asked.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I can't guarantee that I can tutor you this time, but—"

"That's okay," he insisted. "I don't wanna get in the way of your studies, or your work."

"You aren't a hindrance in any way," Mitsuru told him. "If anything, I feel badly that I can't offer more help."

During a lull in their conversation, Ryuichi excused himself to use the toilet. When he returned, he saw Mitsuru standing at the register, getting her credit card back from the waitress. Miffed, Ryuichi came up next to her and frowned, trying to emulate a similar death glare that she always used. He lacked her power.

"You've been paying for me a lot lately," he remarked as she put her credit card back into her wallet. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but I'm starting to feel like I'm a total freeloader."

"There's no need for you to feel that way," she said, sweeping her hair back over her shoulder. "I invited you out today, and I'm more than happy to treat you. Besides, you drove us here."

It still didn't sound fair to him, but he still didn't feel right about letting her pay all the time. He wondered if she was just being considerate, since he was between jobs and had to scrimp whatever money he earned from Chagall Cafe to help pay for more costs than he could afford while his savings was reserved for his mortgage and Megumi's babysitter. He realized that his greatest mistake had to be letting her see his meager meals, which was probably why she started paying for all their outings to make sure he was well-fed. He should've been more careful.

"Ryuichi," Mitsuru said when they were outside putting their helmets on. "Is it a bother, being on these outings with me?"

He looked at her, mortified. "What? No!" he yelped. Mitsuru's expression softened. "Why would you think that?"

"It's just, I can't help but worry that I'm the reason why your injury isn't healing very well."

He blew hot air out of his nostrils, getting worried that she might be right. "How about you drive this time, then?" he suggested, gesturing for her to get on first.

"Me?" She glanced at his motorcycle, then to him. "But I already told you I'm out of practice. It might not be safe."

"That's okay. I trust you."

He handed her the key. "'Like riding a bicycle' doesn't get any more literal than this," he said with a warm smile.

She swung her leg over first, giving herself a chance to get a feel for his motorcycle. Ryuichi settled in behind her, the vehicle sagging under his added weight. For a moment, he hesitated to even make contact with her. He sat there, pretending to adjust his blazer or fix his helmet, when really he just needed a few moments to mentally prepare himself for the ride. When he finally mustered up the courage to wrap his arms around her, she tensed up from his touch. Sensing this, he started to pull away when she grabbed his wrist.

"Hold on tight," she called over her shoulder. She wouldn't pull out of the parking lot until he did.


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter 84**

"Well, it's been a week. What're we going to do?"

It was Yukari who spoke. Everyone had gathered in the lounge, save for Aigis, who was still out for repairs. Ryuichi occupied the armchair closest to the dining room, opposite Mitsuru in her chair near the front doors. Akihiko and Fuuka shared a couch, and Ken and Koromaru stood by them. Junpei and Yukari sat on the couch across from them, Junpei sitting forward with his head down. Minato stood by Mitsuru's chair with his hands in his pockets, his eyes shifting beneath his bangs as he looked around at everyone.

"You okay, Fuuka?" Yukari asked when she caught the befuddled look on her face.

"You just seem so calm," Fuuka replied, sounding like she was in awe at Yukari's confidence when she asked what they should do with Ryoji.

"We have to make a decision," Yukari reminded everyone. "I mean, it's been such a drag around here lately, and no one will go to Tartarus."

"You're right," Mitsuru agreed. Everyone looked to her now, feeding off of the strength in her voice. "We humans are quite resilient. We can adapt to any situation, given enough time.

"So, how about it, everyone?" Mitsuru asked as she swept her gaze across the room. "Why don't we talk about it?"

Junpei's face soured as Ken turned to Akihiko.

"Have you made your decision, Sanada-san?" Ken asked him.

"No," he answered. "But, I don't plan on running away."

"So, you're going to fight Nyx?" Mitsuru asked.

"I don't know," he sighed, returning her gaze. "I mean, it's supposedly undefeatable."

He motioned to Mitsuru. "What about you? What are your thoughts on it?"

Mitsuru squeezed her arm. "Honestly, this is the first time I've ever really contemplated my own death. It's quite a sobering thought."

Everyone nodded in agreement without saying a word.

"I don't want to suffer, and I don't want to kill Ryoji," Mitsuru continued. "But, either way, we still die. So, there is no simple answer."

Fuuka's eye shifted around from person to person. "Then, do we all agree that we don't want to hurt Ryoji-kun?" she asked.

"Is that how you feel?" Akihiko softly turned the question on her.

"Well, I, um..."

Flustered, Fuuka lowered her head. Yukari patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, Fuuka," she told her. "I mean, it's not natural to choose how you're going to die."

Yukari glanced at Junpei. "What about you, Junpei? Have you decided?"

"No," he said, shaking his head.

She put on a mischievous smile. "What's the matter? Scared?" she teased.

Junpei glowered at her. "What the hell do you mean by that? You think this is a joke?"

His outburst made her back down. "Junpei, I—"

He leaped to his feet. "We're going to die! Of course I'm scared!" he yelled. He looked to everyone else, his eyes wild with terror. "You all need to wake up! This is _death_ we're talking about here!"

No one tried to argue against him. There was a mutual understanding all around the room that there was no guaranteed way out of their situation. The more Ryuichi heard the uncertainty of everyone else, the more he began to question his decision, even after firmly telling Mitsuru before that he didn't want to forget anyone.

"Then, what do you want to do?" Mitsuru asked Junpei quietly. "Do you want to kill him?"

Junpei's ragged breath calmed down as he looked away from everyone. "There's nothing I _can_ do," he told her. "The only one who can kill him is—"

Eight pairs of eyes fixed on Minato, whose face was stoic as always, looking as if facing death was a normal occurrence for him.

"Him," Junpei uttered as he took a step towards their leader. "Did you never notice? You had that thing inside you and you didn't notice?" he snarled at Minato, but it was fear that came out more than anger. "You're the one that raised it. _You're_ the one that brought about the Fall."

"Junpei!" Yukari cried out when he roughly grabbed Minato's shoulders.

"Can't—Can't you do anything about it?" he yelled in his face.

Minato looked up into Junpei's desperate face. "How could I have known?" he said in a low voice, shoving Junpei off of him.

"Stop it, Junpei!" Yukari shouted at him. "It's not his fault! And the only reason we've even been given a choice is because he carried it!"

"I know that, dammit!" Junpei roared at her. "But—"

He got up and nervously paced the floor. Everyone watched with fear in their eyes, seeing their own terror bursting out of their friend.

Junpei trembled, and his breathing became shallow and ragged again. "In my head, I might know, but, even though I know, thinking about it might not solve anything. I'm still scared, dammit!"

Fuuka got up and placed a hand on Junpei's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Junpei-kun," she told him softly with a gentle smile. "I'm scared, too."

"Yeah," Akihiko grunted. "We're all scared."

"Yes," Mitsuru added, shrinking. "I-I can't stop shaking."

"Me, either," Yukari agreed, and she and Mitsuru shared a look of solidarity in their terror.

Yukari looked back to the quivering Junpei. "I'm sorry I teased you, Junpei. I was just trying to lighten up the situation. Personally, I don't want to forget anything. I've learned so much since coming here."

Junpei nodded to her in acceptance of her apology. "Yuka-tan," he murmured, turning to her. "I'm sorry I kept yelling like that."

"I don't think any of us could have stood up to you right now, Junpei," she replied. "So, don't worry about it. Right, Leader?"

"I don't mind at all," Minato replied, the indifference back in his tone.

Junpei put on another pained expression. "Sorry," he said, this time to Minato. "I know this isn't your fault. I didn't mean to lash out at you earlier."

"It's all right," Mitsuru said, and everyone turned their frightened faces to her. "I don't think we're prepared to make a decision just yet. Ryoji said he'll be back on New Year's Eve, so we still have some time to think about it. So, until then, let's just try to live our lives as normally as possible."

There was nothing more to do. Their meeting ended, and everyone slowly headed for their rooms.

"I've never really talked about this before, but, my old man was an alcoholic," Ryuichi overheard Junpei tell the others on their way to the stairs. "He started drinking after he was tricked into investing his life savings in some telemarketing scam. He drank until he passed out so he didn't have to face reality. And, I hated him for it. Now, I understand how he felt. Everything seems so hopeless..."

The others gave Junpei the few words of reassurance they could offer. Watching them, Ryuichi thought briefly about his own father before returning to his room to study.

Sitting at his desk, Ryuichi's mind kept wandering back to their discussion earlier. He kept tapping his eraser on his notes, thinking about whether or not he still felt confident about his decision. He knew for certain that he did not want to forget everyone, that he would much rather fight to live, but no matter what they decided, their demise waited for them with no way to avoid it.

The next day after school, Mitsuru had another meeting to attend. After walking her to the car, Ryuichi considered going back inside the school to study in the library. But, after studying on and off with Mitsuru for the past week, he decided he needed a break and figured it was a good opportunity to go and visit his sister and niece.

"Look, Megs!" Shizue said as she and Ryuichi went into the living room. "Uncle Ryu brought us stuff to make sukiyaki! Isn't that nice of him?"

Megumi babbled happily when she saw him. Ryuichi greeted her with a big smile, picking her up and holding her up high above his head, making her laugh. He felt something rub against his leg and saw Otoro clawing at his sectional sofa until he shooed it away.

"So, how've you been?" Ryuichi asked his sister as he sat down on the couch with Megumi in his lap.

"Busy, as usual." She took the groceries to the kitchen. "Dad's been talking with Mitsuru-san about the restaurant, so we've been making a lot of changes. It's so crazy that all she had to do was talk to him and he was ready to shut up and listen! He doesn't even yell at us anymore!"

Ryuichi's eyebrows could have shot off his forehead in his amazement. "I didn't know she was already helping him out. I knew she had ideas, but I didn't think they were actively working together on stuff."

"Yeah. She even talks to Mom and me, too—You know, to check up on stuff, tell her what goes on in case Dad doesn't tell her everything, and all that. Mom keeps telling me that you should marry her."

He let out a dry, bitter laugh with a wry smile. "Anyway, I'm guessing things are getting better at the restaurant, then?"

"So much better!" She put the ingredients away in the refrigerator. "Hey, I was about to head out to the store. Wanna come along?"

They bundled up Megumi in thick clothes, a beanie, and warm socks while Shizue dressed up in a thick coat, beanie, scarf, and jeans. Ryuichi volunteered to wear the harness over his chest for Megumi to ride in while Shizue carried the diaper bag full of everything Megumi would need. There was some strain on his side with her added weight, but he missed his little niece and had fun doing a little dance and making her laugh.

"I'm guessing you're feeling all better now?" Shizue asked Ryuichi on their way to the supermarket. "I thought you weren't able to carry anything heavy."

"I've actually been doing some light exercises in the morning to get back into the habit of it," he admitted. "But I'm still not a hundred percent yet."

"Are you okay to be working out again so soon?"

"The doctor said I could when I had a check-up the other day."

His sister's expression darkened. "I guess that means you'll be back to work being Mitsuru-san's bodyguard pretty soon, huh?"

"Yup, and I can't wait!" he said with a grin. "I was starting to lose my mind from boredom, since I couldn't do much. Every time I tried doing something fun, Mitsuru would always berate me for overexerting myself."

"Can't blame her, though," Shizue backed her up. "If it were up to me, you would've spent those last three weeks in the hospital or at least have armored guards surrounding you all the time."

At the store, Ryuichi would pick up vegetables or fruits or colorful packages to let Megumi see before putting it back or in the cart. She would reach for the most colorful items she could find, but Ryuichi made sure she stayed away from anything she might break.

"Hey, Ryu-chan?"

"What's up?"

His sister was putting tomatoes into a plastic bag. "After you got shot, Mom and Dad and I got to talking, and I told them about what really happened on how I became pregnant with Megumi," she said quietly.

Stunned, Ryuichi slowly looked to his sister. "And? How did that go?"

"They freaked, of course, but then we hugged it out and had a bit of a heart-to-heart."

She wiped away her tears. "Dammit, I said I wouldn't cry," she sniffled. "I was so scared they would go off on me, but they didn't. I felt bad for making Mom cry, and Dad started yelling about hunting those guys down himself. Can you believe it?"

Ryuichi's jaw dropped, coming to a rest atop Megumi's head. "You mean, he didn't blame you for what happened?" he asked in awe. "He actually defended you?"

"Right?" she sobbed with a big smile on her face. "I couldn't believe it, either!"

Megumi managed to grab onto her mother's finger and held it tight.

"Oh, Megs." Shizue took her out of the harness and hugged her. "Thanks, baby. You make Mommy so happy, you know that?"

She looked back to Ryuichi, who started offering her some tissues but waved them off. "Thanks," she said, and he pocketed his tissues. "Anyway, Mom and Dad really changed after that, so we've been getting along a lot better. They still want me to finish my degree, so they said that they'll watch over Megumi while I finish up my last semester in January."

In that moment, Ryuichi feared a number of things that could happen if she agreed with their parents. "You're going back?"

"Yeah. Well, that's the plan, but money's been pretty tight."

Ryuichi didn't want to think that his family expected him to pay, but he suspected that that was the case. "What about scholarships?" he asked.

"Who's gonna give a scholarship to someone with a record of drinking and partying?"

"Well, maybe they'll see something good in you? Like your grades?"

She laughed bitterly. "I barely passed my subjects, Ryu-chan."

"What about tennis?"

"I never joined in college," she said, putting Megumi back in the harness.

She added a third tomato into the plastic bag and put it in the cart. "What if I just didn't get my degree?" she wondered aloud, continuing on to the toiletry aisle. "I hated school, and Mom's teaching me a lot about the business side of work. If we had you doing the cooking, we'd be the perfect duo.

"Except, you don't wanna do that, do you?" she asked her brother.

Ryuichi looked her in the eyes. "No, I don't," he told her.

She seemed almost as disappointed as their father. "So, you really are going to continue as Mitsuru-san's bodyguard?"

"That's my plan."

"But, isn't it dangerous?"

Her sights went straight to the scar above his eye. "We were all shocked when you showed us your scars," she said quietly. "We thought before that you were just making things up about being a bodyguard so we'd stop making fun of you for being a butler.

"What kind of work are you doing that could do that to you? What kind of business is Mitsuru-san in that she needs you as a bodyguard? Why not someone else?"

"Her father saw something in me that he thought would make me a good bodyguard," Ryuichi answered. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to become stronger."

"A good opportunity to become stronger, or a good opportunity to get closer to Mitsuru-san?"

"Not this again."

Her face soured. "You still like her, don't you? Isn't that why you're so willing to throw your life away?"

"I'm not throwing my life away," he muttered.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel, then?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because!" He quieted down when he saw people staring at them. "Because, I don't feel that way about her anymore."

"Bull." His sister plucked a bundle of toilet paper off the shelf and set it down in the cart. "Don't you wanna know if she likes you back? What if she ends up with someone else, all because you didn't have the guts to tell her?"

"Even if I did feel that way about her, it wouldn't be right," he murmured. "She's my boss."

"So? Haven't you seen those dramas where the wealthy fall in love with their servants?"

"We're not a soap opera, Shiz."

"No, but you guys are like, best friends, right? If you guys get along really well, then maybe someday—"

He exhaled loudly through his nostrils. "I already said I don't feel that way about her," he told her gruffly, and pushed the cart to their next destination.

After seeing his sister and niece to the house, he left immediately after, saying that he needed to go home and study for exams. When his sister invited him to stay for dinner, he revved his motorcycle engine and drove away without looking back.

When he arrived at home, he heard voices upstairs. He went up to see that the other dorm residents had all formed a study group on the second floor, everyone asking one another for help on something, with Minato and Fuuka being the two tutors of the group. Ken was also there getting a book report done, and Koromaru sat faithfully off to the side. The only ones not present were Mitsuru and Aigis.

"Senpai! Can you help us out with something?" Junpei asked, waving his pencil at him.

Sighing, Ryuichi went back to his room to get his study materials. All his thoughts from his conversation with his sister were wiped out when everyone kept calling for his attention for help. In the end, he wound up becoming more tutor than tutee.


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter 85**

Ryuichi was running on only two hours of sleep the following Saturday morning. He spent the previous night focusing on tutoring the others, where even Minato and Fuuka had questions for their subjects. The juniors' questions helped Ryuichi by refreshing his memory on concepts and equations that sounded vaguely familiar, but in the end, he still had to stay up late to study for his own exams. It took several candles arranged carefully around his desk to help him see during the Dark Hour, but despite the extra time and effort, he still didn't feel as though he studied as much as he could have.

As exhausted as he was, he was still able to notice that Mitsuru was oddly quiet during the walk to school that morning. The color had drained from her face, making the dark circles under her eyes even more prominent than his.

"All-nighter?" he asked her.

She looked up, startled. It appeared as though he had rudely plucked her from a dream.

"Hm? O-Oh, yes," she murmured. She managed a smile, but it quickly faded as soon as she had a chance to return to her thoughts.

Ryuichi wasn't totally convinced that an all-nighter was all that she had on her mind. "Did something happen?"

He might as well have shouted atop a wind-thrashed mountain—Mitsuru didn't seem to hear him at all.

They passed by a street lined with stores where a cluster of people gathered. Mitsuru walked past them, but Ryuichi gasped when he saw the charred remains of a shop. Miraculously, the stores around it appeared to have sustained minimal damage, with just a few burn marks where the flames licked them. Despite their lack of damage, none of the stores next to the burnt out shop were open for business.

"—struck late last night—"

"—wouldn't let them hang flyers—"

"—could it be the cultists—"

"—the owner is—"

From what Ryuichi gathered from the crowd's buzzing murmur, the owner of the store was safe but understandably distraught over the loss. Many speculated that the fire was started by cultists who recently sprung up around the city. After ogling at the store, Ryuichi backed away from the crowd, his gut clenching as he hurried to catch up to Mitsuru.

At school, as they separated to change into their school shoes, Ryuichi overheard more students talking about the fire that claimed the shop. From the bits of conversations around him, Ryuichi learned that it had been a small candy store, and that the owner had kicked out some punk who was yelling nonsense at his customers just hours before the store was burned down. Some students mentioned that they used to frequent the store as kids, expressing their wishes to have at least visited one last time before the fire destroyed it.

When Ryuichi shut his shoe locker, he discovered Shiori next to him, greeting him with a big smile.

"All-nighter season, isn't it?" She pointed to her own dark circles under her eyes like they were badges of honor. "Hey, did you see what happened to that little candy store? They said it was a bunch of cultists who set it on fire."

Ryuichi glanced past her shoulder, looking out for Mitsuru. "Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I was surprised to see that the fire didn't spread to the other businesses."

"I know, right? Especially with how tightly packed together the stores are."

The worry on her face faded off. "So, how've your studies been coming along?"

"Okay, I guess," he replied, side-stepping around her.

"That's good to hear. Though, I guess you don't have much to worry about, since you've always done well on exams."

"Not really," he told her, straightening out his uniform. "The only reason why I even made it to the top ten is because I've always had the best tutor helping me out. On my own, I'm pretty hopeless."

She looked at him in amazement. "Are you talking about Mitsuru-san?"

He smiled. "Yeah. But, she's been pretty busy, so I've had to really push myself this time. I'd hate to disappoint her."

Shiori blinked. "Hey, are you two—"

Ryuichi spotted Mitsuru already heading up the stairs without him. "Oh, gotta go," he said hastily as he went after her. "See you in class!"

All throughout the morning, Mitsuru seemed to lack her usual commanding aura. She was constantly lost in thought, where she would be called on in class to solve a problem and needed a moment to register what was going on. She would eventually be able to answer the question or solve the problem on the board, but it was hard to ignore that something seemed off about her.

Like all Saturdays, school let out after fourth period. Ryuichi quickly packed his bag, thinking that Mitsuru might leave him behind again if he wasn't quick enough. He panicked a little when she stood up from her desk, only for her to turn around and look right at him.

"Could you accompany me to the library today?" she asked him, her eyes still unfocused.

"To study?" Ryuichi asked. "Sure thing."

Though they hadn't dawdled when they packed their bags, they were too slow to get a table at the library. It seemed like half the school was there, frantically cramming in the last few bits of their lessons before exams next week. While Ryuichi went to search for a table that might open up, Mitsuru wandered off on her own, browsing the bookshelves. After about ten minutes of searching for open seats, Ryuichi gave up and went to look for Mitsuru. He found her standing between some shelves, her eyes fixed on a book with a blank stare that went right through it. He began to worry.

"Find something interesting?" he asked her carefully.

She blinked out of her daze. "Hm? Oh, not really," she said, quickly looking away by setting her bag down on the floor by her feet.

Ryuichi peered around the shelf to see if anyone had left a table yet. "We might have to give up for today," he told her. "Nobody's budging."

He waited for her response. When none came, he looked back to her. She scanned the titles on the book spines, pulling one off the shelf to read the description on the back. Ryuichi snorted when he saw the cover showing a shirtless samurai holding a beautiful woman in a loosened kimono.

"Wh-What the hell is our school doing with a book like that?" he snickered, fighting to not laugh too loudly.

Mitsuru sighed as she returned the book to the shelf. "It's not the only one of its kind here," she pointed out, motioning to the other titles. "Looking at it, there are fewer books about marriage and family life than there are romance novels."

Ryuichi shrugged. "I guess romance is more appealing," he figured, snorting when he read some of the ridiculous titles. "Check this one out: _The Body Guardian_. Wow."

He slipped it from the shelf to read the back cover. "'A tale about a soldier tasked with guarding the king's daughter, who was put under a spell of eternal sleep by an evil witch.'"

Curious, Ryuichi flipped open the book to a random page near the middle. "Oh, what the hell? The princess wakes up, and the first thing she and the soldier does is—"

He flushed red, shoving the book back onto the shelf. Next to him, Mitsuru continued to browse the titles, appearing to not have heard him at all.

"Just as I thought," she murmured to herself. "The romance section is much larger than the marriage and family section. Does that mean that the most exciting time in one's life is before marriage?"

She crossed her arms, perplexed. "Is marriage worth the sacrifice?"

Ryuichi's eyebrows furrowed with worry. "You've been bringing up marriage a lot lately," he noted. "What the heck are you guys even talking about at those meetings of yours?"

Mitsuru's crestfallen expression made him hurt for her. His chest clenched, already certain about what's been bothering her. She took a breath, her eyes coming into focus briefly, but she still wouldn't look at him.

"To be frank, the Group is in turmoil over the inheritance issue," she told him in a tiny voice. "To be honest, I'm having difficulty understanding the expectations of the other members."

There was a long pause between them. Ryuichi stared at her curtain of bangs that shielded her from him, hoping that he was wrong about what he suspected were the problems surrounding her.

She let out a sigh that lightly ruffled her bangs, giving him a glimpse of her mournful face. "As the daughter of the head of the Group, it is my duty to lead the company, even if—"

She took another breath, holding it briefly before letting it out slowly. Ryuichi caught sight of her left eye peeking at him through her bangs, determined yet fearful. She looked so woebegone that he thought he was watching the last embers of her soul dying out.

"—Even if that requires me to sacrifice something to do it," she finished, breathless.

Ryuichi nodded. It was his turn to look away, feeling his chest shatter.

"I see," he murmured. "They're arranging a marriage for you."

He heard her gasp. "You knew?"

Ryuichi let out an anguished sigh. "You made it kind of obvious," he said, motioning to the romance section as he turned back to her. "I just didn't think they would already be searching for someone for you."

Her lip quivered. "A fiancé has already been chosen for me."

His heart burst, leaving nothing but stains smeared in his chest. It shouldn't have surprised him, but hearing her speak it to life hurt worse than he anticipated.

"A-Already?" he uttered numbly. "But, isn't that too soon?"

Her silence answered for her. "But, how?" he asked, still in disbelief. "Who?"

Mitsuru looked in his direction without meeting his gaze. "You met him at that party. He's the new president of one of our affiliates, and he's much older than me," she said in a hoarse voice that gutted him.

Ryuichi could only recall a whirlwind of men and women at the party they attended together. He tried to remember all the older men who latched onto Mitsuru with their conversations, seeing them with graying hair, wrinkles around their eyes, and smiles that turned bloodthirsty when he imagined them preying on Mitsuru.

"But, you can't—"

"I have to," she told him, sounding bolder now. "If I agree to the marriage, the future of the company will be secured. He's planning to announce the partnership and our engagement at the same time. Doing so will give the appearance that the company is stabilizing. It's the best solution for everyone involved."

He scowled. "'Everyone'?" he asked in a gruff voice. "Including you?"

She opened her mouth to answer but froze. Frustration showed when she grimaced, and she lowered her fists down at her sides.

"You know more than anyone else I know the importance of duty to one's family," she said in a somber voice. "My parents did the same for both of theirs. I have to be strong enough to follow in their footsteps to protect mine."

"Bullshit!" he snarled, startling her. "Anyone can see that you hate this!"

"Shh! Keep it down," she urged him, finally looking his way. "As much as possible, I don't want anyone to know about this."

He made a face. "Then why tell me at all if you don't want anyone to know?"

Her eyes pleaded with him. "Because, I trust you," she whispered, her hair falling around her face like wilted petals.

Ryuichi noticed how numb his fingers had gone. He set his school bag down, flexing them, trying to pump life back into the cold nubs.

"So, what now?" he murmured, keeping his head down so the brim of his hat covered his view of her face. "Are there any other options so you don't have to go through with the marriage?"

When he looked up, he saw Mitsuru watching his fingers wiggle around. There was a light twinkle in her eye, as though she was staring at a tiny flame struggling to survive.

"And what do you propose I do instead?" she asked, almost accusingly. "Should I leave everything behind and go on a journey of self-discovery?"

She gasped, hope illuminating her face. "If I did, would you come with me?"

His eyes widened. "YES!" he screeched, his voice going so high that Mitsuru jumped. The two frantically glanced around to see if anyone heard him, Ryuichi burning hotly from his outburst.

For a few long seconds, Mitsuru stood frozen with an expression like she was about to laugh. She managed a dry chuckle as sorrow clouded her eyes.

"I-I was just joking," she murmured in a hollow voice, and her response stabbed Ryuichi through the gut.

Ryuichi hardened his expression, staring hard into her eyes. "Joking or not, I was serious," he said to her. "You wanna go on that journey of self-discovery? I'll be there to help you find yourself. You wanna skip out on the marriage? I'll help you hide until they give up searching for you. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

He watched as she stood there, stupefied. She kept her eyes fixed on him unblinkingly, her mouth slightly ajar. Looking at her, he begged with his eyes for her to reconsider the marriage.

Slowly, she brought her arms up to hold herself. "Ryuichi," she said softly, casting her gaze away from his.

He said nothing, waiting for her answer. He was startled to see her shaking before him, but what alarmed him most was that, just then before she looked away, she looked at him as though she was afraid of him. Seeing her in such anguish stabbed deeper into him, but he endured it, knowing he had to be strong for her.

Mitsuru held herself tighter, her arms almost crushing her. "I have to follow through with my decision," she said, her voice low and agonized. "Talking with you, I thought I could strengthen my resolve but—"

Her voice became strained. "I don't think we should see each other like this anymore."

Ryuichi's mind went numb. "Wh-What? What do you mean?"

"It's always just the two of us," she continued, shifting her gaze to the shelves again. "It never occurred to me how much time we spend together, and so I—"

"Is it that weird?" he questioned weakly. "We're in the same class. I'm your bodyguard. You're like, my best friend—"

"Th-That's enough," she said, wincing. It was a feeble order, but he obeyed. "It was a mistake for me to meet you like this. Talking to you has made me lose my resolve."

He shook his head. "If that means you won't go through with the marriage, that's fine with me," he told her. "Like I said before, if you need me, I'm here. Just tell me how I can help."

Mitsuru's face strained again, like she was in agony. Ryuichi softened his expression, watching as she touched a hand to her chest. Her breath quickened, and uneasiness shone in her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" He started towards her, but she retreated a step.

"I-I'm fine," she answered, stooping slightly to pick up her bag.

He wasn't convinced. "If you're not feeling well, we should get you home. I can get you some medicine if—"

"It's nothing," she insisted, turning away. "It's your fault I'm feeling this way."

She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I have to go. Please excuse me," she said curtly, and left with a look in her eye that told him not to follow.

Ryuichi wasn't sure how he should feel right then. He was completely lost, his body and mind numbed after learning about what she had been dealing with for the past month. Her compliance rattled him, making him unable to believe that she was the same Mitsuru who used to combat adversity with such vehemence that earned the admiration and respect from their classmates. He wanted to help her, but after hearing what she had to say, he started to worry if he hurt her somehow.

"What did she mean by that?" he asked himself. "Feeling what way? What did I do?"

He shook the thought away and snatched up his bag to go after her. He hurried out of the faculty hallway, spotting Mitsuru as she headed out the front doors. Ryuichi started to follow her when Akihiko called to him from the little store.

"You got a minute?" he asked Ryuichi as he approached him.

He looked back to Mitsuru, who was now headed for the awaiting car outside the school gates. As the driver helped her to her seat, he saw the familiar despondence on her face, knowing now what caused it.

"You all right?" Akihiko asked him. "You look sick. Did you catch a cold or something?"

Ryuichi felt his shoulders sag. "I'm fine," he said in a small voice. "You wanted to talk about something?"

He reluctantly went with Akihiko to the courtyard between the main building and the gym. Ryuichi wanted to stand under the sun to warm up, but Akihiko led him to a shady corner, away from any prying students' ears. It took Ryuichi a moment to realize that he wasn't chilled from the weather, but from what Mitsuru had just revealed to him.

"I didn't get to hear what you wanted to do about Ryoji," Akihiko said to him. "Do you already know what you want to do?"

Ryuichi stuffed his hands into his pockets for warmth. He really didn't want to be there right then.

"Well, I already knew that I didn't want to forget anyone," he began, "and I don't know how happy I would be if my memories were wiped. If my last few days of living had me going back to my old life before meeting everyone, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be happy at all."

Akihiko studied him. "So, does that mean you want to fight?" he asked.

Ryuichi nodded. "I think so. I mean, I have this power for a reason, so I have to at least try to fight even if the result winds up being the same."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Akihiko said with a determined smile. "You were awfully quiet when we discussed all this the other night. How come you didn't say anything before?"

"Because I wanted to hear what everyone else was thinking first." Ryuichi leaned back against the building, feeling the cold cement cut through the many layers of his uniform. "I didn't want to be the one to push everyone to go along with what I wanted, since what I want is kind of selfish."

"I don't think it's selfish," Akihiko told him. "I think it's selfish to forget the sacrifices the others made. How can we forget about Shinji or Mitsuru's father after all they've done for us? I think it's insulting to them if we choose to forget everything."

Akihiko crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "And besides that, why lie down and die when we can still fight? We don't even know if it's impossible to beat Nyx, especially when all we have is Ryoji's word on it."

Ryuichi nodded again, feeling Akihiko draw strength from both their reasons.

"So that's two of us, at least," he heard Akihiko murmur to himself. "All right, how do we beat an unbeatable opponent? What would you do if you were up against a master of kendo that you had no hope of defeating?"

Ryuichi picked his head up, getting a clear view of Akihiko's face. "I'd fight until I won," he answered him, imagining getting his ass kicked by Mitsuru's fiancé but fighting back anyway. "I've already proven that I'm pretty difficult to kill, so with that going for me, I think my odds are a little better than most."

"Can't disagree there," Akihiko said with a satisfied nod. "But, how sure are you that you won't die before you get a chance to win?"

"I'm not. I'll just have to come back and haunt Nyx's ass so the rest of you can get a clean shot."

"I like the way you think," Akihiko chuckled. "All right, now I know for sure I don't want to go down without a fight. Thanks, Ryuichi."

He slugged Ryuichi's arm, grinning. Ryuichi eyes bulged from the explosive pain, but he fought to not rub where it hurt.

"Don't mention it," Ryuichi gasped. "And hey, um, sorry I was such a jerk last month."

Akihiko shook his head. "Yeah, about that—I get why Mitsuru was upset, but why were you?"

He couldn't take it anymore and rubbed the sore spot on his arm. "This might sound weird, but Takeharu Kirijo was more of a father to me than my own dad at times," he told him in all honesty.

"Yeah? Well, when you put it that way, I guess it all makes sense."

He stared at Ryuichi still rubbing his arm. "I didn't hit you that hard."

Ryuichi scowled at him and punched Akihiko's arm. Akihiko looked down at his own arm and shrugged.

"To be fair, you've been out for like, a month—"

Akihiko flinched, finally touching his arm where Ryuichi hit him, giving him some satisfaction that he hadn't lost all his strength from his lack of activity. The boxer eventually left him, murmuring something about wanting to get in a quick workout before being stuck in his room studying all evening again. Ryuichi saw him off, finally able to withdraw back into his thoughts and let his despair wash over him again.

He couldn't study that afternoon, nor that night. He sat at his desk for a long while, not even seeing the books or notes laid out in front of him. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he got up and went for a walk around the neighborhood, keeping his head down and hands in his pockets. He didn't bother to bring his fedora with him and let the freezing winds ruffle his hair. He wanted to feel the cold, just so he could feel something other than himself dying inside. The Fall hadn't even begun yet, and Mitsuru had not yet said "I do", but he already felt half-dead.

Long after the sun had gone down, he returned to the dorm and warmed up in the bath. He sat there, soaking in the burning water with his elbows on his knees, thinking about his conversation with Mitsuru earlier.

"'My fault'?" he repeated to himself. "What was she going on about?"

A thought struck him, one that made him feel sick. "Did I just get fired again?"

He submerged his head, laying there on the bottom of the tub, letting the water burn his face while his knees poked up above the surface. He stayed down there for a long time, his lungs powerful from years of playing the saxophone. He just needed to clear his head for a little bit, just to give himself a chance to get some perspective back.

He released his remaining breath as he came back up for air. For a long time, he sat there without moving, barely breathing, barely able to do anything other than stare at the water.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door. Ryuichi stood up, letting the water cascade off of him as he stepped out of the tub.

"I'll be right there!" he called, quickly drying off and wrapping himself up in a bathrobe.

When he was halfway across his room, there was another knock. He answered the door to find Minato standing with his fist poised to knock again.

"Sorry. Didn't know you were taking a bath," he said to Ryuichi as he lowered his fist.

"That's okay," Ryuichi told him. "What's up?"

"We were wondering if you wanted to study with us."

Ryuichi could already tell that they were looking for a tutor more than a study buddy. "I'll be right there," he said, and ducked back into his room to get dressed and grab his study materials.

Up on the second floor, he found just about everyone seated at the long table. The moment they saw him, they called for his help, shoving their books in his face before he could even sit down.

"Okay, okay, hold on!" he shouted over all of them. "We'll start with one subject first so we're all on the same page, okay?"

Everyone was too focused on learning the materials to see the giant sword that pierced through his heart, not knowing what he and Mitsuru talked about only hours before. He didn't mind too much, grateful for the distraction as he looked over their notes to refresh his memory on certain concepts he learned in his second year of high school. He had to tutor Akihiko separately from everyone else, being the only other senior in the group, but at least Ryuichi was able to focus a little bit on his own subjects whenever he helped Akihiko.

The next morning, Ryuichi came out of his room just as Mitsuru was heading out to another meeting. They both stared at each other in silence, Mitsuru looking more shaken to see him than he was seeing her.

He bowed. "Good morning, Ojou-sama," he greeted without a smile. "Have a nice day today."

She looked hurt by his greeting. All she did in return was acknowledge him with a nod and a frown, and went outside to the awaiting car. He could only hope that she wasn't off to meet her fiancé.


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86**

If being around Mitsuru was too troublesome for her, then Ryuichi decided that he should honor her wishes and keep his distance. As her butler and bodyguard, he realized that he had overstepped his boundaries for far too long, being too familiar with her for the past few years.

He remembered that she hated it when he addressed her as "Ojou-sama". So, was he honoring her wishes before, or was he being a bad employee for not calling her by her title? Either way, all he could do was start acting like the butler and bodyguard he ought to be.

But, he couldn't just erase the memories of their friendship on a whim just because she said she didn't want to see him anymore. He still couldn't understand why she suddenly couldn't stand having him around her. He wondered if it was because he had been too vocal about his thoughts on her engagement, that he was pushing her too hard without considering her feelings.

As Mitsuru's friend, he didn't want her to marry some older guy just to save the Kirijo Group. As her employee, he would be forced to keep quiet and observe in silent anguish as he watched Mitsuru prepare for a marriage she detested. But, after Mitsuru declared that his presence was detrimental to her, he feared that he somehow screwed up and upset her again. He thought they were fine with each other again, so why...?

He grew frustrated from trying to understand Mitsuru. When he couldn't take it anymore, he switched up his thoughts to try to imagine what her fiancé looked like. The more he thought about it, the more he pictured her fiancé as a much older, sleazy, slimy man with saggy jowls and a crown of graying hair surrounding a wispy comb-over. He could already see the man licking his cracked lips as he eyed Mitsuru with a lustful grin. Ryuichi's imagination brought no comfort whatsoever, and if anything, it made him worry even more for Mitsuru.

That Sunday, Ryuichi managed to choke down some instant noodles before urging himself to study. Studying became a means of mental survival as opposed to being a way to earn better grades, where he just needed to cast off his concerns for the moment and busy his mind with something else. Every now and then, he would picture his idea of the much older fiancé, imagining him reaching for Mitsuru while letting out a toad-like, croaking laugh. All he could do to assuage the devastating image was to picture himself beating the crap out of the guy. If he did that in real life, he was certain that he would be shot dead by his bodyguards. He thought it was totally worth it.

By afternoon, he finally got up and stretched, popping all the stiffness in his joints away. His latest daydream about how to deal with Mitsuru's fiancé involved him kidnapping the man without letting him see his face. He would then throw him into Tartarus and "rescue" him before the Shadows could tear him apart. Her fiancé would then offer him a reward of his choice. He would gladly request for him to break off his engagement with Mitsuru, who would then ride off on her motorcycle to a place where her fiancé would never be able to find her ever again.

"That was the least violent one," he said, praising himself for exercising restraint. "But I think I liked the one with the T-Rex more."

He frowned soon after. Daydreaming didn't change anything; Mitsuru was still betrothed to the guy.

"But, she said it would just give the appearance that they were stabilizing," he recalled. "It's not even that it's stabilizing. It just looks like it. Just like—"

Just like the way Mitsuru would always act like everything was fine, even though she was in excruciating pain. She was pushing herself harder than he had ever seen her push before. As strong as she was, he knew that even she had her limits. The way she had been looking for the past few weeks was evidence enough of how the Group was breaking her down.

Was it worth the sacrifice? Mitsuru clearly didn't want to go through with the marriage, yet she was determined to do so to preserve her family's company. It was the same path her parents chose, and because of their example, she seemed even more driven to follow in their footsteps.

But, why did she expect him to understand? He had never been forced to marry someone he didn't know, and his family's restaurant didn't require such an arrangement. He was just the son of a restaurant owner, with the only real social expectation out of him being that he supposedly got along very well with his family.

Of course, his family's restaurant wasn't on the same scale as one of the nation's leading companies. More people were involved, and more people depended on just the one person to keep Japan's economy stable with the preservation of the Kirijo Group. Why should one person's pain outweigh hundreds? Thousands? An entire nation?

What hurt Ryuichi most was when Mitsuru told him that she couldn't bear to see him anymore. What about him was so difficult to be around? How did he keep rattling her resolve? His stomach churned when he remembered his bad jokes, questioning if he had poked too much fun at her. Or maybe it was because he had frustrated her too many times, always doing things he shouldn't be doing when he was supposed to be resting.

Then again, he remembered that Mitsuru invited him out a few times, though some of those times were to study. She even agreed to going out to eat with him, despite being well-aware of his injuries.

"Maybe I'm a distraction," he said to himself with a sigh.

They had been hanging out a lot, so she might have been shirking her duties because of him. Or perhaps, it's less about how she spent her free time and more about her having to constantly watch over him due to his injuries, in case he did get too exuberant from finally being able to move around without too much hindrance.

He needed a break, something bigger than just stepping away from his desk. Ryuichi didn't want to stray too far from his studies and wound up in the kitchen to make tea and snacks for Mitsuru for when she returned from whatever it was she was doing. He made sandwiches with ham, avocado, and tomato with a little mayonnaise, something simple and familiar. He then made little fruit tarts for dessert. He filled the water boiler for tea, hoping that if any of the other residents took some, they would at least have the courtesy to refill it for the next person. After that, he wasn't sure what else to do but return to his room to study.

It took much of his energy to focus squarely on his studies and block Mitsuru out of his mind. Even then, he kept grabbing at his hair, running his fingers through it, rubbing his scalp whenever he saw her in his mind.

"Of all the times, why the hell did you pick right before finals to tell me this?" he raged aloud. "What the hell were you thinking?"

He felt like he was breaking inside. His chest was glass, and Mitsuru had taken a small hammer and delivered a single, light tap that left a growing crack in him. It was everything he could do to hold the pieces together, feeling the shards stick into his fingers, embedding into his skin, staining him with his own blood. The more he tried to hold himself together, the more the glass shards cut into his being.

He decided to go for another walk. It was becoming ritualistic, where he just needed to escape everything for a moment just to breathe. He put on his parka and put the hood up, more to avoid people than for warmth. When he opened the front door, he almost ran into Mitsuru, who shared the same surprised look on his face.

Ryuichi bent his face low. "Excuse me," he said quickly, slipping past her. He trotted down the steps and hurried away, Mitsuru's gaze like twin hammers tapping on his back, chipping away at him some more.

He wandered aimlessly all around the neighborhood, letting his feet lead him wherever they pleased. The Lost seemed to be everywhere now, where Ryuichi would have to walk around some of them that stood swaying on the sidewalk. One got stuck in the middle of an intersection as cars drove around it, almost clipping it with their bumpers. No one stopped to help.

It was foolish for him to be outside instead of studying for exams, and he knew it. He was committing academic suicide, and he didn't care right then. He just needed to get away from Mitsuru for now.

The problem he found during his strolls was that walking actually helped him focus more on his worries for Mitsuru rather than alleviating his stress. She was in his head, haunting him, hurting him with her words that echoed in his mind. Mitsuru was always there no matter how far he walked.

That evening, when he finally managed to filter out most of Mitsuru and her fiancé from his thoughts, Ryuichi returned to the dorm to study late into the night. Around eleven o'clock, he took a long bath, finally back to his numbed state of mind. He lay awake in bed for hours after that.

Monday came. It was the first day of the week of exams, and Ryuichi immediately wondered if he could just fight off a hundred Shadows per exam and pass with how well he endured.

He used his morning workout as a means of expelling the frustration that had built up in his body, working himself harder than he should have. He showered and dressed, preparing himself mentally to have to face Mitsuru during the routine walk to school. When he opened his door, he saw Kikuno already in the kitchen, washing the dishes from Mitsuru's breakfast.

"Oh, Ryuichi-san?" she said when she saw him approach. "Ojou-sama already left for school. She said exams begin today."

Ryuichi lowered his eyes, staring through the kitchen counter. "Yeah, exams start today," he murmured, and headed to the pantry to grab some instant noodles.

She watched him carefully, quietly scrubbing a fork with a sponge longer than necessary. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No. Just an all-nighter, that's all."

He knew she didn't believe him. He ate his noodles without cooling them down first, his mouth feeling fuzzy from the burns. The moment he finished, Kikuno took his chopsticks from him to wash, telling him that he had best catch up to Mitsuru. Ryuichi nodded as he dragged his feet to the door.

"Good luck on your exams," Kikuno called after him. He gave an apathetic wave over his shoulder on his way out.

She hated him. That was the only explanation he could think of. Mitsuru hated him for whatever reason, and she was pushing him away because of it. But why?

 _"It's always just the two of us."_

Her voice came like a whisper in his ear as he recalled her words. He repeated them as he quickened his walk to the train station, sensing that there was something there that she might have been trying to clue him in on.

"Is it because her fiancé might get jealous?" he wondered to himself.

Why would he be jealous? They were only friends and classmates, and he worked for her. He was happy to be her friend, happy to serve her, happy to fight alongside her against Shadows. And now, it seemed that neither of them could stand the sight of each other.

Except, he missed her. He missed chatting with her, having tea with her, studying with her—He missed his best friend. But now, he didn't feel worthy enough to call himself a friend of hers when he was powerless to help her.

Seeing Mitsuru getting her soul ripped out so shortly after losing her father was too much for him to watch. He hurt for her, wishing there was something he could do so that she wouldn't have to become a sacrifice for the Kirijo Group. Then again, how much worse was it for Mitsuru, who was actually going through it all?

He got to a street corner and punched the crosswalk button. He looked up to the sky, seeing clouds in lazy wisps moseying overhead, so carefree and oblivious to the world below.

"The hell am I doing?" he asked himself. He wasn't the one suffering. Mitsuru was. The least he could do was be there for her, to help her through a marriage that would benefit everyone except her. She was the one enchained by her birthright while he was just a nobody, free to do whatever he pleased. He vowed then and there to help her make her life a little more bearable, that he would support her in all her endeavors.

When he arrived at his classroom, he entered through the rear door so that Mitsuru wouldn't have to see him. She was already at her seat, her notes open in front of her as she did a last-minute review before the bell rang. Ryuichi took his seat and watched as she stiffened, her back straighter, rigid. Painful.

After school, Mitsuru packed her things rapidly and left without him. Ryuichi took his time packing his bag, giving her time to get away from him.

"First day of exams down!" Shiori said to him with a relieved stretch as she approached his desk.

Ryuichi felt his lip curl into an automatic smile in return. "At least my worst subject's out of the way," he replied.

"Yeah? Lucky. My worst one's coming up tomorrow."

"Is that English?"

"Yup!" As tired as she looked, she still managed to smile.

Ryuichi finished packing and started for the door. "Well, I have a few errands to run before going back to the grind, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"You too, huh?" Shiori's shoulders sagged. "Mom asked me to pick some stuff up from the grocery store, too, but I guess it's a fair trade off, since she'll be the one cooking while I study."

"Sounds pretty fair to me. What are you planning for dinner?"

"She said she was making burger steak. Oh, but she stuffs it with cheese, so it oozes out when you cut into it."

They went downstairs together, talking about food and how the meat would always be the first to disappear whenever they cooked sukiyaki. Ryuichi told her about the curry rice he made not long ago with the intent that he would make it last him a few days.

"My dorm mates ate it all," he said glumly.

"That sucks!"

"Right? I didn't even invite them to eat it with me and they still didn't get the hint!"

"You should put a sign next time," Shiori suggested. "Say something like, 'This curry has laxatives mixed in. Eat at your own risk' but don't actually put any."

Ryuichi blinked. "Why do that when I can just put laxatives and teach them the hard way?"

She gasped, then laughed. "Why, Mr. Okazaki, I do believe you've got a little devil on your shoulder."

She gave him a playful shove. Ryuichi pretended to watch the little devil on his shoulder fall right off, miming a kick to send it flying.

"Well, I guess I'm free from that little bugger," he joked. As they reached the shoe lockers, he saw Mitsuru just outside the doors on her way to the train station.

"Um, sorry, but I really gotta hurry," he said to Shiori as he hurried to his shoe locker.

"Wait, what's the rush?" she asked with a hurt look.

"I just have a lot to do today." He bent down to change his shoes. In mere seconds, he got up and slammed his locker door shut. "Good luck on your exams, okay?"

With that, he ran off, keeping his distance from Mitsuru and hopefully staying out of her sight. Ryuichi remained hidden among the clusters of other passengers waiting for the train, and when they were able to board, he made sure to get on a different car from Mitsuru. He kept a ways behind her when they reached Iwatodai—ducking into alleys, hiding behind cars—until he watched her safely enter the dorm. From there, he continued to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients.

At home, the dorm was so silent that Ryuichi feared he cracked the old building in two when he accidentally knocked some metal bowls together. When he got over the shock from the noise, he set to work baking a mocha cake for everyone to share. Both the cake and the frosting were mocha, and he pressed in some chocolate shavings along the sides. He finished it off by writing "Good luck on exams!" in red gel icing and set the cake down on the counter beneath a glass cover for everyone to see.

When everything was ready, he sent a mass email to everyone, telling them about the cake. Everyone except Mitsuru came downstairs, marveling at it before cutting it into slices.

"Oh, Mitsuru-senpai said she'll have some later," Yukari told Ryuichi when he was about to send her another email.

After everyone had their fill, they thanked him and dragged themselves back up the stairs to resume their studies. Ryuichi hung back, washing their dishes when he got an idea. He cut a piece of cake and stuck it on a plate, noticing that it was a little bigger than what the others took. Shrugging, he prepared some tea and put everything on a tray. He brought the tray upstairs to Mitsuru's room, where he set it down just outside her door and took a deep breath.

He knocked twice and dashed upstairs to hide, almost reaching the fourth floor when her door opened. He kept hidden as he watched her stoop to pick up the tray. She looked back and forth down the hallway before taking the tray into her room.

He left her snacks the next day, and the next, in the afternoon after school and in the evening after dinner so she had something to eat while she studied. Every little thing he made, he took care to make it as neat and appetizing as possible, even if it was just toasted rice crackers with a bit of seaweed or freshly peeled apple slices. Just like the first night, he would leave a tray with tea and some kind of snack outside Mitsuru's door, knock, and leave, but since the first day, he didn't hide to see if she took it. Instead, he calmly left to go study, and a little while later, he would return to see the tray with empty dishes back outside her door, ready to be picked up.

On Thursday after school, Mitsuru didn't rush to pack up and leave. Ryuichi slowed down putting his things away to give her a chance to go before him when Shiori came up to him.

"We're almost done," she said, beaming. "Just two more days!"

" _Just_ two more days?" Ryuichi groaned.

"Yeah, good point." Shiori stretched her arms high above her head with a satisfied groan. "Oh, yeah! Do you wanna grab a bite to eat with me?"

Just then, Mitsuru stood up and pushed her chair in. Ryuichi glanced in her direction before looking back to Shiori.

"Sorry, but I can't today," he told her. His eyes slid back to the right to see that Mitsuru already had the door open, but she stood just inside the classroom with her head down and her cell phone in her hand.

"That's okay," Shiori said with a shrug. "If we slack off now, we might lose the drive to study, right?"

Ryuichi watched as Mitsuru stepped through the threshold and slid the door closed. "Yeah," he half-heartedly agreed with Shiori. "Don't wanna lose that rhythm now."

He resumed packing up his stuff when Shiori said: "You like her, don't you?"

He dropped his pencil. Ryuichi stiffly bent to pick it up without saying a word.

"It's so obvious you do, Ryuichi-kun," she continued, no longer smiling. "You haven't taken your eyes off of her this whole week. Why don't you tell her?"

"Because I don't feel that way about her." He snapped the clasps on his school bag shut and stood from his desk.

"I don't believe you."

Shiori blocked his way to the door. "She cares about you, too," she told him. "I couldn't understand it before, why she was being so strict with you, but I think get it now. Ryuichi-kun, do you think she—"

"No, I don't."

"But you should at least be honest with her."

"There's nothing to be honest about," he snarled through a clenched jaw. He looked past Shiori's shoulder to see that Mitsuru had already gone.

"Tell her," she urged him. "She needs to know."

He shook his head and left through the rear door. Shiori didn't try to stop him this time. On his way out, he could see some of his classmates staring at him, silencing their whispers when he passed.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself as he hurried down the stairs. "That's another rumor I have to clean up."

By the time he caught up to Mitsuru, she was already getting into a car outside the school gates. She had no expression on her face, no indication of sorrow or defeat—It was the look he saw her wear more often in the past week. Mitsuru looked like her usual stoic self, but he knew better. He saw the way she cordially greeted everyone in school that morning, navigating each brief conversation with the same mastery he saw at the party with the Kirijo Group affiliates. She never broke her appearance, keeping up the illusion so well that she had everybody fooled, except for him. He could feel that she was hurting worse now than when they last spoke. She was breaking, but she held her appearance together through sheer will.

All Ryuichi could do was go home and prepare cake and tea for Mitsuru, as it was the only thing he could think of to offer her some respite. This time, he made two cakes, one big the other small, taking more care with the little one for Mitsuru than he did with the larger one for everyone else. He had the little tube of blue gel icing in his hand, trying to think of what he could write on Mitsuru's cake to offer her encouragement. The more he stared at the empty space on top, the more he could envision her stoic expression. It seemed to him that there were no words he could write to lift her spirits.

As he tried to come up with different, less absurd ways of saying "Hang in there", his mind drifted back to what Shiori had said to him after school. It was the same thing that his sister and mother hoped for, the same thing that the rumors in school would say in hushed, excitable whispers.

"They don't know what they're talking about," he muttered under his breath, and capped the tube of blue gel icing without writing anything on the cake.

He put the small cake on a plate, accompanying it with some tea, as usual. As he did before, he brought the tray of treats upstairs to Mitsuru's door and knocked. He left immediately after, hearing the door open a lot sooner than he expected. He barely reached the stairs when he felt Mitsuru's eyes on him, but he didn't look back as he headed down to his room.


	87. Chapter 87

**Chapter 87**

For dinner on Friday night, Ryuichi decided to take a bunch of instant noodle packets and make ramen for everyone in the dorm. He made the broth first, using only half of the chicken flavor packets that came with the noodles and adding touches of garlic and soy sauce. To make it more filling, he added cuts of marinated pork, slices of fish cake with the little pink swirls, finely chopped scallions, small sheets of seaweed, baby bok choy, onsen eggs, and then planned to sprinkle on some parsley as a finishing touch. He called everyone downstairs for dinner just before preparing the noodles, so that they would be fresh and hot without getting soggy.

"Whoa! Ryuichi-senpai, you made ramen for us?"

Junpei was the first one downstairs, followed by Minato and Yukari. Akihiko came next with Ken and Koromaru, then Fuuka and Mitsuru brought up the rear. They watched as Ryuichi filled a bunch of bowls with broth and noodles, and he was sure he heard a few stomachs grumble when they saw him add on the toppings.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked them all. "Eat it while it's hot."

Everyone took a bowl, including Mitsuru. Ken and Fuuka took a few moments to get Koromaru's food for him before settling down at the bar with everyone. Koromaru sniffed at his food, snorted, then went to sit by Ken's feet and whined, wanting some ramen, too.

"How did you make this, Senpai?" Fuuka asked as she looked up from her bowl.

"I just took a bunch of the instant stuff and made it a little more colorful," he replied with a shrug.

"That's definitely not instant," Minato said as he poked at the pork and the slices of fish cake.

Ryuichi flashed him a grin. "It is when you buy it from the store already prepared."

"Is this really instant noodles?" Ken asked in awe with a bit of parsley stuck to his face. "It's really good!"

Ryuichi held up a packet of instant noodles to show them all. They all stared, gaping at the familiar packaging before looking at their bowls. He quietly relished in their surprise.

"What made you want to cook all this?" asked Akihiko.

Ryuichi prepared a bowl of ramen for himself. "Because I was going crazy from studying all week," he answered, trying not to slosh the soup. He was just grateful that his wallet didn't suffer as much this time, and that the food was enough to cheer everyone up, even if it was just a little.

"Right?"

"Me, too!"

"I burnt my eyes out!"

Mitsuru took her first taste of the broth. "It's delicious," she said, smiling.

It was the first smile she gave Ryuichi in almost a week. He felt her warmth and appreciation, and for a moment, it seemed like she was okay with him being around her again.

Ryuichi came out from the kitchen to take the seat closest to the stairs next to Akihiko. Further down the counter, he could hear Mitsuru chatting with the others about exams, sounding perfectly at ease. Everyone compared their exam answers, asking how to solve certain math problems, or which historical figure did what, or what an English idiom translated to in Japanese.

Next to Ryuichi, Akihiko slurped up the last of his noodles. "Hey, is there more?" he asked.

Ryuichi got up from his stool. "Yeah. Here, I'll get it for you."

"More pork, too, if you got any left."

"Sure thing."

"And extra eggs."

"Right, right."

Junpei stretched his arms out wide. "When exams are done, I just wanna play video games all day and forget it ever happened," he yawned.

"Isn't that all you do anyway?" Minato jabbed.

"Yeah, and exams interrupted my very busy life," Junpei joked back with an air of pride.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think I could use a trip to Tartarus after all this," Yukari said as she stretched her arms high over her head with a groan.

Everyone agreed with her, and some even suggested that they should just go later that night. The suggestion was shot down, as they still had one more exam tomorrow.

After dinner, Fuuka and Yukari offered to clean up afterward, allowing Ryuichi to retire to his room earlier. He took the extra time to take a bath while running tomorrow's subject through his mind, recalling everything he possibly could. When he felt like he could do no more without his notes, he thought about Mitsuru again.

Everyone had become recluses the past week, so no one questioned if something had happened between the two of them. The ramen was the first meal he cooked for them in a while, and he hadn't expected Mitsuru to come down and eat with everyone. But, maybe she just needed to relax and chat with everyone for a little while. Maybe they all needed it.

Still, Mitsuru kept her distance from him. All week, she still left much earlier than him for school. They avoided each others' eyes whenever they happened to be in the same room. At least during exams, Mitsuru didn't have a view of Ryuichi in front of her the way he did of her. If he ever needed to look away from his exam paper to rest his eyes or try to remember something, she was always there, giving him a full view of her long, wavy, dark red hair, making it difficult for him to even try to pretend she was someone else. Despite their inevitable encounters, he did his best to stay away from her and operate outside of her sight.

The next morning, Ryuichi emerged from his room to the sound of Kikuno washing dishes. It was a signal to him that Mitsuru had already left.

"Are you not her bodyguard?" Kikuno asked him point blank.

Ryuichi stopped, barely taking a step outside his bedroom door. "I am," he answered, knitting his eyebrows.

"Then why are you still here?" she asked, her voice light but accusing. "It seems that all week now, you've allowed her to leave on her own, unprotected. Have you forgotten why you were hired?"

"I haven't forgotten," he said, closing his door.

"Then if you have already recovered from your injuries, I suggest you go after her."

Ryuichi nodded. He didn't argue, knowing that she was right about him not fulfilling his duties, even though it was Mitsuru who said she didn't want to see him anymore.

"I'm going now," he said, vaulting over the front desk and bolting out the door without breakfast.

Kikuno called after him, but he ignored her, seeing Mitsuru round the corner two blocks away. He sprinted after her, and when he turned the corner, he slowed to a brisk walk. He wasn't winded, just apprehensive about approaching her. She was still a number of paces away, giving him a chance to keep his distance while watching over her.

At the train station, Ryuichi kept glancing over to Mitsuru while staying hidden among the crowds. Her red hair was easy to spot between the shoulders of businessmen, women, and students, and as far as he could tell, she wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Brrr! It's so cold today!"

Ryuichi turned to see Yukari and Minato slip their way through the crowds. They got as close to the front as possible, and when they were settled in their spot, Minato grabbed Yukari's hand.

"H-Hey!" a flustered Yukari whispered angrily. "What are you doing? Not here!"

He smiled. "It's warmer this way, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but what if someone sees?"

He didn't let go.

"Fine. Just for a little while, okay?"

Ryuichi found himself smiling at the two. When he glanced back to Mitsuru, he saw that she was on her cell phone. The conversation was brief, but he saw the tiniest slump in her posture, feeling it more in her spirit than anything else. All he wanted to do was go up to her to offer her some encouragement, but he remained where he stood, keeping watch over her from afar.

After the train ride, Ryuichi walked behind Mitsuru and the two juniors, keeping out of their sights. Yukari and Minato called out to Mitsuru first, their hands no longer intertwined. Mitsuru heard them and slowed her pace to chat with them while Ryuichi slipped through the gates without any of them taking notice. He hurried inside the school before they could spot him.

"Um, hey," Shiori greeted him meekly as he changed into his school shoes.

He straightened up, frowning as he recalled Shiori's words from just a few days ago.

"Uh, can I just start out by saying sorry for the other day?" she asked, nervously twisting the strap of her backpack.

Ryuichi exhaled, feeling the tension in his shoulders loosen up. "Apology accepted," he murmured as he reached up to put his regular shoes into his locker.

"Really? Just like that?"

"There's no point in staying mad," he said softly. "Just do me a favor and don't go around saying stuff that'll spark rumors about us. Mitsuru's having a hard enough time as is."

Shiori nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

Ryuichi hoped she didn't know the real reason as to why Mitsuru was struggling so much lately. He didn't bother to ask, not wanting to stir up more trouble.

"So, are you ready for the last day of exams?" Shiori asked, suddenly regaining her usual pep.

"Nope!" He matched her energy despite not being in the mood for it.

"No? Why not?"

"Because I only studied for about an hour before crashing last night."

He pulled off his hat and banged his forehead against the shoe lockers. "How doomed am I?"

"Depends." Shiori patted his back. "You still have some time before class starts. Why don't you cram until then?"

He blew out a sigh. "Yeah, I should, huh?" he murmured, regaining a tiny shred of motivation to at least get through their last exam.

She steered him towards the stairs. "Come on. I'll even lend you my notes."

At his desk, Ryuichi took out his Japanese Studies notebook and scanned the pages. Shiori let him look over her notes, and he recognized a lot of the same information, though there were some details missing. Everything she had, he already memorized, but he didn't have the heart to tell her.

Shiori stared at his notes over his shoulder as Mitsuru took her seat. "Wait, _that's_ what the falling leaves represent? I thought the author just didn't know how to say it was autumn!"

While she skimmed his notes, Ryuichi excused himself to use the toilet. His stomach rumbled with hunger, making him yearn for a little more of the ramen he made the previous night. The store downstairs wasn't open yet, leaving him to chug as much water as he could from the fountain before scurrying back to his desk to wrestle his notes back from Shiori.

Before long, the final exam began. Ryuichi felt confident in his answers, save for a few questionable ones that he did not remember discussing in class. He made something up and scribbled an answer quickly before moving on to the next question.

In the middle of filling in an answer, his stomach let out a hollow growl that could be heard throughout the classroom. He froze, and everyone looked up from their exams, staring right at him.

"I-It was the chair," he uttered, feeling his face grow hot.

"Quiet down, Okazaki!" the teacher said gruffly over his classmates' laughter.

Ryuichi lowered his face to his desk, grateful that the brim of his fedora at least gave him some cover. He could still hear the snickers of his classmates and even thought he heard Mitsuru chuckle to herself.

When the exam ended, Ryuichi was still reeling from the embarrassment he suffered. He hung his head low while he packed his bag and was about to get up to leave when he noticed the familiar pair of knee-high, high-heeled boots standing next to his desk.

"If you have time, would you like to accompany me somewhere today?" Mitsuru asked.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "As you wish, Ojou-sama," he mumbled.

Calling her by her proper title seemed to wound her briefly, but she quickly regained her stoic demeanor as she stepped aside to let him stand and tuck in his chair. He briskly crossed the room to get the door for her, and she paused to thank him before passing through.

He followed her like a dog, dutiful and loyal, until they had to separate at the lockers to change out of their school shoes. It took Ryuichi a moment to realize that the boots Mitsuru wore in school were identical to the pair she wore outside. He couldn't believe that he never noticed before that she had different pairs of boots for school and for outside use, having been so used to seeing her wearing heels all the time.

They met at the front doors, and Ryuichi held one open for Mitsuru. There was no car waiting outside the school gate, no phone call to let her know her meeting had been moved up to an earlier time. No words were exchanged between them as they headed to the train station, not even when they stood there on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive.

Ryuichi wasn't sure what to say or do. A week ago, Mitsuru said she didn't want to meet with him anymore, so what was going on? Was he being tested to see if he could follow orders? Did she change her mind? Should he say something?

His eye twitched when she brought him to Wild-Duck Burger.

"Feel free to order anything you like," Mitsuru told him as they waited in line. "It will be my treat."

Ryuichi was hungry enough to eat two meals by himself, but he showed restraint by ordering one of his favorites from the value menu: a spicy chicken sandwich. He made it a meal with medium fries and a medium soda.

"You can order more if you like," Mitsuru offered. "I know you didn't have breakfast today, so please, don't hold back."

She wouldn't stop smiling. It kind of creeped him out. But, since she was so insistent, he turned back to the cashier and said: "Let's make it a large and add another spicy chicken sandwich, please."

Mitsuru looked happier when he added more to his order. She ended up choosing one of the main burgers for herself and made it a meal. When their food arrived, Ryuichi followed Mitsuru with their tray to a table near the middle of the restaurant.

After that, he had no idea what to say to her. He had no clue as to why she brought him there, nor why she was being so nice. He dug into his first spicy chicken sandwich, taking a bite that ended up with him pulling out a soggy piece of lettuce coated in melted mayonnaise. Mitsuru stared in wide-eyed mortification as Ryuichi slurped up the lettuce and took another bite of his sandwich.

"I-I think I've acquired a taste for fast food," he heard her say uneasily as she unwrapped her burger.

He didn't know how to respond to that. He just kept eating, helping himself to some of his fries that practically bled oil when he bit into them.

"The food here has its own unique flavor," Mitsuru continued, still not having taken a bite of her food. "While I would come here for the sake of convenience, it can never compare to the food your family cooks."

She gestured to everything on the table. "The portion sizes, for example, are much smaller here, but cheaper. And the flavor isn't quite as developed, though still enjoyable."

Ryuichi stared at the puny sandwich in his hands, and noticed that even Mitsuru's burger seemed too small for hers. Sighing helped him lower his guard as he sipped some of his soda.

"Is there something in particular you wanted to talk about?" he asked. He felt like such a jerk, sensing that he sounded like he was accusing her of something.

She sat with fear alive in her eyes. "There is, actually," she said, lowering her gaze. "Do you remember when I said that we shouldn't see each other like this anymore?"

He said nothing, but the memory reopened a few wounds.

Her eyes were back on him again. "Well, could you just pretend you never heard that?"

He stopped chewing and stared at her in bewilderment. Once again, she looked away as she pushed some of her hair back over her shoulder.

"It's inevitable that we spend much of our time together," she reasoned. "We sleep under the same roof, and we're classmates. And as my bodyguard and butler, it's your duty to stay by my side."

Ryuichi felt his mind go blank. The more he watched her, tried to understand her, the more lost he became. Blinking, he tried to make sense of everything, but nothing seemed to help. And yet, somehow, just hearing that she wanted him to forget their last discussion was enough to quell some of his concerns.

"And here I thought I'd done something stupid again," he said softly, setting down his sandwich. "All week, I kept trying to figure out what I did wrong, or what I needed to change, and even now, I still don't know what to think."

"It wasn't you, Ryuichi; it was me," she told him in a firm voice. "I said what I said before because I thought that my resolve was too fragile back then. But now, I've decided to face it head-on; I've decided that I should confirm my decision."

Her voice was stony, cold, and distant, but through it all, she still smiled. Ryuichi was very much accustomed to that smile, having worn it many times himself, where he would always have it on whenever things hurt too much, when he needed to be strong. Right now, Mitsuru was trying to be strong for her family and for their company, but he wished she would stop.

"How does me being around mess with your resolve?" he asked, shaking his head. "I know what you have to do, but I don't get where I fit in all this. Am I a distraction? Is it because I keep causing you trouble? And how does me being around help you 'confirm your decision'? I don't get it."

He was hurting again. He should have just gone along with forgetting about everything Mitsuru had said before and just enjoyed everything while he still could, so why was he screwing everything up even more?

Mitsuru sat quietly, having abandoned her burger to hold herself. She turned her face slightly so as to obscure herself behind her bangs.

"I was more distracted when you weren't around," she whispered, her bangs ruffling slightly from her breath. "Before, I thought that I was allowing myself to have too much fun with you—That after the marriage, I would yearn for these days of being so carefree."

"Then, don't go through with it."

"I have to. You know that."

She raised her head, staring out the large windows. "But, I decided that I would much rather have the experience of living now and have these fond memories to recall later."

He hurt for her more than anything. He wanted to tell her everything was going to be all right, even if it wasn't. He wanted to do whatever it took to fulfill his vow to support her through everything she went through.

"I'll still be around," was all he could promise. "Whenever your future husband's out doing business, I'll still be here to take you on adventures. We can still eat at places Kikuno-san would deem unfit for your refined palate. She might kill me if she finds out, but I think it's worth the risk."

She chuckled, but her lip quivered afterward. "What about college?" she asked. "You have the potential to be a great musician or go into business, and I wouldn't want to hinder your studies—"

"They have online courses," he said, cutting her off. "Bottom line is: I want to continue my service to you. I know the risks, but I don't care if you or anyone else thinks I'm crazy for wanting to keep working as your bodyguard and butler. This is _my_ decision. This is what _I_ want to do, and I will do everything I can to be here for you, no matter what."

He returned to his sandwich. "Besides, I've already proven that I'm particularly difficult to get rid of," he muttered, preparing to take a big bite out of his food while averting his eyes. "So, good luck with that."

He finished his sandwich without Mitsuru saying anything more. She just sat there while he ate more of his fries, unwrapped his second sandwich, and paused to sip his mixture of soft drinks. As he ate, he noticed that his hands were shaking, that the hot sandwich was keeping his frozen fingers warm.

"Say, Ryuichi?"

Mitsuru was smiling again, but this time, the pain had dulled. "Do you want to see how many places we can visit in one day?" she asked eagerly. A second later, doubt crossed her face. "Or is that being selfish?"

Ryuichi blew hot air out of his nostrils. "It's not selfish if you're doing something good for yourself for once," he said, and he could swear that her face lit up brighter than a beacon just then.

"I see." Her hands came away from her arms to pick up her burger again, leaving wrinkles in her sleeves. "Then, let's visit all the restaurants you introduced me to, in order."

He almost choked on his mouthful of food. "All of them?"

"And then, we can try some new places," she continued. "I haven't been to Beef Bowl yet, but I've been wanting to give it a try. Oh, and have you had takoyaki before? Arisato went with me to Octopia to try some once, and they were delicious. As for your parents' place, it's a bit of a drive, isn't it?"

Seeing her so animated helped Ryuichi warm up. "We can take my motorcycle," he offered. "And if we have room, we can go to that conveyor belt sushi place, too."

"A splendid idea!" Mitsuru lowered her burger back onto the tray, her smile becoming distant. "I can go anywhere now, as long as you're with me."

Ryuichi gave a firm nod, their eyes finally meeting without him feeling afraid of her.

"Thank you, Ryuichi," she said wistfully. "Let's make some memories that will last forever."

They finished up their food at Wild-Duck Burger and headed for Hagakure first. Ryuichi pointed out that in all technicality, the first thing they ever really ate was the food from his parents' restaurant.

"Yes, but my first time physically going to your family's restaurant was mere weeks ago," she pointed out. "Therefore, it would have to come just before the conveyor belt sushi restaurant."

They sat down at the bar in Hagakure and ordered a bowl each. There were some other customers there, speaking quietly over their bowls of ramen between slurps.

"I still can't believe that the ramen you made for us was instant noodles," Mitsuru said while Ryuichi sipped his water. "It looked like it could have come from a professional place."

He cracked a tiny smirk. "All I did was add a few ingredients."

"But you have a penchant for taking the simplest of dishes and elevating their flavors," she insisted. "And I have yet to try something of yours that I don't like."

She sheepishly looked away. "I have a bit of a confession to make: When you cooked curry rice a few weeks ago, I helped myself to some."

He choked on his water, coughing so hard that Mitsuru patted his back to help him loosen it up.

"That was _you_?"

"I didn't eat all of it," she protested, though still sounding apologetic. "I only had a little. By the time I had a chance to sample some, half of it was gone.

"It was very good," she kept saying while he coughed into his elbow. "And those snacks you brought me this past week? Those were all wonderful. I never got to thank you properly."

He cleared his throat, finally feeling the water come loose. "Just seeing empty plates whenever I came to get the dishes was thanks enough," he told her, smiling. "And about the curry? It looked like everyone had a piece of it, because when I went to have some for breakfast the next day, it was all gone."

Her eyes widened. "All of it? Then, that's a testament to how good it was!"

"Nah, it's a testament to how hungry and broke everyone is at the dorm." He sipped more water, carefully this time. "That curry was actually supposed to last me for a few days."

"For days? Why didn't you just buy something to eat?"

"Because I was trying to save money," he explained. "I've still got a mortgage, bills, and Megumi's babysitter to pay, I'm helping Shizue buy diapers, and I don't have much left after I gave a lot to keep the restaurant afloat when it started tanking."

There was that mortified look on her face again. "But, when you cooked for everyone—"

"Most of that was just stuff we already had at the dorm," he told her. "But the pork and vegetables I got for cheap. They always slash the prices for stuff that doesn't sell by the end of the day."

"Then, when you were eating rice and soy sauce—"

"I was trying to find something to eat, since I knew that making a big batch of something to last me a couple of days would only get eaten by our dorm mates. I did it anyway, and well, you know the results already."

Mitsuru looked upon him in pity. "I had no idea that you were struggling financially," she murmured shamefully.

"I didn't tell you." Ryuichi shifted on his stool. "Mom would ask for money for the restaurant since they were losing more and more every month. She asked for a lot, but I had a feeling that she needed some of it for her, Dad, and Shizue, so I didn't say anything. And, even though I didn't give them any money this past month, I still have to try to save up, since I'm not working yet."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Mom was ashamed and didn't want anyone to know, including Dad, but that was so he wouldn't get another heart attack.

"But, they're doing a lot better now, thanks to you," he told Mitsuru, his voice lightening up. "You really helped them out of their slump. They haven't had to ask me for any money at all, so I could afford a few extra things every now and then."

Mitsuru seemed to have relaxed a bit after hearing that. "Everyone's been working hard to turn the restaurant around. All I did was point them in the right direction."

Their orders came. Ryuichi bent over his bowl to begin slurping up his ramen, tasting a complexity in the broth that his ramen definitely lacked. Next to him, Mitsuru paused over her bowl to relish in the aroma, closing her eyes to savor it with a hum.

"So, what's your fiancé like?" Ryuichi posed the question on her just as she sipped some soup. She snorted over her bowl, quickly covering her face with her hand. Ryuichi grabbed some napkins so she could clean herself up.

"If it's all right with you, I'd rather that he not be brought up during our outing," she said curtly.

"That bad, huh?"

Her glare just then could have frightened Shadows to jump off the top of Tartarus. "Just know that having you around makes him more bearable," was all she said, and turned back to her bowl of ramen.

As curious as he was, Ryuichi didn't push to know more. If he was as bad as he envisioned the guy to be, to the point where Mitsuru would always come home with a battered spirit, then he figured that he would have to really push himself more to be there for her and do more than just leave cakes outside her door.

They both managed to finish their bowls of ramen, but just barely. Mitsuru put her hand on her stomach and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Fhew. I think I may have overestimated how much I can eat," she said with a sigh.

Ryuichi patted his own stomach. "I think I'm just about ready for dessert."

"Dessert? How can you still have room to eat?"

"There's always room for dessert!" he laughed.

Mitsuru managed a chuckle. "I never realized that you could eat so much. Where do you put it all?"

After Mitsuru paid for their meal, they went downstairs to sit just outside of Octopia to rest for a bit. The sun was still out, but the afternoon sunlight started to wane. A cold breeze refreshed Ryuichi as it fluttered like a cloth against his face. He removed his fedora to adjust his hair while Mitsuru tried it on.

"Lookin' good," Ryuichi said, grinning.

She tilted it slightly. "So, do I look as dashing as you do?"

"Please. You're a hundred years away from looking _this_ good."

He patted his stomach with a groan. "Okay, maybe not while I'm having a fat day, but you get the point."

Mitsuru chuckled and returned his fedora. "I couldn't help but notice that you and Hayabusa were looking a bit close this past week," she suddenly said. Her smile became wry. "Is she the one you think about whenever you play your songs?"

"Not this again."

"Come now, Ryuichi. You can tell me."

Ryuichi frowned at her. "Sorry to disappoint, but to me, she is just a friend," he said with finality in his voice.

When he looked over to Mitsuru, he thought he saw her smile brighten for a second.

"How about you?" he asked. "Interested in anybody?"

"I'm afraid not," she replied, turning her face away with an expression of defiance.

"Are you sure? No one caught your eye? Not even Junpei?"

"Iori is already spoken for, if you've already forgotten."

Ryuichi cupped his hands around his mouth. "What's that? You like Junpei Iori?" he said loudly.

She flinched. "Wh-What are you—Stop that! I do not harbor such feelings for—"

Mitsuru glowered at him. "I would have looked like a terrible person if I completed that sentence," she said through clenched teeth.

"So? You made me say that I didn't feel that way about Shiori, so it's fair."

"I didn't make you say a thing."

Their tense stares didn't hold. Both snickered shortly after, two fools on a bench forgetting about all the devastation waiting for them when they returned to the dorm.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you study for exams this time," Mitsuru said as they came down from their momentary high. "Honestly, I feel like I've let you down so much these past two months."

"You haven't," he said, surprised she would say that. "It's not your job to make sure I keep getting good grades; that's on me."

He could see that she was still remorseful for something that wasn't even her fault. Before she could sulk any more, he got up from the bench and motioned towards the dorm.

"So, do you still wanna go for that ride?" he offered.

Her eyes glittered. "You aren't too full? Oh, but I still haven't had a chance to practice riding my motorcycle."

Smiling, he said to her in a sing-song voice: "You can ride in ba-aack."

Soon they were on his motorcycle, Mitsuru holding him tightly from behind as they shot out of the alley behind the dorm. They didn't have to go anywhere in particular, zooming around, going up and down the streets, spying restaurants and stores they made plans to visit later on. By sunset, Ryuichi headed back to Iwatodai and parked his motorcycle near the bay close to the train station.

The sea blazed with the dying sun. Crests shimmered from the sunset, creating a path of light over the water that followed the sun on its descent. Ryuichi and Mitsuru approached the water's edge, the sand crunching softly beneath their feet. He stood a few steps behind her, watching as she held a hand up to cover her eyes from the sun. The winds were stronger there, freezing from their charge across the water to sweep past the two to get to the mainland.

"I've lived here for so many years, but I don't think I've ever really looked at the sunset before," Mitsuru said softly, her words almost whisked off on a breeze.

"I've thought about coming here so many times before, but I never worked up the courage to do it," Ryuichi told her as he stuck his hands in his pockets for warmth.

"Because of Sakai?"

"Actually, no. I guess I just never thought it was worth it."

She glanced back over her shoulder at him. "What made it worth coming here this time?"

He shrugged, feeling his heartbeat quicken. "I guess this time, I actually have someone to enjoy it with," he murmured, staring down at the sand.

Seeing Mitsuru look so at ease made Ryuichi wish he could stop time for her sake. He wouldn't mind watching the sunset with her forever, where the Fall would never come and Mitsuru wouldn't have to marry her fiancé. She would never allow such a selfish wish, and he would have agreed with her completely, knowing that they had to defeat Nyx to ensure that their world would still have a future.

But for Mitsuru, preventing the Fall wouldn't put an end to her marriage to her fiancé. It was all for the preservation of the Kirijo Group and everyone tied to them, and she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect them all. She would suffer in their stead, and yet it seemed that no one was willing to do the same for her.

"Do you have to marry him?" Ryuichi found himself asking her. "Do you really think it's worth giving up everything?"

Mitsuru had taken a few more steps towards the water and whirled around to look at him. Her cold demeanor told him everything.

"I have to," she answered boldly. "Tell me: when your sister had her baby and your family's restaurant started having problems, what did you do?"

"I helped," he answered in a small voice. "But I quit."

She clutched her elbow, looking away from him. "I don't have the luxury to quit. If I don't do this, the fate of the Kirijo Group is sealed. We won't survive."

" _You_ won't survive," he snarled. "Sure, they all get to have their cushy lives at your expense, but don't you deserve some happiness, too? Don't your feelings matter? To them? To you?"

She wouldn't meet his gaze. "In business, there is no room for personal feelings," she explained, but there was no cold burn in her words. "Sometimes you just have to do what's best for everyone else."

"That's what I thought back then, too," Ryuichi said, his tone quieting down as he watched her shrink before his eyes. "I used to think that I was only good for whatever use I was to others. I thought if I could be useful to you, or to Mom and Dad, or to Shizue, or to everyone at the dorm, then that was all I needed.

"Turns out, that was complete bullshit. What I wanted was also important, and you and your father kept trying to teach me that. I didn't know how to value myself without someone else's approval, and I still don't know how to do it, but I want to give myself the chance to find my own worth.

"Don't you want to do the same?" he asked her. "Don't you want to know who Mitsuru is, and not always be seen as just a Kirijo?"

She kept her head down. "Ryuichi..."

His hands were out of his pockets now, completely numb and trembling. "I've seen who Mitsuru is, and as strong as she is, she still has her moments where she hurts, where she's unsure of her own abilities, and even when she has her own failures. But she keeps trying. She keeps getting back up. She always encourages others to work hard and to become the best version of themselves that they can be, and she never expects to get anything in return. She's made so many sacrifices that it pisses me off that more people don't appreciate what she's done for everyone. She cares so much that you can see how badly it hurts her to see someone else in pain. That's the Mitsuru I've always admired, and she's more than just a Kirijo."

He felt a lump form in his throat. "The Mitsuru I know never gave up on me," he croaked, his mouth gone dry. "So, I won't give up on her."

Tense seconds passed. Mitsuru still kept her head down, her shoulders trembling while the wind tried to pull her away from the water's edge. Ryuichi just stood there, winded and light-headed, unable to believe that he said all those things and meant every word. The way his heart throbbed in his throat, he thought it might burst.

A cell phone rang, piercing into Ryuichi's ears. He watched Mitsuru reach into her pocket to answer the call, turning her back to him.

"Hello?" he heard her say during a lull in the wind. "No, I haven't forgotten. I'm on my way."

She closed her phone and pocketed it. "Ryuichi?"

He shyly kicked at a small rock. "Yeah?"

Mitsuru turned, keeping her face down until she faced him fully. Only then did she raise her eyes to him.

"Thank you," she said, breathless. "Your honesty and support mean a lot to me.

"But, please understand that as much as I don't want to marry someone for the sake of the Group, it's something that only I can do," she reminded him, rattling him without raising her voice. "However, I appreciate everything you said. I feel like I can get through this as long as you're there with me."

He was breaking again. "Okay," he uttered with a defeated nod. "I'll be right there with you through it all. I'll always be here for you, because I—"

He gasped, shutting down the words before they could escape. He began to perspire in the cold beneath Mitsuru's hopeful stare.

"—Because, I'm your friend," he said slowly, regretting that that was all he could offer her.

He thought he saw hope's light get snuffed out in her eyes. There was nothing he could do except support her through the marriage, and it looked to him as if she had only accepted that fact just then.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her bangs fell over her face, dropping the curtain on their discussion.

Watching her tremble in the cold was like watching ice itself shiver. Ryuichi shrugged out of his blazer and put it around her shoulders. A strong breeze quickly sapped the little warmth he had out of his body.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Mitsuru Kirijo would actually be cold," he teased, shivering as he zipped up his blazer for her.

She blushed. "I-I'm not cold," she protested, slipping her arms into the sleeves.

"Yeah? Did your P-Persona ch-ch-change elements on you?"

"No."

"Maybe it's j-just that c-cold," he figured. "I-It's pretty windy here, and it's a-almost officially winter."

Mitsuru looked away. "It's not the weather," she muttered.

"Then what? You can t-tell me."

She didn't answer. Ryuichi stepped back, shivering so much he thought he felt a familiar twinge of pain in his side.

"You have s-s-somewhere to be, r-right?" he asked her through chattering teeth. "Do you w-want me to t-take you? It'll be f-f-faster than if you w-waited for a c-car to c-come get you."

He rethought that. "W-Wait. It w-won't be good if you c-caught a c-c-cold during the ride."

But Mitsuru was already standing by his motorcycle, strapping on her helmet before tossing Ryuichi his. She held onto him tightly the whole ride, not once loosening her hold until he parked right outside the dorm in front of the awaiting Kirijo car. She didn't even protest when he took a few extra detours on the way there.


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter 88**

The next morning, Ryuichi awoke to his alarm clock screaming at him. After letting it continue for nearly half a minute, he smacked his clock with a heavy hand and rolled over, not yet ready to face the day after failing to persuade Mitsuru to call off her marriage. All he could offer to her was his support to help make her life a little more bearable, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. She deserved so much more, but everyone in the Kirijo Group seemed to only see her as a sacrifice to be tossed into a guffawing, gluttonous volcano.

Standing in the freezing ocean winds with Mitsuru yesterday left him half-frozen, and the ride back to the dorm nearly finished him off. The first thing he did when he got home was gulp down hot tea, then spent a good two hours in the bath, where he marinated in his thoughts. He avoided the worst of a cold, but his runny nose kept him up half the night.

"Good morning, Senpai," Fuuka greeted him when he finally came out of his room.

"'Morning," he grunted back. Even after his workout and a shower, he was still sluggish as he dragged his feet to the kitchen.

"Are you all right, Senpai? You don't look so good."

"Just a cold, is all."

Sniffling, Ryuichi prepared himself some ginger tea and instant noodles, taking both back to his room. He finished his pitiful breakfast quickly so he could lay in bed again, his body warm but his mind still frozen on his concerns for Mitsuru. If only there was something more he could do, he thought, but...

"Just be there for her," he kept telling himself, finally getting out of bed again. "How can you help her if you can't even smile for her?"

He came back out of his room with his trash and empty mug to find Ken limping down the stairs.

"Tartarus?" Ryuichi asked him as he made his way to the couch.

"Yeah," Ken muttered. "How come you didn't go with us, Okazaki-san?"

To answer, Ryuichi sniffled and snorted so hard he tasted salty gunk in his mouth. Without thinking, he swallowed it, witnessing the look of repulsion on the boy's face.

"How about I make you some breakfast, Ken-kun?" he offered with a sniffle.

Ken frantically waved his hands out in front of him. "Th-That's all right, Okazaki-san!" he squeaked. "I, uh, I already ate breakfast!"

Ken's stomach growled just then. Ryuichi saw him shrink under his weary stare, but took no offense at all.

"Okay, well, if you need anything, I'll be in my room," Ryuichi said, and ended up lying in bed once more.

With exams done, no homework for the remainder of the semester, and Mitsuru out for Kirijo Group business, Ryuichi had nothing else to do. It was the same problem he always seemed to face that never had a lasting solution. He spent a good portion of the morning worrying about Mitsuru even more while trying to think of something he could do to keep himself busy.

It took him some time to remember that he still had a lot of studying to do for his college entrance exams. He may have already declared that he was going to continue as Mitsuru's bodyguard and butler, but he liked the security of knowing that he had other options in case he was fired or severely injured in the line of duty. As for what major he planned to pursue, well, he still had to figure that one out.

"Just because I know I need to study doesn't mean I want to," he groaned without so much as looking at his study guides.

He decided to do laundry instead. After hauling a basket of his dirty laundry upstairs to the fifth floor and loading it into one of the washing machines, he went back downstairs to clean the dorm. He started with vacuuming, moving whatever furniture was in his way and simply going around anything too heavy. The kitchen needed some serious work when he saw filthy spots, grime, oil splatters, and what he hoped wasn't a mushroom growing in the fish grill. He dusted light fixtures, tables, chairs, countertops, shelves, cabinets, and even the potted plant by the stairs. Wooden furniture was polished to a proud shine. Cobwebs were in almost every corner and all were sucked into the vacuum for easy cleaning.

But the worst were the bathrooms. He gagged just thinking about it, especially the shower drains, both for guys and girls. He seriously considered cleaning them, but after figuring that he never used those bathrooms anyway, he decided that he should just leave them for the others to clean themselves.

He didn't finish everything, but at least the first floor was done. He still needed to tackle the other floors, but those would be for another day. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he bundled up to go find something for dinner that he and Mitsuru didn't eat the previous day.

The Lost weren't the only ones littering the streets anymore. There were flyers all over the ground, on the walls, on telephone poles, mailboxes, under windshield wipers, in windows, and in the gutter, as if a paper factory had blown up and left its last print job to snow down on the city. Ryuichi recognized the unusual symbol on the flyers as the same one that Sakai and his friends had spray-painted in the school. Looking at it all, he couldn't understand how he missed all the mess before, vaguely recalling seeing them all last month but hardly processing that they were there. There was just too much going on back then, and too much going on even now.

The symbol seemed to escape the papers and were tagged on buildings, walls, gates, windows, cars, and even the middle of the streets. Four steps outside the dorm and Ryuichi found one at his feet on the sidewalk. Sighing, he trod on it on his way to the strip mall.

He didn't crave Wuck's, nor Beef Bowl, nor Hagakure. He wasn't feeling sushi from Wakatsu, either, not that he could afford it at the moment. Or perhaps he was so full of thoughts and concerns that his stomach filled up, too.

Still, he had to think about his future meals, even if he wasn't hungry at the moment. Mitsuru treating him to all that food yesterday saved him a lot of money and let him have more than his fill—a luxury he probably wouldn't experience until he started getting paid again next month. Though, he did wonder if cleaning part of the dorm earlier might have earned him a little cash, or perhaps a lecture for not sharing the chores with the others.

On his way to Paulownia Mall, he noticed that another small shop had been destroyed in a fire. The stores on either side of it had broken windows but were otherwise safe, but the small store above it suffered irreparable damage. The front of both stores had collapsed, revealing a charred, hollow inside, all blackened and scorched to oblivion. He couldn't recall what the two stores used to be, only passing them without ever stopping by. Whatever they were, he hoped the owners were all right.

At Paulownia Mall, he found what he hoped would be a solution to his financial problem: Chagall Cafe had no musical act. He suspected that Eshima had given up looking for new talent and wound up playing a CD instead. He put on his best smile and went inside.

"Hey, Ryuichi-kun!" Eshima welcomed him when she saw him enter. "Long time, no see! How've you been? All better now?"

"Mostly better. Still broke, but overall, doing all right," he answered with a smile. "You're looking well yourself."

"Aw, pshaw." She motioned for him to have a seat at one of the smaller tables. "What can I get for you?"

He glanced over to the empty piano. "Actually, I was curious about how your musical acts were coming along," he said without taking a seat.

She groaned in agony as she rolled her eyes. In a low voice, she said to him: "I've gone through about three acts and they all thought they were the shit. Turned out they were all just shit."

Ryuichi's laughter came out in spurts he couldn't contain. "I don't think I've ever heard you use that word before," he jabbed playfully.

"I've had to since it's the only word that properly sums up all the so-called talent we've been getting." She let out another exasperated groan. "But, yeah, if you're all better now, be my guest."

Within the next minute, Ryuichi was at the piano, playing some relaxing, jazzy tunes. The customers took notice of him, some watching him more than they talked while others continued their quiet conversations. More customers came, but not the crowds that Eshima might have hoped for.

Ryuichi didn't mind the lack of customers; he was just glad to be able to play on an actual piano, sharing a skill that he enjoyed. But, he couldn't overlook just how empty the cafe was compared to last month. He suspected that it had something to do with the Lost popping up more frequently, causing people to avoid them as much as possible. And if the chatter about cultists was true, then it was possible that they might have driven people to remain at home out of fear.

After playing for the usual two hours, Eshima gave him his normal pay along with a blueberry and cream cheese danish.

"Come back and play for us anytime," she said with a smile. "No, really. I mean it."

"Thanks," Ryuichi replied with a bow. "Actually, I might take you up on that offer, but it probably won't be all that often."

"That's fine. I'm just glad to hear you play again. You've been practicing, haven't you?"

He grinned. "Kind of?"

Before returning home, Ryuichi stopped by the supermarket to get himself some more instant noodles, canned fish, and some bread. He hoped his food was boring enough to deter any hungry dorm mates from eating any of it, even choosing the spicy noodles to hopefully ward them off. He questioned if he should have gotten the spicy sardines, but decided that too much spicy food could result in more than just an upset stomach.

As he neared the dorm, he heard a high-pitched alarm shrieking along with Koromaru's barks. He ran to the front door of the dorm and threw it open. The lounge was lost in a haze of gray smoke, making him duck back outside to cover his nose and mouth with his handkerchief. When he went back inside, he saw Koromaru running back and forth from the kitchen to the front door, his loud barks reverberating on all the little hairs on Ryuichi's body. In the kitchen, he saw that Fuuka held a flaming pan away from her while Yukari tried putting out the flames by flapping a towel at it.

"What's going on?" Ryuichi yelled over all the chaos.

"W-We were trying to bake a cake!" Fuuka uttered, and let out a surprised cry when the flames flared up.

He almost yelled "In a pan?" as he crossed the lounge. Yukari flapped the towel too close to the flames, yelling when it caught fire. She dropped it on the ground, prompting Ryuichi to grab the fire extinguisher from under the sink. He blasted both the pan and the towel with the fire extinguisher, and with a startled cry, Fuuka dropped the pan. When the smoke and mist cleared from the pan, Ryuichi looked to see something short of a small portal to hell.

"Open all the windows," he told them both. "Get the back door. If anyone has an electric fan, put it in the doorways and make it face outwards."

Akihiko and Junpei came out of their rooms as the others rushed around to clear the air. Ken returned from his walk, choking on the lingering smoke.

"The hell happened in here?"

"What's going on?"

"What did you girls do?"

When they got the windows and doors open, everyone flapped or twirled towels while Yukari and Fuuka explained what they were trying to do.

"What do you mean you were trying to flambé your cake?" Junpei yelped in disbelief.

"We saw it online," Yukari said while Fuuka shrank in defeat. "And it wasn't the cake; it was the strawberry topping we were trying to make!"

"We accidentally put too much alcohol," Fuuka told them all woefully.

"And then the cake somehow got burnt," Yukari murmured. "I just don't get it, though. All we did was follow the recipe."

While the others continued working with the towels, Ryuichi took a look at the oven. He noticed right away that they had set the temperature to be almost as hot as hell itself, and when he checked the recipe they wrote down, he saw that they were following a recipe from an American chef who gave the temperature in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius.

With a deep breath, Ryuichi opened the oven. Thick smoke spilled out and was snatched up by the towels the others twirled around. Using an oven mitt, he took out the cake pan and thought he was staring at a giant piece of charcoal. The others gathered around as he tapped the cake's surface with a knife. He stabbed the knife through the middle, the tip crunching through layers and layers of burnt cake.

"What on earth happened in here?"

They all turned to see Mitsuru tilt the fan to pass through the front door. Minato followed right behind her.

"Is everyone all right?" she asked, her voice firm with worry.

"Just a little cooking mishap," Ryuichi called to her.

Junpei made a noise. "'Little'?"

Mitsuru and Minato joined them all to keep fanning smoke out of the dorm. They opened the windows upstairs to help vent it all out, doing everything they could to get the dorm back to its normal smell.

"I just cleaned," Ryuichi whined mournfully. He caught sight of Mitsuru flashing him a look of pity.

It took some time to clear the smoke, but at least the smoke detectors finally fell silent. For a few seconds, Ryuichi thought he went deaf when he didn't hear them anymore, but when Fuuka spoke, her quiet voice sounded strangely loud to him.

The stench lingered. Whatever Yukari and Fuuka tried to make, it was getting its revenge by digging its smelly, smoky claws into the carpet and into the furniture. Ryuichi looked to the two lovely burnt turds in the frying pan and the cake pan, imagining that it would take an extra long soaking and a whole lot of scrubbing if he wanted to save both. He seriously contemplated just throwing the damned things out.

When they decided that the electric fans would take care of the remaining smell, Yukari and Fuuka both bowed to Ryuichi and apologized for ruining his cookware.

"It's all right," he told them both, not even angered by their mishap. "At least you two are trying new recipes. But, uh, where did you guys get the alcohol to do that?"

The two girls exchanged apologetic glances.

"There was still some left over from when Shinjiro-senpai cooked for us," Fuuka told him.

She pointed to the bottle on the counter. Ryuichi remembered there used to be a lot more alcohol in it than it had now, imagining that they emptied half of it into the pan.

Junpei flashed them all an uneasy grin. "Um, so, what's for dinner?"

They would all have to fend for themselves that night, though both Mitsuru and Minato said they had already eaten. Even after saying that, Minato still followed the others to the strip mall to grab some dinner, leaving Ryuichi to prepare the two pans for an overnight soak in an attempt to save his kitchenware. Koromaru pawed at his leg and whined when he started to wash some rice, and Ryuichi took it as a sign to feed him.

Mitsuru returned from seeing the others off. "You didn't go with them?" she asked. She spied Ryuichi's bag of groceries on the counter.

"I'm giving fast food a break," Ryuichi replied, pouring Koromaru some dog food. "How was work?"

"Tiresome, as usual, but I feel like I'm understanding things a little better every time."

He returned the bag of dog food to the pantry and went back to his rice. "That's good. Maybe they should let you and future husband guy run the company together."

She let out a bitter chuckle. "That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"I don't see why not. And if he starts mucking things up, you should kick him out and take over. A guy like that can't be good for business or anything else," Ryuichi encouraged her.

Her eyes darkened. "He actually has plenty of experience running a company, but he's definitely the type to use underhanded tactics," she murmured under her breath. "You speak as though you know him well after only meeting him once."

He started up the rice cooker. "You won't even tell me who he is, but I do get the feeling he's the kind of guy with a face that you just need to punch."

Her face lit up. "You're not wrong, but I'm impressed that you already see so much of his character in the little I've told you and in your brief encounter with him."

"Please. I've seen how miserable you are when you come home from meeting with him," he grunted. "Can't be all that good a guy if he sends his future wife home feeling worse than when she went to go see him."

Looking at the rice, Ryuichi realized he really didn't want to wait for it to finish cooking. He took out some slices of bread, then dumped a can of sardines with tomato sauce into a bowl. He added a splash of lemon juice to his sardines and chopped them up with a spoon.

"What are you doing?"

"Making my dinner."

Mitsuru came closer to watch him spread the chopped sardines across a slice of bread. "Is that going to be enough for you?" she asked. "Had I known, I would've asked Kikuno to bring you something for dinner."

He folded the bread in half and handed it to Mitsuru. "Give it a try," he said. "It's nothing special, but I always thought it was pretty good."

She took a bite. "This is quite nice," she said with a hand covering her mouth. "I especially like that the lemon brings out the savory flavor of the sardines, but the tomato sauce gives it that balance with its sweetness."

They chatted more about their day, Ryuichi letting Mitsuru take over the conversation. She told him about the wedding arrangements she was put in charge of, only for her fiancé to take control and choose things for himself without consulting her opinion. The more she spoke, the more the reality of her marriage crushed Ryuichi's heart. He knew he couldn't say much without trampling on her chance to vent her frustrations, so he ended up keeping his mouth busy by feasting on his simple meal.

"So, you were there all day listening to your fiancé make all the decisions?" he asked when she paused to take the last bite of her sandwich.

"Well, not all day. I actually came home earlier, but I ran into Arisato just outside the dorm. We had an early dinner together."

Ryuichi brought the dishes over to the sink, grateful to have an excuse to turn away. His posture slumped as he scrubbed the small bowl for far longer than necessary.

"It looks like I've eaten half your dinner," Mitsuru realized too late. "I'm sorry about that."

By then, Ryuichi had recovered from his brief depression and felt confident enough to talk again. "I'm pretty glad that you did," he told her, hearing the hesitation in his own voice. "I wasn't all that hungry, to be honest."

"You weren't? Why's that?"

He paused, thinking up an excuse. "Well, the stench from that cake thing Yukari and Fuuka tried to make kinda killed my appetite," he lied.

"I thought it was just smoke."

"It was, but the smell was pretty strong."

He stiffened, sensing that she didn't believe him.

"At least they're trying to learn to cook," he said quickly, turning to the two ruined bits of kitchenware. "But, my pans..."

He let out a sigh. "Well, the dorm's still standing, I guess."

Mitsuru nodded. "That's a good way of looking at things," she said, starting towards the stairs. "I'll be heading up now. Thank you for introducing me to yet another delicious meal."

He couldn't help but grin. "Shall I include canned sardine sandwiches to your tea time from now on, or will Kikuno-san disapprove?"

She chuckled softly. "We shall see. Good night, Ryuichi."

He bid her a good night over his shoulder. When he felt her leave, he relaxed a bit, sighing once more as he got started on scraping off some of the burnt-on cake batter from the pan. He turned on the faucet, watching the burnt bits blacken the water.

"Ryuichi?" Mitsuru called from the stairs.

"Hm? What's up?"

He shut off the faucet and headed to the stairs to see Mitsuru halfway up to the second floor. She had a hand on the railing, looking strangely unnerved the way she peered down at him. Her voice had been shaky, light—afraid.

Ryuichi watched her carefully. "Everything okay?"

Her mouth opened, then closed without saying anything. When she opened her mouth again, out came a loud bark that startled both of them.

"Woof! Woof!"

It was Koromaru who barked and now padded over to the open front doors. Ryuichi followed him with his gaze, turning just enough to see a Lost swaying just outside, peering into the lounge over the fan. The sight of his hollow eyes made Ryuichi jump, making him decide it was time to close up the doors.

"It's just one of the Lost," he said, relieved that that was all it was. "I'll take care of it, so you just—"

When he turned back to Mitsuru, he saw that she had already gone.


	89. Chapter 89

**Chapter 89**

"Hey, guys! The exam results are posted!"

It was lunchtime at Gekkoukan High, and while everyone flocked downstairs to see their rankings, Ryuichi put his head down on his desk, not yet ready to face the reality of whatever spot his name took on the board.

"No need to be so dour, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said as she stood up from her desk. "I'm sure you did very well."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered, reluctantly trudging out the door after her.

The crowd downstairs spilled into the foyer. The closest that Ryuichi and Mitsuru could get was at the doorway of the faculty hallway, but were still too far to see the results from there.

Ryuichi's stomach writhed as they took another step closer to the board. He had done all he could studying on his own for that one week without Mitsuru, but from prior experience, he knew it was never enough if he studied by himself. If he was fortunate, he hoped to at least score just outside the top ten window.

"I have to admit, I had some difficulty with the exams this time," Mitsuru told him as they waited their turn.

"You've had a rough couple of months," he said, sympathizing with her. "For you to overcome so much in so little time, I have mad respect for you."

"You're too kind, but I cannot say that I am deserving of that respect entirely. I had you and Yukari to help me through it."

Ryuichi's face twisted up in confusion. "I don't remember doing anything to help with that."

She cracked a smile, perplexing him further.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, facing forward again.

He wasn't done yet. "You've been acting strange since last night, and this morning when we were waiting for the train, you were so lost in thought that you didn't notice the guy next to you trying to take an up-skirt pic of you."

Horror crossed her face. "Someone—? Did he—?"

Ryuichi was all too glad to shake his head. "No. I almost crushed his hand, so hopefully he learned his lesson."

Before Mitsuru could visibly recover from the shock, they were already near enough to the board for them to see the exam results. When Ryuichi saw the name at the top, he grabbed Mitsuru's arm.

"Congratulations!" he exclaimed, shaking her. "You did it! Number one! And after everything that's happened, you still did it!"

He let her go so she could see for herself. His outburst caused many in the hallway to stare at him in disgust or annoyance. When they noticed Mitsuru, their expressions changed to admiration for her accomplishments, and many of them congratulated her as they stepped aside to let her move closer to see her ranking.

Ryuichi got a clear view of the board now, already seeing that he hadn't made it to the number two spot, nor the number three. He jumped down to ten, his gut clenching as he looked further down.

"Ryuichi," Mitsuru said to him. "Congratulations."

"Where?" he asked, coming up behind her without taking his eyes off the list of names. She pointed to a spot on the board, showing him his name at number eight.

"You've done well, Ryuichi," she said, smiling peacefully as she led him out of the crowd. "Next time, I want to see you take the number one spot."

"You always say that," he sighed, but still couldn't believe he made it within the top ten.

"Because I think you can do it," she encouraged him. "Now, the way the past few months have been, I think we deserve a more relaxed celebration. Does a movie sound all right to you?"

He really did need to relax for a change. With exams just last week, stressing out over Mitsuru's engagement, and Fuuka and Yukari almost burning the dorm to the ground, he figured he needed a day where he could just enjoy himself.

"Got a movie in mind?" he asked as they headed back upstairs.

Once lunch was over, it appeared as though none of the students cared for the lectures anymore. School was out by the end of the week for winter break, and now that everyone's fears and anxieties over exams had been either quelled or met, they could now focus on more important matters, such as figuring what video games they were going to binge, planning a day for karaoke with friends, and of course, spending the break studying almost ceaselessly for college entrance exams. Ryuichi barely heard a word from the lectures, but it sounded to him like the teachers were mostly talking about their experiences with snow, how they celebrated the new year in their youth, and their own plans during the break, all obscured by the thin veil of practicing safety while ringing in the new year.

After school, Ryuichi went with Mitsuru to Screen Shot for the promised movie. Mitsuru pointed out the one she wanted to watch, showing him the poster on the wall with a bunch of guys cruising in a shiny black convertible.

"Looks good to me," Ryuichi told Mitsuru, but when he turned to her, she was already at the counter, paying for their tickets.

Just as before, Mitsuru also paid for all their snacks, the two sharing a ridiculously large bucket of popcorn. They kept their candy tucked away in their bags or pockets while their sodas sat in their little holders on the armrests. Since the movie had already been out for two weeks, there were plenty of empty seats around them. They agreed to put the big bucket of popcorn in the seat between them, and then put their school bags in the empty seats next to them.

For some reason, Mitsuru started acting strange again since they went on their little outing. Her answers became terse, she purposefully diverted Ryuichi's attention so she could pay for his movie ticket and snacks, and there were times when she appeared to be so out of touch with reality that Ryuichi feared she had turned into one of the Lost. It was only when the movie started that she finally looked to have unwound a bit.

Must be stress, he figured, deciding that he would try to accommodate her as best as he could so she could relax. She needed rest more than ever, and hopefully the movie would provide a little distraction from her familial obligations, among other things.

After the movie, the two blinked into the fading sunlight as they left the theater. They sat down on a bench by the fountain, the running water a soothing sound to Ryuichi's ears. He stretched his arms above his head, relishing in the sensations of his joints popping after feeling cramped in the stuffy theater chair.

All the warmth he accumulated from inside the movie house was quickly sapped away by the cold, hard bench and the chilly breeze that blew by. As he lowered his arms from his stretch, Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru looked tense again. She set her school bag down next to her, gripping the leather handle tightly as if afraid her bag would get stolen. She eventually let go, only to grasp onto her arm in its place.

"I've been wanting to see that movie since it came out," Mitsuru said, rubbing her thumb against her arm.

"Yeah?" Ryuichi scratched his jaw. "I didn't think a movie about four bros on a road trip would be any good, but I gotta say, I was impressed."

"Indeed," she said, smiling. "Even though it was a typical road trip movie, the way each character expressed their inner struggles and concerns for the future made them relatable. The main character even sacrificed everything just to go on a journey with his friends."

She fell silent with that distant look she always got in her eyes whenever she delved into her thoughts.

"And then, in the final scene, he decided to return to his normal life." Her voice was so soft and mournful that the fountain's running water almost drowned her out. "I wonder if he was happy with his decision."

Mitsuru turned her gaze up to the dying rays of the sun. Far off towards the horizon, the last remnants of sunlight were chased by purple clouds against a fading pink backdrop. Ryuichi looked with her, entranced by the rich hues.

"Say, Ryuichi? Have you ever thought about traveling somewhere far from home?" Mitsuru asked. "Someplace far away where no one knows who you are?"

"I used to," he admitted, still staring up at the sky. "Though, not as much anymore."

"Really?" She looked to him in awe. "Was it because of your family?"

"Yeah. Well, mostly."

He lowered his gaze to a squashed wad of blue bubblegum stuck to the cement. "I used to wish I could travel to all the different worlds I used to read about in books or see in my video games," he told her, wondering if she did the same whenever she read her books. "I didn't have to worry about getting yelled at by my parents or getting beaten up by Sakai whenever I took a little mental trip to those places. Even if they were just characters, I always felt like I was going on adventures with friends."

He smiled fondly at his memories of make-believe. "I guess that's part of the reason why I bought my house," he told her. "I wanted a place of my own just so I wouldn't have to go back to my parents' place."

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru now, seeing that distant, vacant look in her eyes again. "So, you asked me before about going on a journey of self-discovery, right? Were you planning on changing your name to Barbara Jean and becoming a bounty hunter in America?"

At first, Mitsuru stiffened. Her eyes regained focus, and she paused for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"That's quite the imagination you have!" she laughed. "But, don't misunderstand me. As much as I enjoy entertaining the idea of traveling to a place far away, I don't yearn to leave everything behind. It's just that, it's easy to become bound by my obligations to the future of the company and my responsibilities to my family."

As quickly as her laughter came, her smile left, and Mitsuru hung her head with a sigh. "I learned that my father never intended to arrange a marriage for me. I guess that explains why I grew up never considering that someday I would have to bear this burden.

"But, now that he's gone, it was inevitable that this would happen," she said, her words anguished with realization. "I wonder what my life would be like if he were still alive today."

She forced a wry smile. "However, such thoughts are unbefitting of the head of the Kirijo Group," she said darkly, casting her eyes downward. "I've become so undisciplined, constantly complaining. I must bore you with all my griping."

"Not at all," he said, hurting for her. "I'm just sorry that you're being put through all this."

And yet, she still managed to smile, though the warmth didn't reach her eyes. Instead, there was something else, something like fear or nervousness, but stronger. It took hold of her, where she kept shifting uncomfortably on the bench and appeared unable to catch her breath. She turned away from him, touching her hand to her chest as she took a few deep, cleansing breaths, releasing each one slowly. Trembling, she folded her arms in front of her and turned to face forward, keeping her face bowed.

"There's something I want to ask you," Mitsuru said in a grave voice. She spoke so softly that Ryuichi had to lean in to hear her beneath the burble of the fountain. "Now, hypothetically, what would you think if I told you that I am interested in someone?"

Whether or not it was hypothetical, hearing her say those words sent a thousand serrated knives tearing into his chest. The shock was too great, and he needed a moment to remind himself that she was only asking him a question.

"Go on," he said in a low drawl.

With a shaky hand, Mitsuru nervously brushed her bangs out of her face, looking right at him. Both her eyes were fixed on him with such intensity that he almost couldn't breathe. She squeezed her arms against her body, but he could see that she was still shaking.

"Even though I can never be with him, I can't stop thinking about him," she continued in a quivering voice. "Would that be wrong?" she asked, and locked her eyes onto his. "Hypothetically?"

Ryuichi tore his gaze from hers, casting it to the ground. "I don't see anything wrong with that," he said softly, his words echoing within his hollow shell. "If you feel that strongly about the guy, then you should tell him."

Mitsuru gasped. Her hand flew to her chest once more, and Ryuichi felt himself try to run. He gripped the edges of the bench to hold himself there, wanting to fulfill his promise to be there with her—To be there _for_ her. But, if there was someone she was interested in, she would have that other person to rely on instead.

"R-Ryuichi?" she said in a trembling voice. "Um, I—"

He braced himself. She was going to say a name, one that he was sure he knew. He recalled seeing her with Minato, remembering how she would speak often of him whenever he spent time with her. She was always so happy, talking about her outings with their leader and the different restaurants she tried with him.

If he truly made her happy, then Ryuichi decided right then and there that it was his duty to protect both Mitsuru and the man who brought her happiness. He would do it for her sake.

"There you are!"

Ryuichi looked up to see an older man in a clean, white suit heading straight for them. It took him a few seconds, but Ryuichi recognized the pompous face of Yusei Miyashiro, whose party he had attended with Mitsuru just a few months ago.

"Mitsuru!" Miyashiro called to her as he approached. "I was just about to call you."

He beckoned to her. "We're leaving," he ordered. "Let's go."

Ryuichi felt the hollowed out cavity of his chest become a furnace full of wrath, wanting to tear the man's face off for the way he spoke to Mitsuru just then.

"Wait a minute. I didn't make any plans with you today," Mitsuru said as she stood up from the bench. She asserted herself in a manner as calm and as strong as glass.

"'Plans'?" Ryuichi looked from Mitsuru to Miyashiro and back again in confusion.

"Well, my business meeting for this evening was cancelled," Miyashiro answered her curtly, his face souring as though he owed her no explanation. "I'm a very busy man. You're just going to have to adjust your schedule to mine."

Ryuichi gripped the bench even harder, trying to snap it with his fingers as Mitsuru shifted her eyes to him.

"I can't," she said boldly. "I've already made plans."

Miyashiro started walking towards an awaiting limousine and stopped. "Well, then you can break them," he snapped at her. "I don't think you have anything more important to do than spend time with me."

Mitsuru's shattered expression made Ryuichi square his shoulders, wanting nothing more than to destroy Miyashiro. He understand now that this man was her fiancé, the man who ground Mitsuru's spirit into finer and finer dust every time she met with him. He wanted to tear the guy apart but held fast, knowing that he could potentially destroy the Kirijo Group if he dared to strike their future president.

"Don't look so sullen. You know this benefits you as well, don't you?" Miyashiro reasoned with an oily voice and a nasty smirk. "I thought you understood our arrangement."

He tugged on his lapels, showing off the fat rings on his fingers. "Now, you are to be my wife, and you are to be obedient."

Mitsuru winced, shaking her head. She dug her heels into the pavement.

"Why must you and your family always be so difficult?" Miyashiro whined with a sigh. "Well, at least your father is no longer alive. I imagine you to feel the same."

"H-How can you say that?" Mitsuru uttered, trembling with fury.

"You fucking piece of shit!" Enraged, Ryuichi leaped up from the bench and stood in front of Mitsuru. He heard her whisper his name, sensing appreciation in her small voice.

"Who the hell are you?" Miyashiro looked to Ryuichi in disgust. "Wait, I know you. Okudaira, or something."

Miyashiro shook his head dismissively. "Whoever you are, I thought you had better manners than this! How dare you speak to me like that! This is none of your business! Get lost!"

He looked past him at Mitsuru. "Listen, Mitsuru—Corporate management is _not_ child's play. No matter how smart you are, you're still going to need my knowledge and experience. And the Kirijo Group still needs the cooperation of my company, does it not?"

"Yes," she whimpered hesitantly, and Ryuichi felt himself shatter with her.

"Why?" he uttered, turning to see her cast her eyes down to the ground.

"Good girl, Mitsuru," Miyashiro said smugly. Ryuichi half-expected him to walk over and pat her head. "I knew you would listen to reason. Now, let's go; I've made reservations for us at that new restaurant that just opened up."

Mitsuru gave a small nod. "Very well," she murmured in a hollow voice as she picked up her school bag. Miyashiro started to leave, and she followed him, stopping just as she passed the stupefied Ryuichi.

"I wish you hadn't seen that," she whispered to him over her shoulder. "Well, thank you. I had a lot of fun today. And, I'm sorry. Please excuse me."

She wasn't the Mitsuru he knew anymore. This was the Mitsuru he saw come home after a day out for "business", the one whose soul suffered a regular bludgeoning whenever she had "work". That same Mitsuru now obediently followed Miyashiro to the car.

Ryuichi snapped. He ran after Miyashiro, grabbed him by the shoulder, and as he pulled him to make him turn around, the older man spun on his own.

"Unhand me, you—!"

 _Smack!_ Miyashiro back-handed Ryuichi across the jaw. His fat rings broke skin, sending Ryuichi retreating several steps. Ryuichi stood himself between Miyashiro and Mitsuru, his jaw dripping with blood as he glared at the older man.

"That is assault!" Miyashiro adjusted his tie and smoothed out his jacket, his face contorted in raw fury. "If I have been injured in any way, Mitsuru is the one who will be forced to pay the price!"

Saliva flew out of Miyashiro's mouth when he spoke. Ryuichi reached up to wipe his bleeding jaw on the back of his hand.

"By the way, you—What business do you have with her?" Miyashiro demanded to know. "You should know your place in society. An ordinary person like you is not fit to interact with people like Mitsuru and myself."

"I am Mitsuru's bodyguard," Ryuichi said in a low, clear voice.

"'Bodyguard'? You? Her—Oh."

Miyashiro sneered at them both. "I see now. Mitsuru, for you to befriend the hired help—My, how the Kirijos have fallen!"

The smug man fiddled with his tie. Two men in dark suits got out of the limousine, but Miyashiro held up a hand to make them stay put.

"If you're going to make a joke, at least make it a good one," he scoffed. "And let me guess: It's the timeless tale of a bodyguard who falls in love with his charge, isn't it? You have feelings for her, don't you?"

Miyashiro let out a loud guffaw. "How droll! At least be a little more original!"

Ryuichi drew in a ragged breath. "I do," he said, his voice calm as he felt his blood boiling within him. "I've loved her for a long time now, and if you're not going to show her even a fraction of the love I have for her, then I refuse to let her go with a piece of shit like you!"

"R-Ryuichi?"

He stiffened when he heard Mitsuru's voice. It was too late for him to take back what he said. His body blazed and he became light-headed, but he stood firm.

"How dare you! And you claim yourself worthy of her love? Look at you!" The despicable man gestured to Ryuichi. "A brute like you calling himself Mitsuru's knight in shining armor? Well, I'll show you what you are when I assume the role of president over both our companies—I'll have you fired! And what's more, I'll make sure that you never find work as a bodyguard ever again! All it takes is a little word from me to convince anyone not to hire the likes of you!"

A sick smile spread across Miyashiro's face. "Do you understand now, Otonari? Friend, bodyguard, a lovesick high school boy—You're nothing. But, if you apologize now, I _might_ be lenient in your punishment and let you at least keep your reputation as a bodyguard.

"Of course, this is all for Mitsuru's sake. Just imagine if word got out that her bodyguard declared his feelings for her in front of her fiancé!"

He shot his glare past Ryuichi's shoulder to Mitsuru. "And you—I can't believe you. If you continue to befriend derelicts such as this, Mitsuru—"

Ryuichi wanted to shut the man down, but he was right: He had blown his chance to stay at Mitsuru's side, both as her friend and bodyguard. He wouldn't be able to support her anymore, through her marriage nor through anything else. And worse, he was certain that he had frightened her off with his declaration.

There was still something he could do, at least for her. Ryuichi got down on one knee, lowering the other next to it.

"Ryuichi, no—"

"A bodyguard's duty is to protect his charge, including her reputation," he told her, planting his palms flat on the ground. "I'm sorry, but this is all I can do."

He bent low to place his forehead on the pavement. As he did so, a strong hand grasped his shoulder, stopping him.

"That's enough."

Mitsuru pulled him back upright. Confused, Ryuichi glanced up at her, flinching when he saw her glaring right at Miyashiro with that frightening, frigid power he knew so well. As she pulled him to his feet, he saw that Miyashiro's countenance showed the minutest crack on his arrogant face.

"Mitsuru?" The older man glowered at her in disdain.

"I said, that's enough!" she bellowed, releasing Ryuichi's arm. "I won't let you insult him!"

"Why are you getting so angry?" Miyashiro snarled in frustration.

"If you insult him, you insult me!" she shouted back. People stopped to observe the spectacle.

Her fiancé's face paled. "M-Mitsuru?" he uttered shakily. "What are you talking about? He's just—"

Mitsuru now stood in front of Ryuichi, shielding him. "How _dare_ you speak to him like that! You can't even compare to him! He's made countless sacrifices for those he cares about, and he taught me that despite all the sacrifices we make, we have to remember to take care of ourselves, too! Our pain, our happiness matters, and people shouldn't be allowed to dismiss or abuse how we feel for their own satisfaction!"

Ryuichi felt a strong pulse in his chest. "Mitsuru?"

Her shoulders quivered as she held herself. "I-I want to be with him," she murmured, low and timid.

Another pulse, stronger this time. Ryuichi watched as she straightened up and shouted: "I want to be with him! Now and forever!"

It was like getting shot all over again. Ryuichi's mind went numb and his knees buckled. He lost all sensation in his body as Mitsuru's words resounded in his ears.

"You want to be with _him_?" Miyashiro spat as his eyes flickered past her shoulder at Ryuichi. "'Now and forever'? What on earth are you talking about? You're my fiancée! You think that I am inferior to this hooligan? I suggest that you retract that statement, Mitsuru! I will only forgive you if you apologize to me this instance! Think about the future of your company!"

"I will NOT apologize!" she blasted at him. He cowered back a step. "I want to be with him. You don't care about me or how I feel. The Kirijo Group can stand on its own. We don't need any help from a person like you!"

She lowered her hands to her sides, standing tall and stalwart as she spoke in a voice so gelid that Miyashiro quaked where he stood: "From now on, you and I are strangers. And if you try to do anything malicious I will use the power of the Group to destroy you."

She swung her hand in a powerful arc to dismiss him. "Get out of here, you snob!" she yelled, making him flinch. "I don't want to see your face ever again!"

Ryuichi felt a jolt of satisfaction as tears filled Miyashiro's eyes. The grown man sniveled as his knees knocked together.

"G-Grandfather!" he wailed as he ran off. "Grandfather!"

Ryuichi could barely stand, unable to believe what Mitsuru had just proclaimed. All the elation he felt from her verbally thrashing Miyashiro turned to ice in his gut. Shaking, he remembered to breathe as Mitsuru slowly turned back around to look at him. She gasped, as if she had just realized that he was standing there the whole time. Her hand flew to her elbow in an instant, and she took a frightened step back.

"Um—" She faltered, her powerful facade crumbling again. "I-I—"

Ryuichi started to reach for her when she bolted. "Wait!" he shouted after her. He dashed back to the bench first to retrieve his bag, and when he turned to pursue her, he ran into the two men who got out of Miyashiro's car. They grabbed him and hauled him away.

"You heard what Mitsuru said!" Ryuichi yelled at them. "If you try anything malicious, she—"

"Don't forget that you attacked our boss first," the taller one said with a devilish smirk.

The other one let out a low, menacing chuckle. "You're a bodyguard, aren't you? Don't you know what happens when someone tries to hurt your charge?"

As they dragged him away, Ryuichi thrust his leg between the legs of the guy on his right. He stumbled, all three falling to the ground. Ryuichi thrashed out of their grasp—kicking, punching, elbowing—getting hit himself as he scrambled to get up. One guy trapped him in a bear hug, pinning his arms down. When the other grabbed for Ryuichi's leg, he kicked off the guy's shoulder and flipped over the bodyguard holding him.

As Ryuichi and his captor fell, he felt a tearing sensation in his side. Grunting, Ryuichi staggered to his feet and was tackled to the ground. His attacker sat on his torso as he pounded his face. Ryuichi held up a hand to protect himself while his other groped for the small knife in his pocket. He stabbed the guy's backside, and the man howled in pain, rolling off of him to get away. Ryuichi got up, and the other guard kicked the knife out of his hand before putting him in a headlock.

"I don't have time for this!" Ryuichi raged.

 _Bam! Bam! Bam!_ Ryuichi hammered the guy's groin with a fist. As his assailant grunted in pain, Ryuichi slipped out of his arms and wheeled around, slamming his elbow into his face. The man dropped to the ground and didn't get back up.

"You little bastard!"

The other guy was back on his feet. He staggered towards Ryuichi, who spotted his bag on the ground at his feet. He bent down, tore it open, and as the guard ran at him, he drew his taser and fired. Twin electrodes shot out and stuck themselves to the man's stomach. He yelled over the loud pops and rapid clicks from the taser as his body pitched forward, falling face-first to the pavement.

Neither of Miyashiro's men got back up. Sucking on his teeth, Ryuichi ignored the growing pain in his side as he put the taser's safety back on and removed the spent cartridge. He stuffed the weapon into his bag, pocketed his knife, and snatched up his hat as he bolted after Mitsuru.

All he could think about was Mitsuru's safety. He checked the train station, but the platform was empty. He glanced around, trying to figure out if she was on the train or if she fled elsewhere. He remembered the tracking feature on his cell phone and checked it, searching for the signal from Mitsuru's cell phone. It was zooming straight for Iwatodai over the bay at an alarming speed. She was on the train.

"Dammit, I'll never make it in time."

He ran for Moonlight Bridge. His fear now was that more of Miyashiro's men might be waiting to pick Mitsuru up from the Iwatodai train station, possibly to coerce her to renegotiate a deal with Miyashiro. He had to make sure that that didn't happen.

He checked the time. Kikuno should almost be at the dorm with Mitsuru's dinner.

"Kikuno-san!" he shouted into his phone as he ran. "Are you at the dorm right now?"

"Almost. Why?"

"Pick Mitsuru up at Iwatodai Station!"

He heard Kikuno say something to the driver. "We're on our way," she told Ryuichi. "What happened?"

There was no way to put it delicately. "I gotta go!" he said, hanging up.

With his bag under his arm, he kept running, sprinting as fast as he could, spurred on by his fear for Mitsuru's safety. He prayed that nothing happened to her, that she hadn't run into anyone, that Kikuno would reach her on time. He sped past traffic on the bridge, took a sharp turn to the left when he got back onto the mainland and kept running, even when he started seeing spots. His chest ached as he struggled to suck in more air. Each breath he took made the injury in his side feel like his chest was being rent open. He checked his phone again to see that Mitsuru was already back at the dorm.

His vision gradually clouded over with what looked like flashing lightning within thick, gray thunderclouds. He trotted back home, starting to feel the stings and aches from his injuries. When he made it to the dorm, he leaned heavily against the front door as he fumbled to get the key into the lock. His hearing in his right ear faded as more clouds and lightning fogged his vision. Relying on touch, he felt for the keyhole with a finger and thrust the key in. He opened the door, and then he was falling right into the cloud of lightning. He hit it with a _thud_ , and then everything around him faded away.


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter 90**

Ryuichi awoke in his bed to numerous stinging aches on his body, feeling knots like rocks that made him utter a low groan. No position he tried offered much relief, and each time he moved, something else stung. The best he could manage was to lay almost turned on his side, balanced on a small corner of his back that had the least amount of pain. He closed his eyes again, just vaguely remembering a scene outside Screen Shot before sleep claimed him once more.

He awoke again later, not knowing if mere minutes or several hours had passed. Mustering up the little strength he had, he sat up in bed with a groan, noticing all the black, purple, and blue bruises on his chest and arms. Someone had undressed him down to his black trunks and cleaned some of the small scrapes and cuts he sustained. Thick gauze was taped over the bigger cuts on his jaw.

Everything hurt. All he wanted to do was try to ease his pain and loosen all his stiff muscles, and a hot bath was the one way he could think of to do just that. He uttered garbled grunts as he stood up, managing to stand in a hunched position while clutching his aching side. As the stings all over his body woke him up even more, he started to feel the large soda he drank at the movies. He waddled to the toilet, catching a glimpse of his battered body in the mirror.

Even though his room was warm and cozy from the heater, he still shivered when his bare skin was exposed to the air. The moment he entered the freezing water closet, the drastic change in temperature made him tense up. He shivered violently during his brief trip to the toilet, making everything hurt even worse. After relieving himself, washing his hands in the freezing water felt like icicles were stabbing into his fingers.

He went to the bathroom next. As he filled the tub, he turned on the shower to the hottest setting and wriggled out of his trunks. The gauze on his face went into the trash, and about a minute later, he stood under a spray of scalding water. Swearing, he quickly switched it to a slightly cooler setting.

When the hot water loosened up his body enough, he started off by shampooing his hair, more out of habit than necessity. When he started to gently scrub himself with soap, he felt scabs on his fingertips and found bruises that stung from the slightest touch. When he couldn't bend to soap the more difficult to reach places, he made sure the hot water took care of them for him. After rinsing off, he gingerly eased himself into the full, steaming tub.

Immersing himself in hot water seemed to sooth his aches and stings better than the shower. He let his mind go blank, enjoying his bath and almost falling asleep. Soon, a dream materialized, one that felt too familiar to be real.

He gasped. Mitsuru! Was she all right? The fragmented memories from that afternoon played in his head, where he remembered the movie, Mitsuru struggling to ask him an important question, and the unexpected intruder who acted like he controlled a barbed wire around Mitsuru's throat.

Everything became hazy after that. Ryuichi's nose dipped into the water as he began to lose consciousness again. When he snorted water, he stood up in a panic, coughing and sputtering. He drained the tub and toweled off before diving back into bed. His body didn't hurt as badly as before, and he quickly fell asleep once again.

Someone came into his room sometime later. As Ryuichi felt the person adjust the blanket over him, he murmured:

"Is Mitsuru okay?"

A hand swept his damp bangs out of his face. "She's shaken, but she's safe," Kikuno told him with a smile.

As his eyes closed, he managed to utter a feeble "Thanks" before losing consciousness again.

He was able to sleep a little better afterward. When he woke up again many hours later, the sun was already out, and his body felt oddly rested, but still stiff and riddled with aches. He lay there perfectly still, getting the sensation that his body was floating away from the pain. He opened his eyes again, thinking that he should send Mitsuru a message to see how she was. He opened his phone, and he swore when he saw the time.

Still hunched over from stiffness, Ryuichi hurried to get dressed for school. His body refused to shrug into his shirt, and he had trouble bending over to get his pants on. His old gunshot wound in his side still ached, hardly allowing him to lift his hand above his shoulder.

He got a good look at himself in the mirror, seeing that he had a black eye, battered cheeks, and that someone had taped fresh gauze over his jaw. He shook his head and went to put on his shoes.

At least his hat would cover his face, but he needed his sling again, as if his stiff walk and hunched stance wasn't enough to indicate that he was badly injured. He grimaced when he realized he forgot to put his sling on before his blazer, but sucked it up and wore it over his blazer anyway. He hated how constricted he felt with all his layers of clothes on under the sling, but he couldn't waste any more time getting to school.

With his bag in hand, he headed out the door, only to hobble back to his desk to grab his cell phone.

...

"You're late, Okazaki."

"Sorry, Sensei."

First period had already begun by the time Ryuichi made it to class. Panting, he rubbed sweat from his brow onto his sleeve, having jogged most of the way to try to make it to school on time. He kept his head down as he walked across the front of the classroom to get to his seat. His classmates whispered as they watched him, and somehow, he managed to avoid Mitsuru's gaze when he passed in front of her.

Ryuichi didn't pay any attention to the lecture. He focused on Mitsuru, seeing flashes of his memories in his mind the more he stared at her. All at once, the images merged into a film in his head, starting from the unusual conversation he and Mitsuru were having just outside the movie theater. When he got to the part where Mitsuru asked him about whether or not it was strange for her to like someone, his chest clenched. There was a cut in his memory that leaped over images right to the moment when he declared his feelings for Mitsuru to Miyashiro's face. He swore aloud when he remembered Mitsuru doing the same for him.

"Okazaki, do you have something to say?" came the teacher's stern voice.

Ryuichi flinched. "N-No, Sensei!" he blurted out. "S-Sorry."

He was confused when he saw his English teacher standing next to his desk, thinking it was still History class. "Then perhaps you would like to answer the question on the board," she said to him, and held out a piece of chalk for him to take. When he lifted his face to the teacher, she gasped when she saw his bludgeoned face and instructed him to just say the answer from his desk.

It really happened, he realized after the teacher passed the next question off to another student. Throughout the lectures, he kept playing Mitsuru's words over and over in his mind, her declaration making him forget all about his pain. But then, for all he knew, he had been punched in the head a little too hard this time and only remembered a rather vivid dream. Worse still, fear took over as he began to worry if everything had indeed happened the way he remembered it. The thought he dreaded the most was the idea that Mitsuru only said those things just to get rid of Miyashiro.

But, would she lie about her feelings for him as an excuse to sever ties with Miyashiro's company?

He saw Mitsuru tense up when he shifted in his seat. For all he knew, she might not want to see him right then. He wasn't sure he wanted to see her yet, either, even though he was stuck having to stare at the back of her head for the entire school day.

Sitting at a hard desk proved even more agonizing for someone whose body had just been tenderized. He tried sitting back, low, forward, with his head down, half his butt on the seat, stretching his legs out—but nothing offered relief. He kept shifting around, thinking about the bottle of painkiller in his medicine cabinet at home, silently cursing himself for not remembering it until just then. Or perhaps he shouldn't have gone to school at all that day, except he couldn't leave Mitsuru alone, not after Kikuno had made it clear that he wasn't doing his job.

His stomach growled all through morning classes. He didn't have dinner last night, nor did he have breakfast, now that he thought about it. When each class period ended, he went out to suck up as much water as he could from the fountain while trying to figure out if he wanted to skip the rest of his classes.

At lunchtime, Mitsuru got up and went out the door without a word. Ryuichi just watched her go, feeling the frigid sting of his suspicions that she was avoiding him again.

"Ryuichi-kun, are you all right? What happened to you?"

Ryuichi looked to his left to see Shiori standing there. He didn't have to think hard for this one.

"I got hit by a car," he lied.

Shiori went off on him, enraged by the non-existent bad driver while also scolding him for not taking better care of himself. She continued her tirade even as he got up to head downstairs to get himself some lunch.

"—it's so irresponsible of them! Did they even stop to check if you were all right? And, seriously, it's like you've been coming to school every week covered in bandages when you should be in the hospital—!"

She started sounding like a riled up chicken the more she spoke. Ryuichi waited in line with everyone else at the small store, getting his ears filled with Shiori's lecture on safety while his mind had other things to worry about. Other students watched them the more she talked, and they stared even more when Akihiko came up to Ryuichi.

"I'm surprised you came to school today," he said to him. "Are you sure you should be here right now?"

Akihiko glanced at the sling. "It's bothering you again? What the hell happened yesterday?"

"He got hit by a car," Shiori answered for Ryuichi. "And seriously, he should be at home resting! Or in the hospital!"

Ryuichi was getting fed up. He walked right out of the line to the faculty hallway, where Akihiko and Shiori flanked him all the way to the nurse's office. He shut them both out so he could lie down in peace.

 _"Please bring food,"_ he emailed Akihiko.

Minutes later, Akihiko brought him three sandwiches, five kinds of bread, two cans of juice, and a little baggie full of cookies that were undoubtedly homemade. Ryuichi almost hugged him for answering his call for help, but thankfully, his body refused to let him move fast enough to do so.

"Don't mention it," Akihiko said when Ryuichi attempted to pay him for the food. "A bunch of girls just gave me this stuff."

Ryuichi opened up a curry bread. "You mean your fans?" he questioned.

Akihiko's expression darkened. "So, what happened yesterday?" he asked Ryuichi again, ignoring his question. "We found you passed out in the lounge and all Kikuno-san would tell us was to help you to your room."

"I was attacked," Ryuichi told him.

"Attacked? Was it Sakai?"

"No."

"Who?"

Ryuichi shook his head, knowing he couldn't divulge too much information without revealing what happened between him and Mitsuru.

Akihiko was clearly not satisfied with his answer. "So, you got beaten up and you managed to run all the way back to the dorm. What's that supposed to mean?"

"I guess you could say I won the fight and still had the strength to run."

"Yeah, right. It doesn't count if you don't close the door."

Yet another lecture came, this time about fitness and taking care of his body. Ryuichi wasn't sure why he was getting so many lectures today, but he supposed that it was normal for people to have plenty to say about situations they don't know much about.

By the end of lunchtime, Ryuichi finished eating everything that Akihiko brought for him. On their way back to their classrooms, Ryuichi threw his trash away and thought he heard a few furious curses from some girls who were watching them from across the foyer. He recognized some of them as Akihiko's fans, and they all had murderous looks in their eyes as they watched him follow their beloved boxing champion.

"Don't look right at them," Akihiko advised under his breath, and quickened his pace up the stairs.

On the third floor, Ryuichi thanked him again, and the two separated to head to their respective classrooms. Back at his desk, Ryuichi could already tell from the familiar discomfort of his seat that the next few hours of school were going to be pure agony. He settled in just as his cell phone buzzed in his pocket with a message from Mitsuru.

 _"We need to talk. Meet me on the roof after school."_

He could already feel the cold, hard bench against his tender, squishy body. For the rest of the school day, Ryuichi just kept his head down and tried to find the least painful position to sit in while avoiding his teachers' gazes. During his last class, he already started sneaking books into his bag. When the final bell rang, he bolted for the roof, not wanting to get stopped by Shiori again.

Nobody followed him. He took a seat on the curved bench closest to the rooftop door, flinching from the chill of the cement and from the strong, freezing winds. He looked up at the sky to see a haze over Port Island that muted the pastel blues with grays.

"Of all places, why here?" he chattered as he waited.

Two minutes passed, and after a third, Ryuichi found that he wasn't strong enough to sit up anymore. He decided to lie down using his bag as a pillow, and covered his face with his hat. His whole body stiffened in the cold, and everything ached worse when his muscles contracted and quaked to keep warm. As he lay there, he felt a tickle in his nose. He tried holding his breath to stop it, and at the last second, he pulled his hat from his face and sneezed into his elbow.

He let out a pained grunt when his sneeze rattled his body. Every part of him seized up, leaving him half-curled up on the stone bench, unable to move or breathe for several excruciating seconds. His hat fell to the ground as he lay in agony. Slowly, he commanded his body to slacken—first his toes, then his feet, his hands and arms, working from the outside in.

"Just relax," he heard Mitsuru say. She was kneeling by the bench.

"When did you get here?" he croaked, tensing up all over again at the sight of her.

"Just now. Try to relax."

He couldn't, not with her there. Instead, he sat up, paused for a moment to rest, and like an old man, groaned as he got to his feet. Mitsuru picked up his fedora and dusted it off before handing it to him.

"What happened to you after—"

"I got attacked," he grunted. "Miyashiro's men attacked, so I fought them off."

She aimed her wrath-filled glare to the side. "I don't believe this," she hissed. "And to think he accused you of attacking him first—"

He teetered on his feet. Mitsuru held him steady by his shoulders.

"Sit down," she said, easing him back on the bench. "Why did you even come to school today if you're hurt this badly?"

"Because I'm an idiot," he snarled, wincing when Mitsuru's hand found a bruise on his back. "So, I'm here and we're supposed to talk. You sure it's safe up here?"

"It should be. I used my authority as Student Council President to make sure of it."

Ryuichi nodded slowly as another chilly breeze blew. "Making good use of your title, I see," he chattered painfully. "After this, I'm expecting you to rob a bank."

She didn't laugh. Breathing in deeply through his nostrils, Ryuichi sat a little higher to try to make himself look a little less pitiful.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked in a low murmur.

Mitsuru still had a hand on his shoulder, obviously not aware that she was gripping it tightly. Her other hand was still pressed into the bruise on his back. When Ryuichi grimaced in pain again, both her hands popped right off as alarm crossed her face.

He watched as she stood up, feeling like she was trying to get away from him. When another strong breeze whistled around them, Ryuichi lowered his face and shut his eyes when they stung from the cold. He traced the sound of Mitsuru's heels clicking towards the high railing, along with the weighty sigh she released.

"I called you up here because—" she began, but hesitated. As Ryuichi lifted his face again, she turned back around to look at him, standing rigid with her arms crossed over her chest. The wind blew again like it was trying to knock her over, but she stood her ground.

He felt another sneeze tickle his nose. He held his breath, and somehow, the sensation left him this time.

"Th-The thing is, I need to apologize to you," he heard Mitsuru say shakily.

Ryuichi once again lowered his face, this time in acceptance.

"I'm so sorry about what happened yesterday," she told him. "I didn't think that he would show up when I was about to—When we were—"

Ryuichi picked up his head to see Mitsuru lower her hands to her sides, balling them into fists like she was bracing herself against the strong winds. He gasped when she locked eyes with him.

"I had been planning to tell you how I felt," she said, her voice losing strength. "I've spent quite some time trying to formulate how I would tell you, only for things to end up the way they did yesterday."

Mitsuru touched a hand to her chest. "And, when you said it first—You said you also had feelings for me, and for a long time at that. It made me very happy."

She blushed. Every bit of Ryuichi's body froze.

"It's true," he told her, unable to keep eye contact with her. "You're probably going to think I'm creepy, but I've liked you for a very long time now."

"How long?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

He hesitated. "Kindergarten."

The shock on her face said it all. "That long?"

Nodding, Ryuichi forced his head up again to look at Mitsuru properly. "Do you remember that rainy day after school? Sakai and his friends kept pushing me into a puddle until you showed up and put a stop to it. Do you remember what you to me said then?"

Mitsuru's stare went deep into the past. "I said, 'Why do you let Sakai push you around? Get stronger so you can stand up to him'."

She shook her head, looking ashamed at her younger self. "I don't know what I was thinking back then, encouraging you to stand up to someone who clearly had no qualms about beating up someone smaller than him, especially when he had friends who would do the same."

He let out a soft chuckle. "Well, at least you were encouraging me to do something about it. All our teachers throughout the years would treat me like I was the one who was causing trouble or picking fights with Sakai. Compared to them, I thought you were pretty nice."

Mitsuru just stared at him silently for a moment. "And, that day in kindergarten—that was when you developed those feelings for me?"

Heat flushed his face, and he looked away again. "I think so. I know, it's pathetic to like someone just because you were nice to me, but—"

"It's not pathetic at all," she insisted. "But, since then, you've felt that way about me? For all these years?"

He was too embarrassed now, wishing she would avert her gaze. "I-I thought I had gotten over you when I started working as your bodyguard," he uttered as his mouth went dry. "I was really happy that we became friends."

Ryuichi's legs wouldn't stop shaking. "But, I guess I never really got over you, huh?" he murmured, his voice so small that when Mitsuru took a few steps towards him, he suspected it was so she could hear him better.

"You really surprised me yesterday," he chattered, both from the cold and from nerves. "I seriously thought you were going to say you liked Minato."

She blinked. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you've been spending a lot of time with him lately," he answered, keeping his voice light so he wouldn't sound too jealous. "What else was I supposed to think?"

Mitsuru looked away, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. "To be honest, he helped me realize how I felt about you," she admitted.

Ryuichi's mouth fell open. "He did?"

"Yes. Every time we went to eat somewhere, he pointed out that I always brought your name up in our conversations. He kept asking if I liked you, and so I always dismissed what he said, thinking he was only joking, but then—"

When another strong breeze sent icy needles piercing through him, Ryuichi shivered so much that his tense body made his aches flare up again. Another sneeze shot out of him him, shocking his body with more pain.

"A-Are you all right?" Mitsuru reached a hand towards him, but then her fingers retracted as apology crossed her face. "I'm sorry, I should've chosen somewhere a little warmer, but this was the only place close by where we were guaranteed privacy."

"It's okay," he grunted, sniffling. "So, uh, when did you start, you know, feeling that way about me?"

She was holding herself again. "I don't actually know when I started to have feelings for you," she admitted, "but I realized sometime during the school trip that I often found myself thinking about you."

She held herself even tighter. "I-I couldn't stop thinking about you since then," she said, now avoiding Ryuichi's eyes. "And even when we were together again, I still couldn't stop thinking about you. At the time, I couldn't understand why."

Ryuichi's breath quickened as he grew hot with embarrassment. It was all too much to take in, but Mitsuru wasn't done.

"We've known each other for years, but in just the past few months, you've opened my world and showed me that there's more to life than obligations to one's family," she said, her voice coming out raspy. "You taught me that my pain, my happiness—my own person matters just as much as everyone else."

She trembled so fiercely that Ryuichi couldn't stand it anymore. With a strained groan, he removed his sling, making Mitsuru look up in alarm.

"What are you doing?"

It took a great effort for him to shrug out of his blazer. It took even more effort for him to get up and put it around her shoulders.

"C-C-Can't have you freeze now, can we?" he chattered with a smile. He rubbed her arms to help her warm up, his own too rigid for him to do so without his aches hurting.

Mitsuru led him back to the bench, where they both sat down next to each other. Ryuichi's knees wouldn't stop shaking while the rest of him tensed up, wracking his body with even more painful twinges, like electricity zapping each one of his injuries.

"The Group's pretty mad right now, aren't they?" Ryuichi murmured when he realized what his actions had done.

"I've had a long talk with the Board of Directors yesterday to let them know that I had severed ties with Miyashiro," Mitsuru said to him. "But, I told them that it was solely my decision, and that I didn't want to rely on a marriage to bring stability to our company. I told them that I wanted to become the new president myself."

She managed a smile. "They were furious, of course, telling me that I was a foolish girl who had no right to make decisions without them, let alone become the new president of the Group."

Mitsuru's smile turned into a smug grin, as if the Board's harsh words were her greatest achievement. "Miyashiro may have been the Kirijo Group's best chance for survival, but I realized that I did not want that man to lead the Group.

"I remembered what you told me before, that it's not selfish if I'm doing something good for myself for a change," she continued, her voice light and full of rapture. "I felt like I had given so much of myself to the Group and to Miyashiro that I wasn't giving enough to myself. When I heard you say that, it resonated within me."

Even though he knew she was telling him something wonderful, he still felt like he was the one who potentially destroyed the Kirijo Group. "And, you're really okay with this?" he asked tentatively.

"I am. The thought of actually becoming the president never occurred to me until we had that conversation on Sunday night."

"I don't recall saying that."

"You said something to that effect, and I was inspired by it," she explained. "When you said that I should step in if Miyashiro failed, I asked myself, 'Why not avoid such a catastrophe altogether?' It wasn't an idea proposed to me as an option by the Board, and it was a great risk to take, but you helped me see another possibility that I wanted to at least try."

Mitsuru put her arms in the blazer's sleeves and zipped it up. "But, I think my greatest risk was deciding that I had to tell you how I felt," she said, dropping her voice low. "I considered you to be the closest thing I have to a best friend, and I was afraid that by telling you my feelings, I might have frightened you away and ruined our relationship."

"I thought the same thing," he chattered. "Plus, I couldn't say anything since it wouldn't be appropriate with you being my boss and all."

"But, we did it," she sighed. "And then, I just ran away. I was certain I left you in a state of confusion—"

His vigorous nod made her pause. "I'm sorry," she murmured, her remorseful expression making him regret doing so. "And in hindsight, I realized that, had I not fled the scene, I might have prevented Miyashiro's men from assaulting you. I'm sorry for—"

Without knowing why he did it, Ryuichi nervously held her hand, cutting her off. He was astonished at how soft it was, worrying that his was too rough with hardened calluses from years of training and hundreds of battles. As soft as her hand was, it was like ice.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he reassured her, fighting to not blush from his bold act as they both stared down at their joined hands.

Mitsuru looked to have been holding her breath from the shock of his touch. Ryuichi felt her give his hand a small squeeze, as if to test if it was real.

"I-I meant what I said before," she uttered, her grasp firmer now. "I want to be with you."

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I love you, Ryuichi."

The winds quieted down. Through their connected hands, Ryuichi couldn't tell if that was his heart racing or hers. A relieved chuckle escaped him as a big grin spread across his face. All the tension he bore within him dissipated as he drew warmth from Mitsuru's words.

He pulled her into an embrace. "I love you, too," he whispered into her ear. "I love you, Mitsuru."

Her own relief bubbled out of her in a giggle. "I feel so free now," she said softly, her voice light and full of joy.

Mitsuru leaned into him, bringing her arms up around his back. "But," she sighed, "because of our situation, we can't let anyone know about this."

His heart cracked. "It'll be tough, but we can make it work," Ryuichi reassured her. "I have every excuse to be near you, so at least we've got that going for us."

"You're right," she agreed. "I couldn't hope for a better arrangement. However, once you begin to accompany me to places as my bodyguard, you won't be able to call me by my name so freely anymore."

"That's okay," Ryuichi said quickly. "It just means that it'll be even more special when I just call you 'Mitsuru', won't it?"

"I suppose, but it doesn't sound fair that I get to call you by your name while you have to address me so formally."

"Yeah, but, what can we do?"

They parted. Ryuichi felt his chest grow cold from the absence of her touch. He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her, wincing at how painful the small motion was. She noticed.

"If it hurts too much, then don't do it," she admonished him, taking out her cell phone. "I'll have Kikuno send a car for us. Let's go inside and have some tea before your cold gets worse."

She slipped out from under Ryuichi's arm and stood as she brought her phone to her ear. "Kikuno, have a car come pick us up from school," she said urgently.

Mitsuru turned back to Ryuichi, who was gingerly getting up from the bench. "A car is already waiting for us downstairs," she told him as she closed her cell phone. "Do you think you can make it?"

"If I can run from Port Island to the dorm, I'm sure I can manage three flights of stairs," he said gruffly. "Granted, I passed out after that, so I guess that doesn't mean much."

He followed her to the door. She waited patiently, holding the door for him as he shuffled forward, but he went to her instead and swept her up in another hug.

"Ryuichi?"

"I love you," he said into her hair. "I don't know when I'll get another chance to say it, so I just wanted to make sure you knew."

Her arms circled gently around his back. "I love you, too," she whispered, and spared a moment to let out a sigh that warmed his neck.

Before they headed downstairs, Mitsuru helped Ryuichi get his blazer and sling back on. She carried his bag for him and refused to give it back, no matter how much he asked.

"Won't people get suspicious?"

"Everyone thinks that you were hit by a car, so I think they will understand if they see me helping a friend out."

He let out a sigh. "I went from bodyguard to friend to boyfriend and back to friend in a matter of minutes."

"'Boyfriend'?"

Mitsuru flushed pink, smiling. "That's right—We're officially a couple now. It will be interesting trying to dispel the rumors about us, now that they're true."

Ryuichi pulled a face that made her chuckle. "It was hard enough trying to get them to believe the truth about us not dating, but now we have to lie?" he groaned.

"I doubt it will be any more difficult than before," she told him. "Besides, you hid your feelings very well from me. All this time and I never knew."

"I never would've dreamed that you'd feel the same way about me someday." He nearly snorted. "All it took was our meddlesome leader to get you to realize it."

She shook her head from embarrassment. "I still can't believe I struggled to understand my own feelings," she sighed.

"That's okay, but I guess we owe Minato for helping us out."

"Yes, I believe thanks is in order."

They reached the third floor. After a quick glance down the hall, Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru carried both their bags in one hand and seized her free one. She snatched it away.

"Not here!" she hissed at him.

"Nobody's looking," he grinned, but he didn't reach for her again.

Ryuichi started to head down the stairwell to the second floor, but Mitsuru remained on the third floor and walked down the hall. She went slow, letting him catch up to her, and when they were halfway across the hall with no sign of the other students, Ryuichi felt her cool hand take hold of his. Her hand warmed up in his as they continued to the other stairwell and took it down to the second floor. Both kept a vigilant watch for anyone who might see them as they walked through the hallway. When they heard students on the first floor, they let go of each other.

Ryuichi's hand felt cold without Mitsuru's, leaving him to yearn for her touch long after they were safe in the awaiting car. Neither dared to reach for the other during the ride back to the dorm.


	91. Chapter 91

**Chapter 91**

As expected of Kikuno, there was hot tea and rice porridge waiting for them at the dorm. Before they could enjoy their treats, Mitsuru headed upstairs to freshen up while Ryuichi went to his room to change out of his uniform. The moment he stepped into his room, his face flushed from the sudden warmth. He quickly stepped back out to thank Kikuno for turning on his heater and humidifier before going inside.

He was all too happy to rip off his sling. His uniform ended up on the floor in a heap. He had to sit on his bed and thread his feet into his pajama bottoms before gingerly pulling them on. When he was too lazy to change his T-shirt, he pulled on a hoodie and put up the hood before getting into bed.

His nose started to run again, as if the heat had thawed his snot. He reached for the tissue box on his desk, but it was just beyond his reach. Even though his body didn't hurt as badly as before, leaning over to try to grab a tissue hurt enough to make him want to give up. Determined, he stretched his arm as far as it would go. When his fingertips accidentally pushed the tissue box further away, he lowered his arm and let out a defeated sigh. All he could now do was sit back and pull his blanket up to his eyes while his sniffles cracked the air.

Someone knocked. "It's me. I'm coming in."

Mitsuru entered, carrying a tray with tea and porridge. She took one look at Ryuichi and laughed when she saw him sitting there with his hood on and his blanket pulled all the way up to his eyes.

"Sorry. It's just that you look so miserable," she remarked between chuckles.

He thinned his eyes at her. "Meanie."

Still chuckling, Mitsuru set down the tray on the desk before helping Ryuichi position his pillow behind him so he could sit more comfortably while he ate. When Ryuichi was ready for his meal, he was mildly disappointed when he saw Mitsuru head to his washroom instead.

"You're looking better, but do you still need a painkiller?" she asked him.

He sniffled again. "I think I'm okay," he mumbled. "It's really not so bad now that I'm not shivering so much."

When she returned, she had his thermometer. He took it from her and stuck it under his tongue.

"I still don't see why you had to come to school today," she said as she crossed her arms.

"If I didn't, we wouldn't have had a chance to talk," he murmured with difficulty.

"We could've talked anytime."

"Where, though? Even talking here, people can hear us."

The thermometer beeped. Mitsuru took it and shook her head.

"We have to take it again," she said as she stuck it back under his tongue. "And this time, don't say a word until it finishes getting a proper reading."

Ryuichi pouted, but stayed quiet. He now could only breathe through his left nostril, feeling it get ready to drip but also stuffed up too much for him to be able to blow the snot out. When the thermometer beeped again, Mitsuru checked the reading.

"No fever. It looks like you'll live." She had him fold down his blanket over his lap before placing the tray with his food in front of him. "Go ahead and eat as much as you like. Kikuno brought plenty."

She returned to his washroom to clean his thermometer. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Ryuichi cupped the bowl of rice porridge in his hands to relish in the extra heat. Just as he was about to try his first spoonful, his cell phone rang.

"Hey, Little Bro!" came his sister's voice.

"Hey, Shizue," he murmured through his stuffy nose.

"You sound terrible. I guess even you aren't immune to colds, huh?"

He sniffled as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what's up?"

"So, Mom and Dad asked me to tell you that you and Mitsuru-san are invited over for dinner on New Year's Day. And, uh, they want to do it here at your house."

"My house?" he yelped. "Why?"

"Because they liked it. After you got shot, they got really scared that I was living with just Megs and Ayaka, so we thought it would be best if they at least knew where to find us in case something did happen. They love what you've done with the place, by the way."

He groaned, but was too fatigued to argue with his sister. "Okay, I guess it it's good they know where you're at, so that's fine. The thing is, I don't have a lot of plates or things there for you guys to make dinner."

"Mom and Dad already said they would bring whatever they needed. You don't even need to worry about bringing anything except Mitsuru-san."

"Yeah, okay, but—" his nose tickled, making him pause to sneeze. His body burst with pain again, feeling as though he was slowly shattering himself to pieces.

"Sorry," he uttered. "I'll have to ask if she's free."

"Great! You take care, Little Bro! I've got some cleaning to do!"

He hung up. "I've never seen her so happy to clean before," he muttered before going back to his rice porridge.

When Mitsuru returned from washing the thermometer, he let her know about the invitation for New Year's dinner. Her eyes grew as she clutched her arm.

"Dinner? With your family?"

"It's nothing formal."

Ryuichi reached for a tissue again, and Mitsuru retrieved one for him before pushing the box closer to him.

"Thanks," he said, and paused to wipe his nose. "Anyway, it's just a chill evening with food, talk, and more food. And knowing my parents, there will be plenty of leftovers they'll be sending us home with."

"Yes, but it's dinner with your family."

Ryuichi eyed her suspiciously over his porridge. "Um, you've met them before, you know."

She held onto her arm like she always did when under stress. "I'm aware of that, but those times, I was your classmate, your friend, and your charge. This time, it's a little different, don't you think?"

"But, it's not like we're telling them about us," he reasoned. "Besides, they already like you. If they found out about us, they would probably be praising you for actually taking interest in their son—Well, praising and questioning, now that I think about it."

"Why would they question it?"

He shrugged. "I mean, it's me, after all."

She frowned in disapproval. "There's no need to belittle yourself, Ryuichi," she chided. "In all the years I've known you, I can honestly say the good outweighs the bad."

He grinned bashfully. "Nah, I'm really not all that," he insisted. "You're, um, awesome."

He felt like an idiot for saying such a meager praise, but Mitsuru seemed to appreciate it all the same. While he helped himself to his rice porridge, Mitsuru nervously paced his room, still deep in thought. He noticed that she managed to avoid treading on his uniform that he left on the floor.

"If you can't make it, they'll understand."

"No, it's not that." She looked back at him, her face fraught with concern. "What if they don't like me?"

Ryuichi smiled, shaking his head. "I just said they already like you," he reminded her. "If they did find out that we were dating, trust me: they would love you even more."

He scratched his head. "And then they'd give us the lecture on the birds and the bees."

Mitsuru's face flashed red. "Yes, well, I suppose it's natural for one's parents to, to worry about such things."

Her gaze dipped, and Ryuichi cleared his throat. "They're just looking out for us, that's all," he said in an unusually squeaky voice. "After Shizue had Megumi, they wouldn't want something similar to happen to us, you know? At least not until we're married."

He stared down into his bowl, feeling heat radiate all over him that wasn't from the food. "Um, that got awkward really fast. Sorry."

"It's all right," Mitsuru said. "I appreciate that your parents are concerned for us."

Her cell phone rang just then. Ryuichi kept his face bent over his bowl while he ate as he involuntarily listened to the brief conversation.

"They want me to come in and speak with the Board of Directors again," Mitsuru sighed after hanging up.

"About dropping Miyashiro?"

"Precisely." She sighed again, glancing in his direction. "Will you be all right here for a little while? Kikuno will be accompanying me, so—"

He waved her off. "I'll be fine," he reassured her. "I'm just going to sleep after this. I'm sorry I can't go with you to fend off those crusty old guys."

"You just focus on getting better," she told him. "I'll ask the others to check on you every now and then, so at least you won't be alone."

She started to leave. "I'll see you later—"

"Wait."

Ryuichi waved for her to come back. She tilted her head at him in confusion.

"What is it?"

"Just, come here for a sec."

She stood at the bedside, but he kept motioning for her to come closer.

"Little more," he said, making her lean in. When she was close enough, he reached up with his good arm and hugged her.

"Stay safe," he whispered.

It took her a few seconds to return his embrace. "I will," she said. "Get better soon."

"Will do, Boss."

He hated to see her go. Mitsuru was the stronger one of the two, looking back at him only once when she closed his door after herself. She shared the same longing look he wore, and when she left, he started missing her right away.

"Seriously? She just left," he grumbled to himself, but it did nothing to make him miss her less.

Since Ryuichi slept all throughout the school day, sleep wouldn't come to him at all that afternoon. After lying in bed for nearly half an hour, he sat up with a frustrated groan and grabbed his laptop to do a little work. With Christmas coming soon, he only had a few days left to prepare Mitsuru's Christmas present.

He recorded a number of songs in the past month with different combinations of instruments and vocals. Some were purely just the piano, others he sang while he accompanied himself, and others he played the saxophone for both melody and harmony parts while he played the piano and guitar.

He listened to a recording of himself playing the saxophone for a song of nostalgia and melancholic reminiscence. The original song had lyrics, but when he tried singing it prior to recording, his voice sounded forced from trying to reach the higher notes. He gave "Kiss of the Rain" a listen afterward, making sure that it was absolutely perfect throughout the entire song. It took him many tries for him to play it perfectly on piano, but since he knew Mitsuru was fond of it, he thought it was worth the extra effort.

"Senpai?" came Yukari's voice from outside his door. "You okay in there?"

Ryuichi closed his laptop and set it back down on his desk. "Come on in," he called to her, and the four juniors came in to see how he was.

"So, uh, we heard that you either got beat up or hit by a car yesterday," Junpei said as the group approached him. "Which is it?"

Ryuichi had to be at least a little honest with them. "Mitsuru and I ran into some trouble yesterday," he began, seeing the intrigue on their faces. "We were attacked, but I had her run while I fought our two assailants off. The train left before I could catch up to her, so I ran all the way to the dorm from Port Island. I guess I pushed myself a little too hard this time because I passed out right when I got the door open."

"What about the car?" Fuuka asked.

"That was the cover up story," he explained. "We don't want people knowing that I'm her bodyguard in case it attracts unwanted attention, so we have to come up with weird stories like that so no one would get suspicious."

"So, why not just say you guys are dating?" Minato asked.

Everyone fell silent. They watched him in earnest as Ryuichi blanked out for a second, feeling the edge of his lip start to twitch into a wry smile.

"Two words," Ryuichi finally said. "Mitsuru's fans."

He watched the foursome carefully, feeling his panic-induced perspiration dampen his pajamas. After a time, they all uttered noises of understanding.

"Ohhh, okay!"

"G-Got it."

"For real?"

"Are they like Akihiko-senpai's fans?"

"S-Scary..."

Minato put a hand on Ryuichi's shoulder and stared him right in the eyes. "Don't die, Senpai," he told him, and Ryuichi's panic spiked when he realized that he was now in legitimate danger at school as Mitsuru's boyfriend.

"I've also had to come up with fake stories for my injuries, too, "Yukari said with a thoughtful nod. "But honestly, Senpai, we all just thought you were a klutz whenever we heard stories like that."

"Oh, I've been hit by cars, too, so the stories aren't too far off-base," he replied, grinning bashfully. The others wore nervous smiles around him and didn't pursue the topic any further.

The four hung out in Ryuichi's room for a little while, to which he was grateful for the company of actual people instead of just old infomercials and game shows. He let Junpei and Minato play his video games while the girls chatted over tea. Fuuka even tried the game and ended up dominating the battlefield and crushing Junpei's army on her first attempt. They brought Ryuichi more tea when he asked for it, and with his belly warmed by the beverage, Ryuichi eventually fell asleep to the sounds of Junpei challenging Fuuka to another battle.

The next morning, Ryuichi was free from his cold and his aches had dulled enough to give him a wider range of movement again. Energized from the previous day's events, he all too happily showered and dressed for school. He skipped another workout that morning, something he wasn't proud of, but for now, he wanted to give himself a chance to actually recover fully for once.

"Are you sure you're well enough?" Mitsuru asked him numerous times over breakfast. "You're not rushing things again, are you?"

"Not this time, no," he answered sincerely. "I'm taking it easy today."

"And your side? You don't need your sling?"

"It's with my bag. I'll put it on after breakfast."

"And if anyone should attack us?"

"We'll run," he said, and Mitsuru seemed satisfied with his answers.

The walk to school became a test of Ryuichi's resistance to temptation. All he wanted to do was hold Mitsuru's hand, but his sling made sure he didn't have a free hand to reach for her. Mitsuru kept offering to hold his bag for him, but he refused, fearing that he really would end up grabbing her hand and not be able to let go.

Throughout the school day, Ryuichi could only focus on Mitsuru. It was fine, since the lectures weren't remotely school related anymore, and the teachers mostly just carried conversations with their students now. They talked about college entrance exams, which universities they were planning to attend, what careers they were shooting for, and which study guides were the most helpful. The teachers seemed to have fun sharing their experiences with college entrance exams, but there were some who were still a little bitter that they didn't get into their first choice university. Some classes allowed the students to have study hall so they could prepare for their college entrance exams.

At lunchtime, Kikuno dropped off Mitsuru's lunch. Ryuichi waited for Mitsuru in the empty Student Council Room, where she offered to share her meal with him.

"Um, not that I don't appreciate it, but whenever you walk around with big lunch boxes like that and share your food with me, it just makes us look even more suspicious," Ryuichi told her glumly.

"You're right," she agreed with a woeful expression. "This is actually turning out to be more difficult than I originally thought."

"Right?" Ryuichi rubbed a finger under his nose. "But, it'll just make the time we spend together even more worth it."

He took out the lunch he packed for himself, showing Mitsuru the bit of rice he had in his little bento box and the little can of sardines he brought with him. She watched as he used a tiny can opener on his key ring to open the can and pour the contents over his rice.

"That can't be enough for you."

"It'll be fine," he insisted. "When I went through training, they only gave me about this much in rations to last for three days."

"Three days!"

"Yeah. So this is actually a luxury to be able to eat the whole can in one sitting."

Mitsuru shook her head. "That won't do. I want you to eat well every meal. I'll have our chefs prepare something for you from now on."

Ryuichi smiled uncomfortably. "Um, wouldn't that just make it even more obvious that we're—You know?"

Mitsuru uncrossed her arms. "I see your point," she reluctantly agreed, looking frustrated. "I can at least request to have your lunch prepared to look more like a normal bento. That way, it won't look quite so obvious that it came from us."

As he ate his first bite of his food, he noticed that Mitsuru had that familiar, distant look in her eyes, telling him she was deep in thought again.

"If you're already feeling better, it would be best if you started accompanying me to my visits home and to my meetings," she said after a few moments. "The maid staff is already somewhat familiar with you, but my father's affiliates and the Board of Directors should get used to your presence."

A thought occurred to Ryuichi. "Are there any guys on the maid staff? I don't recall seeing any."

We do, but a vast majority of the staff is female," she said.

Ryuichi palmed his face. "It's like I'm walking into one of Junpei's fantasies," he griped.

"Oh? Do you like maids, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi winced when he saw Mitsuru's amused smile. "Not really," he answered truthfully. "They kinda scare me, actually."

Mitsuru had a look of astonishment on her face. "How is that possible when you've always been fine with Kikuno?"

"Well, the kendo team dragged me to this maid cafe once in our second year, and it just freaked me out the way they kept fussing over me," he admitted, shuddering at the memory. "They kept offering to do stuff for me like draw cutesy things on my food or forced themselves to act cute, and I just felt so weird about it."

Mitsuru's chuckle made him frown. "I'm sure you'll fit in with the maid staff just fine," she told him. "However, since you are among the youngest members and one of only a few men on staff, they might have some fun fussing over you."

He made a face. "Oh. Goodie," he grunted with displeasure.

Ryuichi leaned back in his chair, looking around the empty Student Council Room. His mind flashed back to last month, thinking about how defeated he was after being dismissed from the Kirijo Group and the way his life had changed since then.

"What's on your mind?" Mitsuru asked.

His eyes came back into focus. "Oh, nothing."

She waited patiently, saying nothing. Sighing, Ryuichi set his lunch down and bowed his head to cover his face with his hat.

"After the Board fired me and I quit the restaurant, I wasn't sure what I would do to support myself," he told Mitsuru. "I think about it now, and I realize I could've given music lessons, taught kendo, play music in restaurants, and maybe even tried writing my own music. Though, I don't know how happy I'd be if I did all that for the rest of my life."

"Because you want to be a bodyguard?"

"Well, specifically _your_ bodyguard, yeah."

He lifted his head to stare up at the ceiling. "But to think, all I had to do was make it through the next couple of weeks for things to become better than anything I could ever hope for," he said with a peaceful smile. "I mean, I didn't think things could get better for me, so I wonder if things would've gotten better even if you didn't give me back my job."

"Maybe not in the way you would have wanted, but I'm sure that things would've gotten better for you," Mitsuru reassured him. "As for me, I had a pleasant surprise when you reciprocated my feelings. I hadn't expected it, but I had hoped for it, and so that ended up working out better than I expected."

Ryuichi nodded. "And I never thought you'd be interested in me, either," he murmured. "I was already happy serving you and having you as a friend, so I really had no intentions of telling you how I felt. Good thing it all worked out for the better."

They picked up their lunches again, and Mitsuru kept nudging sections of her bento box towards him. She wasn't satisfied until he picked up a rice ball and ate it.

"I've been meaning to ask: When you get into Kawaguchi, are you planning to take online courses?"

Ryuichi chewed through his bite of rice ball before answering. "That's what I was thinking, especially if I'm traveling around with you for work," he said. "Though, if I'm taking online classes, I wonder if I'll end up living in my house with my sister instead of in the dorms on campus."

Mitsuru dabbed her napkin at her lips. "As my bodyguard, you would most likely live in my home with me," she said. "I would also encourage you to attend the actual classes whenever you have a chance."

He put on a wry smile. "That's if I get into Kawaguchi first."

"And you will. I will make sure that we both get in, even if I will only formally become a university student."

Ryuichi could see the disappointment on Mitsuru's face. "There's really no way you could attend college?"

"I'm afraid not," she sighed. "Even attending classes now makes it difficult to be the head of the Group."

As if to prove how busy she was, Mitsuru had to leave immediately after school for another series of meetings. This time, Ryuichi went with her, and Kikuno suggested that he do a few things to make himself look a little less beaten up. She gave him his sunglasses to cover up his black eye, and told him to leave his sling in the car with their school bags.

"What about this?" he asked, touching the scabs on his jaw.

The maid smiled at him. "It makes you look like you're not to be toyed with," she said.

They arrived at an expensive-looking restaurant. Ryuichi and Kikuno flanked Mitsuru as they headed to the restaurant's private dining room towards the back. They were the first to arrive, giving Mitsuru a chance to review for her meeting while Kikuno reviewed Ryuichi's duties with him.

"Is it wise for me to be here right now?" he murmured to Kikuno while he had the chance.

"If you are concerned about your injuries hindering you during an attack, you should be fine for now. We are in Kirijo Group territory, so the odds of Ojou-sama being in danger are slim."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure this isn't just Mitsuru's way of keeping an eye on me?"

Kikuno smiled. "It seems you are coming to understand her more. And please, address her properly whenever we are in public."

It was his first time accompanying Mitsuru to her business meetings, and for the most part, he just stood there, keeping watch, standing with his feet as broad as his shoulders and remaining silent the entire time. He only carried a small knife and his Evoker with him for protection, and with his taser in his school bag back in the car, he was a little nervous at the thought that a fight could break out at any time. At every meeting, it was the same thing with Mitsuru taking care of business affairs while Ryuichi and Kikuno stood watch, ready to make an escape should something happen.

Whenever they went to a new location, Ryuichi would take note of the maps on the walls and locate the nearest exits to try to come up with escape plans. He thought up battle scenarios in his mind for what would be a good place to take cover, items that he could use as makeshift weapons, and the like. And whenever they left, Kikuno had Ryuichi check the car first for any explosives that might have been installed without their knowledge.

He was impressed with Mitsuru for being able to negotiate so well, as far as he could tell. The way she conducted herself when she dealt with the much older, much more experienced men gave him the impression that Mitsuru was far more qualified to run the Kirijo Group than Miyashiro had ever been, despite her age, sex, and lack of experience working against her. She carried herself with a similar authority to the one she used at school, except there was something more, something bolder, something so much stronger within her.

If she was rattled by a small mistake, she recovered quickly. If the men tried to belittle her, she fought back calmly, making them look foolish for underestimating her. She wasn't afraid to bare her fangs whenever they tried to treat her like a naive girl, and for that, Ryuichi was especially grateful, or else he might have knocked a few heads and gotten shot in the process.

On the way back to the dorm after a long day full of meetings, Mitsuru fell asleep with her head on Ryuichi's shoulder. He let her sleep, not wanting to disturb her rest, especially after she had been kind enough to check on him late the previous night and ended up staying longer than she should have, both to chat and the make sure he had everything he needed.

"So, how was your first day accompanying Ojou-sama to her meetings?" asked Kikuno.

Streetlights striped Ryuichi's face as they drove past. "Honestly, it was kind of dull, but I guess that's a good thing," he said softly, so as not to wake Mitsuru. "But, I couldn't believe that the affiliates wouldn't take her seriously at first. She knows so much, and yet the Group was ready to marry her off to some douche bag when she was already capable of doing the job herself."

Kikuno seemed amused at his response. "In truth, she only has minimal understanding about business, but since she decided to become the new president of the Kirijo Group, she's been tirelessly working to be able to fill that role."

She beamed at him. "She's much happier now, and I suspect that we have you to thank for that."

The maid's smile became warmer, making Ryuichi uncomfortable. It told him everything he needed to know.

When they arrived at the dorm, they found a note telling them that everyone else had gone to Tartarus. Ryuichi grinned as he showed the note to Mitsuru, who nodded when she saw it.

"I know what you're thinking, but in a few minutes, Yamagishi will be able to sense us," she reminded him. "She'll know if we're together."

He checked his phone. Two minutes to midnight. Shrugging, he enveloped Mitsuru in an embrace.

"And after what I just said—"

"Two minutes," he told her. "We have less than two minutes, so we'd better enjoy it."

She sighed, but her arms came up around his back anyway. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve," she said. "I'll be free all afternoon and evening. Shall we see the light displays at the mall?"

He couldn't believe that it was already Christmas Eve. "We'll probably be seen by everyone if we go," he realized, disappointed that he couldn't even enjoy the thought.

"If we go as friends, we'll be fine. We just can't show any affection for each other."

"We would be really awkward friends if we held hands and stuff."

"And yet, as friends we were perfectly fine holding onto each other whenever we rode your motorcycle."

He frowned. "That's different," he murmured, and took his arms off of her. She didn't let go.

"We still have less than a minute until the Dark Hour," she told him, and he put his arms back around her.


	92. Chapter 92

**Chapter 92**

"Hey, Senpai! Are we having fried chicken tonight?"

It was early morning, and Ryuichi was mid-yawn and had only walked half a block from the dorm with Mitsuru when Junpei called out to him. The two seniors turned to see the gaggle of juniors come traipsing up to them, all bright-faced and eager for a Christmas treat.

"Fried chicken?" Ryuichi repeated.

Yukari made a face. "Shouldn't we have said something a long time ago?" she asked Junpei. "We can't just expect Ryuichi-senpai to cook something up just like that."

"But he always does that," Junpei pointed out. Ryuichi resisted the urge to wring his neck. "Every time we have just leftovers in the fridge, he pulls out something amazing."

Ryuichi gave it some thought. "Well, technically, it shouldn't take too long to make," he said, and noticed the excitement lighting up even brighter in their faces. "But, the recipe I know requires the chicken to soak in buttermilk for a while, and we have to special order that stuff since it's kinda hard to find. Frying it takes a little time, too."

They all frowned, including Mitsuru.

"How long does it need to soak for?" Fuuka asked.

"It's best if it's for a couple of hours, I think, but I still need to buy all the ingredients," he replied. "But as I said, buttermilk's hard to find."

Their faces fell once again in disappointment. Ryuichi felt bad that he couldn't just whip something up instantly, or that he hadn't thought about making fried chicken for them in the first place. By the time school let out, it would already be too late for them to line up and buy some cooked in a restaurant, knowing that those lines can go on for hours, if they didn't run out by then.

Ryuichi got to thinking that not being able to cook for them might have been a blessing in disguise, since it meant he would have more time to spend with Mitsuru on Christmas Eve. But, the thought of their sad dorm mates having no special meal to celebrate the day plucked at his heartstrings. Even if he could procure all the ingredients he needed, there wouldn't be time to—

Mitsuru held her phone out to Ryuichi. "I've informed Kikuno of the situation. Just tell her what you need, and she'll be able to prepare everything while we're at school," she said to him. "If all you need to do is soak the chicken, she can do that for you."

"Way to go, Mitsuru-senpai!"

"Yeah!"

"All right!"

As calm as Mitsuru sounded just then, Ryuichi could practically feel her buzzing with as much excitement for the food as everyone else. Sighing, Ryuichi smiled at them all, saying "All right, all right" as he took Mitsuru's phone to talk to Kikuno.

He gave her a list of the ingredients he needed, along with the instructions for soaking the chicken. Fuuka listened in with interest, and Ryuichi didn't mind one bit. He only listed a few of the spices, since he already had the rest at the dorm, and with the only preparation needed being the chicken soaking in the buttermilk, there was nothing more that he needed to instruct Kikuno to do. He took comfort in knowing that anyone who might have overheard him wouldn't be able to fully replicate his father's recipe, but just to be safe, he kept his voice low throughout their conversation.

"I've always seen the commercials throughout the years, but I was never able to try that style of fried chicken for myself," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi after he handed her back her cell phone.

"I hope my dad's recipe doesn't disappoint, then," Ryuichi murmured, getting nervous. "It's been a while since I cooked any, so I hope I remembered everything."

He checked to see that the juniors were still engaged in their overzealous conversation about fried chicken. "Are we still on for today?" he asked Mitsuru softly.

"Just tell them we have a meeting to attend to after school," she answered. "If we run into anyone, we can simply say the meeting was cancelled."

"Brilliant."

He thought about the CD he had in his bag. When the Dark Hour finished last night, he spent hours making sure the CD was perfect. He listened to each track many times, searching for any imperfections he might have missed. After hearing the same songs for so long, he was pretty sure he would be fine not listening to them for a good long while.

"I can't remember the last time I had fried chicken on Christmas Eve," Yukari told the others.

"I think I was ten," Junpei piped up. "Man, it's been so long!"

"My mom and I waited in line for three hours last year to get some," Fuuka told them. "And that was even with us preordering months in advance."

Minato looked to Ryuichi. "How about you, Ryuichi-senpai?"

Ryuichi blinked. "Me? We had it every year, but we never bought it; we always made it ourselves. Dad tried selling fried chicken around Christmastime during the restaurant's first few years, but we stopped when we kept getting beat out by the competition, all because they had better marketing."

Junpei smirked. "Are you sure it was the marketing and not the recipe?"

Ryuichi simpered at him. "I guess that means I don't have to cook any chicken tonight?"

That shut Junpei up. Next to him, Yukari sped up to walk with Mitsuru.

"Hey, Mitsuru-senpai? Do you also have fried chicken at Christmas?" she asked her.

"We usually ate other things, like lamb or veal," Mitsuru replied, impressing the others. "Though, there was one year when my mother prepared karaage fried chicken—"

"Nope!" Junpei's outcry startled everyone. "Not the same! It's gotta be good ol' fashioned fried chicken from America!"

Ryuichi groaned. "That just makes it sound like I'm a foreigner."

"You're American and Mitsuru-senpai's French," Minato said with a smirk.

"And what about the rest of you?" Mitsuru asked, sounding amused by his remark.

They caught up to Ken and Akihiko at the crosswalk while they all tried figuring out what countries the others would represent. Junpei was the one who told the two about the fried chicken that Ryuichi was going to make for them for dinner.

"Fried chicken?" Akihiko's face lit up. "And you're making it from scratch?"

"I can't guarantee that it's as good as other places, but I'll try to make what I remember growing up with," Ryuichi told them.

Everyone's excitement for dinner put more and more pressure on Ryuichi. He didn't mind cooking for them, but he did wish that they asked him at least a few days in advance instead of last minute. With their expectations for an incredible meal weighing on him, Ryuichi kept running the ingredients in his mind all through the morning to make sure he hadn't missed anything. His fears grew the more he questioned if he gave Kikuno the right directions for preparing the chicken or if he missed a spice when he gave her the list.

His stress for dinner piled on top of his stress and excitement for what he quickly realized would be his first real date with Mitsuru. He realized that he had never been on a date before, and had no idea what he was supposed to do. And, since they couldn't do anything even remotely romantic, he wondered if it could still effectively be called a date.

"Is something wrong?" Mitsuru asked him before they separated at the shoe lockers. "You've been pretty quiet."

"Just trying to remember if I got the recipe right," he said, putting on a smile so she wouldn't worry.

"I'm sure that it will be delicious, so there's no need to worry," she said reassuringly, and went to change her boots.

During lunch, Ryuichi ran into the juniors again when he went downstairs to get something to eat.

"So, Senpai," Yukari said slyly, "are you taking out a special girl to see the light displays?"

Ryuichi remembered the lie he and Mitsuru planned. "Mitsuru has a meeting right after school, and I'll be accompanying her," he said coolly to her. "But, if you mean for her to be the 'special girl', then in all technicality—"

"No, no, we mean a real girl," Junpei complained. "She doesn't count!"

"Is that so, Iori?"

Mitsuru strode up behind them, and the other juniors backed away. Junpei rubbed his head and laughed dryly as she flashed him a smile with what could almost be murderous intent.

"I-I mean, not that you aren't special—And you're totally a real girl, Senpai!" he said quickly as he backed away. "We just mean, like, if Ryuichi-senpai had a crush or something he wanted to take out on a date. Today's the day for it, right?"

"Except I'm going to be cooking for you guys," Ryuichi reminded him.

"Heh. Oh yeah, huh?"

"Nice going, Junpei," Minato said, nudging him. "You might've cost him a girlfriend."

"Junpei, you just had to ask for that chicken, didn't you?" Yukari sighed.

"Hey! You guys wanted some, too!" Junpei protested.

Ryuichi shrugged. "It's no big," he told them all. "Like I said before, we've got a meeting to get to after school. After that, we'll come home and I can start cooking for you guys."

"If you had plans, I apologize that work has to come first," Mitsuru said to him.

"For the last time, I had no such plans," Ryuichi said in a firm voice. "And to be honest, I kind of wanted fried chicken, too."

Minato snickered. "You picked fried chicken over girls."

Laughter built up in Ryuichi's chest that he couldn't contain. The others cracked up just as badly, all of them finding Minato's quip to be absolutely ridiculous.

Mitsuru ended up getting whisked off by some teammates from the fencing team to have lunch with them, leaving Ryuichi to eat by himself. He didn't mind, since he would have the afternoon with Mitsuru to enjoy later. They wouldn't be able to be affectionate even in the slightest, which was of course the main disappointment, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about business or work for a change.

At last, the school day came to an end. After listening to so many of his classmates talk about going out with their boyfriends or girlfriends or even just with friends to see the light displays, Ryuichi couldn't wait to see them himself.

"Shall we go?" he asked Mitsuru when he had finished packing his bag.

She fastened the clasps on her bag and stood up. "We shall," she said, and he could see that she was doing her best to not look too excited.

That afternoon, the direct sunlight barely warmed him up once they stepped out from the school. Wintry winds threatened to freeze him during the walk to Paulownia Mall, and as usual, Mitsuru didn't seem bothered at all by the cold.

They weren't the only ones headed to the mall. It seemed like many students and young people trekked there, some as couples, others in small clusters of friends. In just a few hours, the sun would go down, and more eager viewers would join the throng of people already flocking there. Ryuichi hoped they would get the same chance to view the lights without interruption.

"I realized this morning that this would technically be our first date," Ryuichi murmured softly to Mitsuru.

"You're right," she gasped. "Is it strange that, with all our previous outings, this is only our first date?"

"Well, I never really thought of them as dates," he figured with a shrug. "We were just sort of hanging out, and those were always fun."

"Indeed, our outings were always enjoyable," she agreed. "The only dates that I've ever been on were lunches or dinners with Miyashiro, and none of them were enjoyable in the least."

"You should've had dinner at your place and had me serve the tea," Ryuichi muttered. "I would've been all too happy to 'accidentally' spill hot tea on that guy's lap."

Mitsuru chuckled. "You might have put an end to his lineage if you did that," she remarked.

"You don't say." He snapped his fingers in mock disappointed. "Darn. Opportunity missed."

They stopped at a packed street corner to wait to cross the intersection. As they stood there, Ryuichi caught sight of a rather shifty-looking man on Mitsuru's right side. Sensing ill will from the man, Ryuichi stepped back slightly, pretending to take his cell phone out to check the time. When the man started to reach for Mitsuru's backside, Ryuichi snatched him by his hand. The man's terrified face turned to Ryuichi's rage-filled glare, who only shook his head slowly in warning. When he let him go, the man fled.

"Thank you," Mitsuru whispered to Ryuichi.

"And I was hoping you hadn't noticed," he sighed.

"At first, I didn't," she said. "I thought he was staring at me at first, but then I saw you."

Ryuichi let out a short blast of air from his nostrils. "Next time, I should start breaking hands so they don't pull crap like that for at least a month."

"And if they are artists?"

"So what? I don't care how successful they are; they shouldn't be grabbing people like that to begin with."

The light changed, allowing them to cross. Ryuichi softened his expression to look to Mitsuru.

"Sorry I lost my cool for a minute there," he murmured to her.

"No need to apologize," she replied. "You did the right thing and no one got hurt. You conducted yourself well."

They continued on towards the mall, but Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru was more wary of the people surrounding her. If she felt uncomfortable, she would walk in front of Ryuichi to give him an easier chance to grab anyone who might reach for her. When she felt safe, she walked next to him, but Ryuichi would kept an eye out for any more offenders. None came after the first guy.

Paulownia Mall was teeming with people crowding the light displays. Silvery-whites and cool blues hung like curtains and nets from the ceilings. Christmas trees blazed hotly with radiant white lights, showing off their silver and red ornaments and tinsel. One walkway had a long tunnel of blues, indigos, and whites to look like they were getting a view of a starry sky. Another walkway had streams of colors that rolled to the end and looped back to the beginning.

A spacious section of the mall had been cleared for another elaborate light display. The normal mall lights in that area had been dimmed to let the displays truly shine. It looked like a small forest had grown there, with a winding path created by artificial, leafless trees that were lit up with thousands and thousands of cool lights, casting a wintry blue upon all the smiling couples who wandered through.

There were countless couples walking around, holding hands or taking pictures around the displays. Groups of students wandered by, mystified by the splendor of the lights. One girl ran ahead of her friends to the rainbow tunnel as its colors pulsed on and off. A young man held up his infant daughter to one of the gently-lit Christmas trees so she could see the ornaments. He laughed and pulled her hand away when she tried to grab one of the ornaments.

"It's so beautiful this year," Mitsuru said as they marveled at the lights. "Last year was a little plain, so I'm quite impressed this time."

Ryuichi remembered how dull the light displays were back then compared to now. "I think I remember that," he remarked, ushering her to one side so she could have a better view.

They shuffled in with the crowds as they walked around the displays. Ryuichi's eyes couldn't drink in the majesty of it all fast enough, filling him with a sort of excited calm that clashed yet fused together. The crowds kept moving, and they had to keep moving with them, unable to fully appreciate what was right in front of them.

"If memory serves me right, the Christmas lights the year before last were also kind of boring," Ryuichi said idly. "I guess they hired someone new to decorate this year."

"Were they that dull? I remember I accompanied my father overseas to America during Christmastime that year, so I didn't get a chance to see what the lights were like here," Mitsuru said. "I have to say, the light displays I saw in America weren't as grand as this, but what they lacked in displays, they made up in spirit."

"Spirit? How so?"

They edged around a couple taking a picture of themselves by a series of colorful arches.

"The people were remarkably friendly, despite the heavy snowfall," Mitsuru began to explain. "They were always wishing one another to have a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, and some of them struck up conversations with me, telling me about their favorite holiday memories or their excitement to have family come over to their houses. Even the simple decorations of wreaths, Christmas trees, and a few lights were enough to make our hotel a homely place."

Mitsuru smiled fondly at the memory. "At the time, my father was busy with work and urged me to explore the city. Kikuno was with me, along with some bodyguards, but I think it would have been more enjoyable if I could have gone around with my father, or at least with a friend."

Ryuichi began to worry that he had accidentally caused Mitsuru to recall memories that might be a little painful. She surprised him with a smile.

"But now with you around, I think trips like those will be more enjoyable," she said, looking pleased.

He cracked a smile. "I've always wanted to experience an American Christmas like what my dad used to tell us about, so sign me up for the next trip."

They quickly found the crowds to be too vast to properly enjoy the lights. For the moment, they decided to duck into Chagall Cafe for some tea and scones while a pianist played some Christmas tunes. The new performer turned out to be pretty good, Ryuichi thought, glad to hear something that wasn't being butchered for the sake of earnings or to show off their "unique style".

Like everywhere else in the mall, the cafe was packed, where they had to stand around for at least ten minutes just to get a table. Ryuichi didn't recognize the waitress who showed them to their seat, grateful that he wasn't recognized in return. After she took their order, Ryuichi looked around to see couples almost everywhere—teenagers, young adults, even couples who looked to have been together for years—and they blended right in with the lot of them. He caught sight of Eshima, who was too busy behind the counter rapidly making hot beverages to notice that he was there.

"Out of curiosity, what made you agree to make the fried chicken on such short notice?" Mitsuru asked him.

He flashed her a grin. "Well, a certain president of a big company insisted that I call her maid to procure the ingredients for me," he playfully jabbed at her, making her flinch.

Mitsuru indignantly crossed her arms in front of her. "W-Well, it's only fair to let everyone enjoy Christmas Eve in some way or form," she said, unable to meet his eyes.

Ryuichi chuckled. "Lies are unbecoming of you, _Ojou-sama_ ," he teased, and her rigid facade crumbled. "But, after seeing that even you were excited for fried chicken, I just felt like I couldn't let you all down, especially after hearing that most of you haven't had any on Christmas Eve in years, if at all."

His smile became wistful. "I just never really realized how fried chicken during Christmas brought our family together. After we closed the restaurant on Christmas Eve, we would bring home some of the leftovers and cook it there so we could have some ourselves. We all reeked of the stuff by the end of the evening, but being able to eat it together just seemed to make it taste better."

"I see. So, it's not so much the fried chicken, but the way it invokes a familial feeling by sharing a meal together," Mitsuru said slowly, as though still trying to make sense of it.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He nodded, satisfied with her description. "If you think about it, our little SEES family grew so much this year, so we really ought to celebrate it."

Mitsuru stared at him, seemingly in awe at his reasoning, the way she sat quietly without that critical look in her eyes. "I've always been fascinated by the way you still manage to love your family unconditionally despite all your differences," she told him. "To see that you still fondly recall the good memories you had with them and continue to get along with them never ceases to amaze me."

Ryuichi lowered his gaze to stare at a spot on the blue tablecloth. "Well, I think we're getting along better now because you've been helping with the restaurant," he said. "So at least with that much, I can see that they're making an effort to change for the better, so I don't end up dwelling on all the bad stuff they did in the past."

"Personally, I think your father started to make changes when he realized he was losing you," Mitsuru reasoned. "It must have been painful enough that his son announced he was quitting the restaurant, but to learn that his restaurant was failing and that his son was making up the lost revenue by working at a dangerous job likely influenced him to start making changes. And of course, everything was brought to a boil when you were shot."

She tucked her hair back behind her shoulder as their tea and scones arrived. "When I spoke with your family in the hospital, they had a lot of questions about you and the kind of work they do. I told them that you truly were my bodyguard, and that you had gone through arduous training to become such. I told them that you took your job seriously, and that you almost gave your right arm for me just last year."

Ryuichi winced. "I hope they weren't too hard on you."

Her eyes tensed up. "They were understandably livid, especially when I apologized for not notifying them before of your past injuries and for allowing you to put yourself in danger for my sake," she replied, confirming Ryuichi's suspicions. "They also wanted to know why you were fired, what you were doing out late, and demanded to know who shot you. At the time, I didn't have all the answers, but I believe you were eventually able to provide them with some of the answers they were looking for."

"I'm sorry they gave you trouble for my decisions and my recklessness," Ryuichi said to her.

"It's quite all right. I am partially to blame, after all."

Mitsuru let out a heavy sigh. "They also wanted to know if you were happy working for me. I told them that you seemed to enjoy the work, and that you never complained about it. They asked if you were a bother to me, and I told them that I've always enjoyed having you around."

She took a sip of her tea while Ryuichi slowly absorbed everything she was saying. "You could see that they blamed themselves for you getting shot, especially your father," she said, staring down into her cup. "He said he realized he had been too focused on running the restaurant that he forgot about his own family. Your mother and sister emphatically agreed."

Ryuichi coughed into his tea.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that Dad's finally coming around, and it's all thanks to you," he said between coughs while he mopped up his mess with some tissues. "Man, we owe you so much for all your help."

"I wasn't the one who persuaded him to change his ways," she told him. "You did that by saving your old nemesis and getting injured in the process. It's terrible that it came to that for your father to realize his mistakes, but at least you were able to break through to him."

"Even though that wasn't my intent at the time."

"Be that as it may, your father has changed for the better."

The pianist began to play one of Ryuichi's favorite Christmas songs. He let himself get distracted by it for the first few measures so he could take a moment to soak in what Mitsuru had just told him. He had noticed before that his father had changed since he quit the restaurant, and was initially confused as to why he hadn't ordered him to return. At most, his father only suggested the possibility.

"Despite everything that transpired last month, your family has been very kind to me," Mitsuru continued to say. "I know that you said that I've done so much for all of you, but in truth, you've all done so much for me, too."

Now Ryuichi was lost. "I thought we just caused you a lot of trouble."

"No, no," she chuckled. "It's through you and your family that I was able to experience a different type of familial intimacy."

She blushed a little. "I remembered what you said about how your family would hug one another before parting. That kind of warmth was something I only experienced with my parents when I was little..."

She shook her head, her expression becoming melancholic. Ryuichi started to reach across the table to hold her hand, but when she pulled away, he redirected to grab the sugar instead.

"Sorry," she said, keeping her eyes fixed on his hand as he added sugar to his tea. "What I wanted to say is, having your family welcome me so warmly gave me a chance to experience what it's like to have such a tight-knit family. I was able to embrace my mother only recently after so long a time, and the last time I embraced my father was when I was little. But, your family embraced me so readily, even though I'm not part of your family."

"You pretty much are now," Ryuichi said, smiling. "I think they've just about unofficially adopted you."

That got her chuckling. "Imagine if they found out about us," she whispered.

He leaned in, still grinning. "You would be smothered in hugs _all_ the time."

She flushed a deeper shade of pink. "It took some getting used to, but I've grown to enjoy hugs," she said as she reached for her scone. "I used to think it was strange for anyone to be so physically intimate on a casual level, but from the first time you embraced me, I found it intoxicating."

Mitsuru shook her bangs down over her face, but he could see that she was blushing more furiously than before. "How embarrassing," she murmured. "Look at me, talking so idly about such a thing when it's so normal for you."

"I'm just glad that I wasn't being too creepy, suddenly hugging you like that," Ryuichi said with relief, and Mitsuru began to relax again.

After the cafe, they went around to see the lights again. This time, they ventured through the wintry forest, seeing that some of the crowds had dispersed and made it easier to walk through the display. Those who were still enjoying the lights bunched up together to take pictures or shared a romantic moment by holding each other and speaking softly into their lover's ears.

Ryuichi and Mitsuru found a spot to take a few pictures. They snapped photos of each other on their cell phones, Mitsuru standing tall and proper while Ryuichi tried different poses, making Mitsuru laugh when he went a little too melodramatic with his fedora over his heart and his sorrowful gaze cast down to the floor. They attempted to take a few pictures together, pressing in close while Ryuichi held out his cell phone with the screen facing away from them, making it difficult for him to snap a decent photo without being able to aim properly. When they reviewed the pictures, they both laughed, seeing that most of them were off-center.

"Send them to me," Mitsuru said when they found a few good pictures. He happily did so.

As they wandered around some more, Ryuichi asked her: "Have you decided on what to do about Ryoji?"

"I have." Mitsuru switched her bag to her other hand. "It took me some time to contemplate what my own impending death would be like, and I realized that, even if the result might end the same way, I have to at least try to fight for my life.

"And, I decided that I don't want to lose my memories of everyone," she added. "All the sacrifices, all our time spent with everyone, and especially the time I've spent with you—I refuse to forget any of you without a fight."

Ryuichi paused just a few steps away from the crowds. "Good to know we're on the same page," he noted, and a smile spread on his face. "And it's nice to see that I made it to your list of reasons why you're gonna fight."

Sighing, Mitsuru glanced over to the lights. "That was selfish of me again, wasn't it?"

"Not to sound biased, but I don't think it was selfish at all." He leaned in towards her and whispered: "Because I don't think I've had enough time with you yet."

She shared his smile. "Then we are in agreement. We'll defeat Nyx to ensure the future of our world, and in doing so, allow ourselves to continue our lives together."

A middle school girl bumped into Ryuichi's arm and kept running, her friends trailing after her. When he didn't get an apology, Ryuichi pretended not to notice and flashed Mitsuru a determined smile.

"Then, I'm relying on you to have my back," he said to her.

She nodded. "Of course. And I can expect that you'll have mine?"

"Naturally. I am your bodyguard, after all."

"True, but don't forget that I'm not the one out of practice due to injury."

He shrugged. "Meh. I survived getting shot and beating down two experienced bodyguards after a month of not being able to train, so I think I'm up for the task," he said proudly.

The humor left Mitsuru's face. "That's true, but I would much rather that you avoided injury as much as possible."

"Yes, Boss," he said with a sigh.

Their hands brushed together as they turned to walk another round through the mall. They stopped by stores to look at some of the outfits there, and Mitsuru pointed out some interesting hats for them to try. They took pictures of themselves wearing a lime green hunter's cap, a white cowboy hat, beanies, and even a hat with little cat ears on them.

"It looks good on you," Mitsuru said fondly when Ryuichi tried the one with cat ears. "I don't think I could ever pull off something like that."

"You're just making excuses to not have to wear it," he joked, sticking the hat on her head when he was through. "There!"

He snapped a picture of her on his phone. "Actually, you look pretty cute in it," he said, admiring her lost and confused look in the photo as she examined herself in a nearby mirror.

"'Cute'?" She blushed. "I can't remember the last time I was called that."

She glanced back at Ryuichi over her reflection's shoulder. "I've heard some girls at school call you cute before. I always thought you were quite handsome, but you do seem to have some moments where you are kind of cute."

Now he was the one blushing. "Name one time I was cute," he challenged her.

"On the last day of exams, when your stomach growled and you tried to pass it off as the chair making the noise."

He slapped a hand to his face. "And I was hoping that everyone had forgotten about that."

"It was amusing, that's for certain." She removed the hat and placed it back on the rack. "And very clever, I might add. I was embarrassed for you until you said that part about the chair.

"You've really changed these past few years," Mitsuru said as they left the store. "You used to be so shy."

"I'm still shy."

"Are you? Not as shy as before. I remember you used to be afraid to talk to me."

Ryuichi's face soured. "How was I supposed to react when my long-time crush watched me get pantsed in front of everyone?" he nearly blasted at her from embarrassment. "And then that same day, she had to save me from getting eaten by a Shadow. I felt pretty low then."

"And yet you protected me despite your previous humiliations," she pointed out. "I found that very admirable of you and even forgot all about what happened earlier that day—Until you brought it up just now."

He frowned, holding his bag over his crotch. "Quit picturing it."

"I-I'm not!"

"You're blushing!"

She wouldn't even look at him now. "It was quite a shock," she finally mumbled, and she lowered her gradually reddening face.

With a mischievous smile, he held up a hand to his mouth and playfully giggled in her ear. "Ojou-sama, such impure thoughts you have!" he teased, though he was still burning with embarrassment.

"Ryuichi—"

"I never thought you had it in you—"

"—Ryuichi—"

"—My boss is sooo pervy—"

Mitsuru glowered at him. "Perhaps an execution is in order?"

He shuddered and waved a hand in front of him in defense. "W-Wait, I'll be good!" he pleaded.

She held her glare, and Ryuichi braced himself for impact. He squeezed his eyes shut, but when he felt no chill, he opened his eyes to see her smiling at him.

"I don't think I could ever execute you," she said, leading him to a bench by the fountain. "Though, I have had to use it on the others recently."

Ryuichi swallowed hard. "Do I want to know how this story goes?"

She looked at him in astonishment. "You mean, the others didn't tell you?"

"They didn't tell me anything. At least tell me where and when it happened so I'm not completely in the dark."

They both sat down with their school bags next to them. Ryuichi once again felt the tug of temptation to reach for Mitsuru's hand, but resisted this time.

"It was during the Kyoto trip, in the hot springs," she murmured, making a face.

Ryuichi sucked on his teeth. "I think it's pretty obvious where that's going," he said, sensing that whatever happened in the bath, the offending bunch definitely deserved what came to them.

"If you had been a part of their antics, I might have executed you, as well."

He looked away. "I wouldn't have been in the hot springs with them."

Her expression softened. "Is it because of your scars?"

He nodded slowly. "Personally, I don't mind them at all. It's just, if people ask about how I got them, it's a little hard to explain. If you think about it, I can only say that I got hit by so many cars before anyone gets suspicious."

"It seems that we will have to do one of two things: one, we will have to come up with new excuses for your injuries."

"And two?"

Her expression became stony. "We will have to make sure that you don't sustain any more injuries," she answered. He actually agreed with that one.

She put her bag on her lap and undid the metal fasteners. "I have something for you," she said, and produced a champagne bottle with gold foil wrapped over the cork. A red, silver, and gold ribbon had been tied around the neck in a neat bow. "I had it ordered especially for you."

Ryuichi uttered a low "Whoa" as he took the bottle from her. "This is really something. Thank you."

"It's non-alcoholic, but I hope that someday we will get to drink the real thing together," she told him. "In truth, I wanted to give you a very special wine, but that will have to wait."

He turned the bottle over in his hands. "This is already really special to me, but what makes the wine special?"

Mitsuru's stare went right through him. "My father had some wine made the year I was born," she said softly. "He also collected countless bottles of wine from that year, in the hopes that he could drink them with me when I came of age. However..."

She shook the thought away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

Ryuichi almost reached for her hand, squeezing his into a fist to stop himself. "We'll drink it in his honor," he told her with reassurance. "When we're of age, of course."

He looked back to the bottle of non-alcoholic champagne. "We're going to have to have a really fancy meal to enjoy with this," he said, grinning. "And before I forget: I've got something for you, too."

He set aside the bottle to open up his bag. "Um, it's not much, since I couldn't really do anything for like, a month, but it's the best I could do."

He produced his flat present, neatly wrapped in blue wrapping paper with shimmery snowflakes on it. Mitsuru took it, turning it over in her hands.

"May I open it now?"

"Go ahead."

He clenched his whole body as she carefully peeled the tape. She took great care not to rip the paper, Ryuichi feeling as if she was opening it slowly to torture him. When at last she held the CD case in her hands, he held his breath.

"So, _this_ is what you've been working on." Mitsuru took some time to admire the simple gift. She opened the case, looking at the list of songs inside. "I would hear from everyone that you were playing your instruments a lot lately, but we all thought it was because you were bored or simply shirking your studies.

"It looks like you've included all of my favorites," she said, her smile growing bigger. "Thank you, Ryuichi. I can't wait to listen to it."

He grinned, relieved that she liked his present. "Merry Christmas, Mitsuru," he said to her.

She turned to him, still clutching his present in her hands. "Merry Christmas, Ryuichi," she replied with a warm smile.

There was a longing look in her eyes that Ryuichi felt stirring in himself, as well. He felt his body start to lean in towards Mitsuru, seeing her do the same. Ryuichi braced himself and pushed himself away from her, gripping the bench with both hands.

"We should go," Mitsuru said, putting the CD away in her bag. "The others might be getting hungry by now."

"Yeah," he reluctantly grunted as he stood up. "I had a great time, Mitsu—Ojou-sama."

He winced. "Damn. I'm never gonna get used to calling you that."

She got to her feet. "And I hope you never do," she told him, flashing him a gleeful smile.

Ryuichi tried to fit the bottle of champagne in his bag, but his books left almost no room for it. Mitsuru offered to carry it for him in her bag, since she was able to fit it before. When they were sure that they had everything, they took one last glance at the lights before heading home.

On their way to the train station, they continued to chat about the presents they got for each other. Ryuichi wanted to know what kind of food paired well with non-alcoholic champagne while Mitsuru inquired about the process of recording himself playing all the songs on her new CD. It was when they ran into Minato and Yukari on the train station platform that they both shut up.

"Oh, um, back from your meeting already?" a flustered Yukari asked them first.

"Our meeting wrapped up a little early," Mitsuru said coolly. "Since the mall was close by, we decided not to waste the opportunity and went to see the lights."

"So basically, a date," Minato said bluntly, making the seniors flinch.

Ryuichi managed to hide how frazzled he was by smiling. "What about you two?" he asked them back. "You two are dating, right?"

Yukari blushed. "U-Um, ah, ha, ha, ha, well—"

Minato grabbed her hand, making her jump.

"What are you doing?" she screeched at him, but all that did was make him smile. "I-Idiot!"

She looked to Mitsuru. "Please don't tell anyone, okay?" she begged her.

"Your secret is safe with us," Mitsuru reassured her. "In return, it would be nice if rumors didn't make it sound like Ryuichi and I were on a date."

"Maybe next time, get a girl bodyguard?" Ryuichi suggested.

"And leave you out of a job?" Mitsuru jabbed playfully.

"R-Right."

He looked to the two juniors again. "So, when did you guys start going out?"

"Last summer," Yukari admitted, though now she was smiling at Minato. Their leader returned her smile but let go of her hand, appearing satisfied.

"Let's leave it at that," Mitsuru said.

"Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari replied timidly.

Back at the dorm, Ryuichi was relieved to find that Kikuno had followed his instructions perfectly. Somehow, she even managed to procure buttermilk despite his last minute request. The chicken was soaking properly in the refrigerator, and he noticed that Kikuno even took care to flip the pieces for a more complete saturation. She brought all the spices and ingredients he requested, including a few extras he wanted so he could cook a few other dishes. He made sure he to set aside a few pieces of chicken for her as thanks.

"Senpai, do you need any help?" Fuuka offered.

Ryuichi make sure to keep a watchful eye on Fuuka while she worked. He let her take care of breading the chicken, showing her how to first dredge the pieces in flour, then in a spiced beaten egg mixed with buttermilk, and then dredge it again in the bread crumbs mixed with spices. Together, they cooked fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, and fluffy, buttery biscuits. In total, Ryuichi had to nurse two pots for frying the chicken, another pot for boiling the potatoes, and a saucepan for the gravy. As for the biscuits, they could only bake a few at a time in their little microwave oven, constantly loading it up with fresh dough to make enough for everyone.

"Ho-ly mama," gasped Junpei when the table was set.

"Wow." Ken stared at the golden fried chicken while Koromaru panted next to him.

Yukari stared with her mouth gaping open. "It looks so good!" she gushed.

"It _smells_ really good!" Junpei marveled.

Akihiko wordlessly sat down at the table, gawking at the nearest plate of golden fried chicken while Ryuichi stacked a fresh batch onto another plate. Minato sat with his fork and knife ready.

"All right, I think that's everything," Ryuichi announced, rubbing his sleeve on his brow. "Oh, except—"

He hurried back to the kitchen to retrieve the Christmas cake on the counter. "Okay! Now we're ready!"

"Where did that come from?" Mitsuru asked in awe as he brought the cake to the table.

"Kikuno-san, of course!"

Ryuichi found the special dog food that Kikuno brought for Koromaru and served it to him while everyone began to feast. Hearing everyone moan and hum in satisfaction with their first bites got him smiling so much his face started to ache. Everyone went back for at least seconds, and even Mitsuru went for a third piece of chicken.

The conversations took off wherever they pleased, and no one was safe from the jokes they all slung around. Not a single person was left out, where even Aigis was mentioned every now and then, either to recall something amusing she had done or to wonder aloud when her repairs would be finished. Mitsuru told them that she had been actively checking up on her status at the lab, saying that most of her repairs had been completed but still had some kinks that needed to be worked out.

"I hope she comes home soon," Fuuka said as she reached for another biscuit. "Do you think she's lonely there in the lab?"

"I wonder, too," Junpei said before stuffing his face with more mashed potatoes. "But, a lot of times, I forget that she's a robot, so I wonder if she gets lonely at all."

"I forget that she's not human, too," Yukari agreed. "Maybe it's because we're around her a lot that we forget? I remember she would get kind of mad at Ryoji-kun at times, but then, is she capable of emotions like that?"

"She did sound pretty sad after her fight with Ryoji-kun," Fuuka reminded them all.

Mitsuru caught Ryuichi's eye, but said nothing. He suspected that she had something to say, but not in front of everyone else. He would have to check with her later.

"So, anyone have any special plans for the break?" Minato asked everyone.

The festivities continued. Not everyone had plans for their two-week break from school, but they all shared things they wanted to do. Some didn't get to see the Christmas lights yet and decided to go when they had the chance. Others wanted to see a movie, or catch up on some sleep. Fuuka planned to visit her parents, wondering how they've been.

Ryuichi considered visiting his family, too, depending on whether or not Mitsuru's busy schedule permitted him to do so. If he could only choose to see either his parents at the restaurant or his sister and niece at his house, he wasn't sure who he would choose. He didn't think he would actually want to spend time with his family, after wanting to get away from them for so long, but after his talk with Mitsuru earlier, he found that he missed them all and wanted to see more of how they had all changed since he last saw them.

"Looks like Koro-chan wants to go for a walk," Fuuka said when Koromaru pawed at the front door. Upon hearing his name, Koromaru barked, as if in confirmation.

Akihiko got up. "Yeah. I think a light jog around the block might be good for digestion," he said on his way to get Koromaru's leash.

"I'll come, too," Yukari chimed in. "I think I ate too much."

"Me, too," Minato said with a yawn.

Ken popped off his chair while hastily wiping his mouth on his napkin. "Let me get my jacket," he said, hurrying upstairs.

Ryuichi took it as a sign that he would be the one to clean up. "Any chance I could get some help with the dishes?" he asked the others, but made his way to Junpei. "Because, you know, I mean, Fuuka and I _did_ cook this last minute, at the request of a certain _somebody_."

He clapped heavy hands on Junpei's shoulders as he tried to sink low in his chair.

"B-But, heh, you did it out of the kindness of your heart, right?" Junpei chuckled nervously. "It's that good old-fashioned Christmas spirit!"

Yukari sighed. "Come on, Junpei. He _was_ nice enough to cook all this."

"With help from Fuuka," Ryuichi added, making the junior blush. "And Kikuno-san, too. Man, we owe her big for getting all the stuff."

"Why don't we all help clean up?" Mitsuru suggested, already gathering up plates.

Everyone helped collect the dirty dishes, clear debris, and put leftovers away in the refrigerator, but made sure that Junpei was the one to wash the dishes, including the pots and pans. When the only thing that needed to be done was the washing, the others left to take Koromaru on a walk, leaving Junpei to finish the work. Ryuichi stayed behind, exhausted from the long day, and Mitsuru hung back, as well.

Before they retired for the night, Mitsuru gave Ryuichi back the bottle of non-alcoholic champagne she had given him.

"We'll enjoy this another time," she whispered. "Thank you again for today. I look forward to many more outings with—"

"What is this? Get off, get off, get off, dammit!"

The two looked to Junpei vigorously scrubbing at burnt gravy on the bottom of a saucepan. He muttered to himself, swearing, cursing at the mess as if it would help make the process go faster.

Chuckling, Ryuichi whispered to Mitsuru: "Thanks for everything, too. And next time, I'll make sure it's just us the whole day."

"Ryuichi-senpai! How the hell am I supposed to clean this?"

He cringed. "Um, good night," he said quickly to Mitsuru. As he turned to help Junpei, she snatched the bottle of champagne from his hand and set it down out of view behind the front desk for him to retrieve later.


	93. Chapter 93

**Chapter 93**

After school on Friday, Mitsuru allowed Ryuichi to have the afternoon free to do as he pleased since she had a dinner to attend with some of her father's affiliates—now _her_ affiliates, Ryuichi realized after some thought. Since she would be hosting the event at the Kirijo mansion, Ryuichi's presence wouldn't be required, thanks to the maid staff already in place.

"What, no Mitsuru today?" Akihiko asked when he caught up to Ryuichi after school.

Ryuichi squinted in the dim sunlight dulled by the carpet of clouds overhead. "The maids are there, so I'd just be in the way," he replied.

"It's been a while since you guys were apart. Is it because she's head of the Group that you need to be there all the time?"

"Pretty much."

"Aren't you guys tired of each other yet?"

Ryuichi couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, no. It helps that we're friends, so it can be kinda fun at times."

Akihiko had a skeptical look on his face. "How the hell can standing around all day be fun?"

"Because I'm not just standing around," Ryuichi told him. "I actually have to constantly be searching for any possible dangers and be ready to move in case there's an attack."

"Sounds boring compared to fighting Shadows."

Ryuichi let out a sigh, already tired of arguing with Akihiko. "Well, it's not Shadows I'm up against, so it takes a little more patience and a lot of perception. Oh, and checking for bombs and stuff."

But of course, the restless boxing champion wasn't fond of the idea of patience or being physically idle. They rode the train back to Iwatodai, where Akihiko asked Ryuichi if he wanted to grab some ramen with him.

"I still have some chicken left over, so I was just going to cook that."

"There's more?" Akihiko gasped. "Well, come on! What are we waiting for?"

Akihiko wasn't the only one excited for more fried chicken. Junpei, Ken, Fuuka, and Koromaru were in the lounge, looking like they were hungry for round two of their Christmas Eve dinner. Once again, Fuuka helped Ryuichi bread the chicken, and almost every piece that came out of the fryer was snatched up right away. Ryuichi wasn't sure how they could stomach all that chicken after having so much of it the previous night, but even though they ran out of biscuits and mashed potatoes, they were perfectly fine just eating it with rice and ketchup.

When Koromaru begged them for some chicken, they all apologized for not being able to give him any. All they could do was give him some of his specialized dog food and try not to feel too badly whenever they met his sorrowful eyes.

"Last batch!" Ryuichi announced as he set down the final four pieces on the table.

"That's it?" Ken asked as he reached for a drumstick. "I thought there was more!"

"Nope! That's the last of it!"

While they ate, Ryuichi was grateful that he didn't have to eat all that chicken by himself. In truth, he wasn't in the mood for it before he even started cooking, having grown tired of the smell alone from cooking it last night. When they finished their meal, Ryuichi had everyone help him clean up.

"Should we have saved some for the others?" Fuuka asked while she washed the plates.

Ryuichi looked around the lounge, seeing that Yukari, Minato, and Mitsuru were still out.

"First come, first serve," Junpei said with a shrug, and continued to wipe down the countertops.

Once everything had been washed, Ryuichi went to his room to train on his wooden dummy. He practiced just the motions for strikes, blocks, and combinations of both, with no power behind his movements so as not to exert himself too much. He didn't use any protective gear, either, so that his body would get used to the pain of each blow.

He needed to teach himself how to fight humans. Just barely surviving against Miyashiro's men showed him how out of practice he was, making him realize that he wasn't at the level of skill he needed to be to properly protect Mitsuru. He had to prove to Mitsuru that she didn't make a mistake in giving him his job back, that he was serious about ensuring her safety and that he earned his job as her bodyguard for a reason.

After his light training, he sat down to begin studying again for college entrance exams. It seemed to him like everything he studied for finals was pretty much on the study guides that Mitsuru prepared for him. Even the guides he bought from the store hardly offered anything new to add to his studies. It felt redundant, like he wasn't learning anything new, especially thanks to Mitsuru always over-preparing him and the online college courses she had him take with her.

The hard part was relearning everything prior to last semester. Ryuichi had to take out his old notes to review, alarmed at how much he had forgotten. Though he was able to recall some of the things he learned, there were other things he completely forgot about, and spent some time trying to remember whether or not they actually covered the material in class.

During a break from his studies, Ryuichi went to lie down on his bed for a bit to let his spine straighten out from being hunched over for so long. He let his mind wander to his date with Mitsuru, thinking about all the things they talked about, the things they did, and wondering if they looked too close to be just friends. He remembered seeing other couples who were free to hold hands without fear of being seen. Such a simple act of intimacy would put Mitsuru in danger, and he almost messed up a couple of times during their date. It made him wonder if they would be able to be free with their relationship like everyone else someday.

Despite his mistakes, he still reveled in his memories of the previous day, interrupted only when he heard the familiar sound of a car door shutting just outside the dorm. Mitsuru returned home a little earlier than he had anticipated, with exasperation plain on her face the moment she entered the building.

Ryuichi met her at the door. "What happened?"

She stepped inside, letting him close the door behind her. "The Board members had another talk with me," she grumbled.

"Another one?" he groaned. "During a dinner party?"

Mitsuru paused for a moment to glance around the empty lounge before continuing. "They actually proposed that I give Miyashiro a formal apology," she told him. "They basically want me to grovel at his feet, so naturally, I refused. They're still having trouble recognizing me as the new president of the Group, so I have to do everything I can to show them that I am more than capable."

Ryuichi gave a firm nod. "I know you can do it," he said to her. "And I know you'll do it better than that pompous—"

A door opened overhead. The two quieted down as they heard heavy footsteps come clomping down until Yukari appeared on the stairs.

"Good. I thought I heard you come home," she said to Mitsuru with a smile as she approached the pair. "We all decided to go to Tartarus tonight. Think you have the energy for it?"

Mitsuru's lip curled into a smile. "I will see you all down here at the usual time," she told her.

They left their conversation at that so they could prepare for their trip to Tartarus. Around eleven-thirty that night, the SEES team left for the school with all their battle equipment visible for all to see. The only ones they saw in the neighborhood braving the winter's chill were the Lost, some of them appearing to observe the SEES members as they headed for the train station.

On the train, they found a drunken businessman lying unconscious in one of the cars. The team had to carefully step around him, staying on their toes as they avoided him. The girls took care not to step over him, pressing their skirts flat as they crossed. They all stayed on one side of the car while they watched him on the other side, trying to figure out if he was passed out or dead. Junpei elected Ken to poke him with his spear to check, but the boy refused.

The only others on the train were a few of the Lost who managed to wander on board and the numerous flyers that littered the floor. The seniors all remained on their feet with their leader while the others took a seat, as though to keep watch over their teammates. When they got off the train, a group of drunken businessmen and businesswomen heckled them, wanting to see their weapons.

"Wow! Izzat a sword? Lemme see!"

"I used to be on the archery team, too!"

Junpei shoved the first guy off of him. "Hey! No touching!"

"Let go!" Yukari wrenched her bow out of another man's hand.

"Ryuichi," Mitsuru said, and with her unspoken command, Ryuichi began grabbing the drunks away from the others and shoving them onto the train. Akihiko, Minato, and Mitsuru helped do the same until they were all in a heap on the train's floor. Shortly after, the doors closed and the train carried them off to the mainland.

"I hate it when they do that," Yukari sighed as she smoothed out her sweater.

"Tell me about it," groaned Junpei.

They turned to continue to the school when a drunk businesswoman fell against Ryuichi. He caught her, holding her upright while she giggled and started tracing a finger on his chest.

"My, my! Aren't you a handsome one!" she laughed. Ryuichi stiffened with shock when she started rubbing her leg against his inner thigh. "How about I make a man out of you?"

Mitsuru grabbed Ryuichi's arm and pulled him away. The woman lost her balance and fell hard onto the platform, now a crying mess as she threw a tantrum.

"Let's go," Mitsuru said to the others in a low voice. She released Ryuichi's arm and started towards Gekkoukan High at a brisk walk, her aura creating an air so frigid that Ryuichi thought it might start snowing.

"S-Scary," Junpei whispered, shuddering as they all followed her.

Ryuichi jogged to catch up to Mitsuru. "Thanks," he murmured to her. "I'll handle it better next time."

"I'll react a little faster next time, too," she replied, the grit still in her tone. "The nerve of that woman...!"

Ryuichi beamed in appreciation. In truth, he wasn't sure if he shouldn't have caught the woman at all, pushed her off of him, or just dropped her altogether. It was something he would have to consider the next time such a thing happened, especially if the woman had been a distraction from a potential threat to Mitsuru.

They arrived at the school with a few minutes left before midnight. Until then, they had a little fun with their mutual gripes about having to deal with the nightly drunks and punks they usually came across during their trip to Tartarus. Ken expressed his least favorite encounter with a woman who kept pinching his cheeks while calling the others a "bad influence" for dragging a kid around the city late at night.

During a lull in their chat, Mitsuru turned to Ryuichi with a stern look on her face. "Before I forget—I would prefer that you not engage in battle just yet," she said to him.

"You can't be serious," Ryuichi groaned.

"I'm very serious."

He still wanted to fight, especially after being out of the action for over a month. "Then what was the point of having me accompany you to your meetings?" he asked. "You brought me along for protection, didn't you?"

Everyone quieted down to observe the two seniors.

"Yes, but also for exposure," Mitsuru explained calmly. "All the meetings I brought you to were with my father's affiliates, and the locations we went to were considered safe zones. I thought it would be a good way to have you acclimate to your new duties."

Ryuichi couldn't argue with her. Indeed, it had been good exposure, especially with Kikuno there to guide him in what to do and what to consider while standing guard. Compared to those meetings, Ryuichi quickly understood that Tartarus was not going to be as forgiving.

"Wait a sec, Mitsuru. He just took on a couple of drunks just now," Akihiko tried to reason with her. "I think he's made a full recovery already."

"Those were inebriated adults. Compared to Shadows, they were nothing."

"But he—"

"It's okay," Ryuichi said to Akihiko. "Thanks, but she has a point. My side hurt after I took on those two guys on Monday, so it might be best if I don't fight just yet."

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said to him, looking guilty for stopping him. "Just for a little longer, all right?"

"I'm cool with that," he replied, even though he still wished he could fight. "But, if we need to send a second team to rescue the first, I might have to go."

She nodded, but her expression still held her obvious hesitation to agree. "In that case, the strategy for the secondary team would be to avoid combat as much as possible."

Junpei motioned like he was cracking a whip, making the sound with his mouth.

"What's that for?" asked Ken.

"It means he's whipped," he explained with a naughty grin on his face. "Mitsuru-senpai got him trained to do whatever she says."

"It's called 'knowing my limitations', actually," Ryuichi corrected him.

"Sure, sure. Call it what you like."

Ryuichi shrugged, figuring he saw nothing wrong with it. He wasn't about to mess himself up even more than he already was, and Mitsuru was just looking out for him. Plus, he didn't want to anger her by being an idiot. Again.

The first team Minato brought with him into Tartarus was Yukari, Ken, and Akihiko. Koromaru, Fuuka, Junpei, Mitsuru, and Ryuichi hung out in the lobby, keeping watch and waiting for any chance they would be sent in to rescue their teammates. They listened intently to Fuuka's instructions, gasps, and panicked words as she navigated the other team throughout the labyrinth, but every battle ended with her praising them for their victory.

"Senpai, you think you can teach me a few moves?" Junpei asked Ryuichi, brandishing his katana.

Ryuichi frowned. "Um, it might be best if we start out with shinai instead of real swords, don't you think?"

"No sweat! Just show me the moves!"

He was actually impressed that Junpei wanted to learn. He showed him the proper stances and strikes, and Junpei especially had fun with the yelling and stomping parts. Ryuichi let him practice the motions for a bit, correcting wrong posture, form, and movement as he went.

"All right! How about a little sparring match?" Junpei asked.

"I wouldn't do that," Mitsuru advised.

"Why? Because he's not in top condition?"

"There's that, but also I agree with Ryuichi that it would be best to use bamboo swords instead of real ones."

Ryuichi sheathed his longer katana. "She's right," he said. "It's too dangerous."

Junpei obviously wasn't happy about his refusal to spar with him, but he went back to practicing the few moves that Ryuichi showed him before.

Teaching Junpei the basics of kendo made Ryuichi remember how much he missed the sport. As he imparted some of his knowledge of the art, Ryuichi was given a painful reminder of what he had given up. He helped Junpei with anything he struggled with, amazed that he took direction well and seemed to be enjoying the lesson. The more Ryuichi taught him, the more he thought about his kendo teammates.

He asked himself if he regretted quitting kendo and found that he didn't. He felt badly for abandoning his teammates right before their competition, but that was the extent of his guilt. His sister and niece needed him, and he was glad he could be there for his family.

The exploration team returned after their short trip, and the others gasped when they saw Yukari supporting an injured Minato, who held his shoulder while grimacing in pain.

"What happened?" Mitsuru asked as they all gathered around him.

"His shoulder popped out of its socket," Akihiko told her. "Ryuichi, do you know how to pop it back in?"

Ryuichi carefully removed Minato's blazer. Everyone gasped again when they saw how deformed his shoulder appeared.

"I think I can pop it back in, but I'm going to need help," Ryuichi said to the others.

First, he wrapped Minato's blazer around his chest and had Akihiko hold the sleeves. He had Minato lie down on the floor on his back with his injured arm out, and asked for the others to hold Minato firmly. Akihiko wound the blazer's sleeves around his hands while Yukari and Junpei held him in place.

"All right, Leader. I'm going to pull your arm slowly and try to pop your shoulder back in place," Ryuichi explained to him. "The others are going to pull you in the other direction to help me get some leverage."

"Will that work?" Junpei asked. "In the movies, they always do a fast yank, or something."

Yukari shook her head. "Just tell us when you're ready, Senpai," she said to Ryuichi. Her eyes were still fixed on Minato's pained expression as she held his hand.

"Okay. Let's do this," Ryuichi told them.

When Ryuichi gently began to pull on Minato's injured arm, the others held him down, with Akihiko pulling him towards them using the blazer. When they pulled too much, Ryuichi told them to stop, and they were quick to let go. On their second attempt, Minato's shoulder finally made a loud _pop_ , and almost immediately the pain on his sweaty face subsided.

They helped him sit up, and he slumped against Yukari, panting. He uttered an exhausted "Thanks" to everyone while Fuuka tied the sleeves of his blazer for a makeshift sling.

"Mitsuru, can you get Artemisia to make some ice for his shoulder?" Ryuichi asked.

She fired her Evoker at her temple. Artemisia appeared, her spiked armor making her look ready to destroy. Instead, she carefully crafted a piece of ice to neatly fit over their leader's shoulder like a pauldron. They tucked it underneath his makeshift sling to hold it in place, and the others helped him to his feet. Minato thanked them all again as he gingerly slipped his arm into the sling.

"I think that's it for tonight," Akihiko told everyone. "There's no way we can explore without our leader."

They all agreed that Minato should go to the hospital to have his shoulder looked at. Yukari went with him while the others returned to the dorm, with Ken and Akihiko explaining what happened that caused his shoulder to pop out of place.

"The wrestler Shadow picked him up and threw him down," Ken added. "We almost couldn't get it off of him."

"Until Yukari shot the Shadow in the eye," Akihiko finished.

"Daaaamn," Junpei marveled with his eyes growing wide, but whether it was out of admiration or fear, it was hard to tell.

"It looks like we might have to put Tartarus on hold for a few days until he makes a full recovery," Mitsuru decided while they crossed the monorail tracks. The Dark Hour was still in full effect, and walking along the tracks was the fastest way home.

"That's three people now that are out with injuries," Fuuka realized, and Ryuichi hung his head at that.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"No need to be sorry, Ryuichi," Mitsuru told him. "Just take this time to recover for now. If our leader is still out with his injury by the time you're better, you can lead the team through Tartarus."

What?" he squawked. "Why me?"

"Because you did pretty well guiding the juniors earlier this year," Akihiko pointed out.

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru. "Why don't you lead?"

"I lack the combat training that you've had," she said. "You're more in tune with your surroundings, and being a leader requires that you remain aware of the battlefield while you oversee your comrades during combat."

"If he doesn't wanna do it, I'll do it!" Junpei volunteered while thrusting a hand in the air.

Ken made a face. "I think I feel safer if Okazaki-san led us."

"Hey!" Junpei gave Ken a playful shove. "Thanks a lot, squirt!"

"Don't call me squirt!"

The Dark Hour ended shortly before they arrived at the dorm. While everyone headed upstairs to their rooms, Mitsuru hung back in the lounge to type out her report on the computer behind the front desk. Ryuichi ducked into his room to put away his equipment, then grabbed his helmet and leather jacket to pick up Yukari and Minato at the hospital.

"You seem troubled," Mitsuru said when he came out of his room. "Is it because of what I said before about you taking on the role of leader?"

"Kind of." He leaned back against his door, his eyes turned up to the ceiling to think. "Since yours is the only ice-based Persona, we would be at a disadvantage if the team wasn't balanced with the four elements. But, it's also unreasonable to have you on each team when we factor in fatigue and possible injury. Minato was the only other option for an ice-based Persona, but since he's out, we'll have to rely on Gems and Magatamas to supplement the ice element."

"I see you're putting a lot of thought into your strategy," Mitsuru noted with appreciation as she looked up from her report. "So, what teams did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm still working on that part. The most practical team I can think of is you, me, Akihiko, and either Junpei or Koromaru to be the fire elemental. But, if the three of you get too tired, we'll be left with two wind-types, a lightning- and light-type, and a fire- and dark-type."

"And that's assuming that you still have the energy or aren't badly injured."

"Yeah."

He let out a low hum, thinking hard. "I think we'll just have to see how many Gem and Magatamas we've collected from Tartarus and hope we have enough to share with everyone."

"Sounds like a plan. Though, it can wait until tomorrow."

"Definitely."

Sighing, he checked his cell phone for the time. "I should get going," he told Mitsuru.

"All right," she said, going back to her report. "Be careful out there."

"Will do." He bent down to give her a quick peck on her cheek.

It took all of his willpower to not run as he briskly walked to the back door. When he opened the door, he caught a glimpse of the stunned Mitsuru still sitting there with her hand on her face and her mouth agape in delightful surprise. He cracked a shy smile, still blushing at his bold move but glad to see that Mitsuru enjoyed it, too.


	94. Chapter 94

**Chapter 94**

After school was let out for the last time that year, Mitsuru had to leave right away to visit her grandmother. Ryuichi was left with another free day that he considered using for studying, but once he got home, he lost all motivation to do anything productive. He changed into his pajamas with plans to play video games instead.

He knew for sure that he wasn't going to cook dinner—not for himself, nor anyone else. If he got hungry, he remembered that Mitsuru told him to help himself to any of the groceries he bought for her tea time, and to eat as much as he liked. To honor her generous offer, he made himself two ham sandwiches that he cut into fourths to take back to his room.

"I earned this," he said to himself with satisfaction before shoving the first quarter of a sandwich into his mouth.

And since it was a short school day that day, he had a few extra hours to launch into the first day of the two-week break. He got settled on his bed, laying on his stomach while propped up on a pillow to play some video games. Just as the game's menu screen appeared, his cell phone rang.

"Nooo," he groaned. He dragged himself to the edge of his bed to grab for his uniform pants on the floor. He fished his cell phone out of the pocket to see his sister's number on the front screen.

"Don't answer, don't answer, don't answer," he told himself, but his thumb flicked open his phone anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey, Little Bro! Are you busy today?"

Ryuichi looked to his video game, then to his sandwiches. "Maaaaybe."

"Can you come in today? Dad wants to do a little test with you. He wants to have some customers sample some of his burgers and yours to see which one they like better."

"For real?" Ryuichi rolled onto his back. "Can't you or someone else make it for me? You still know how to do it, right?"

"Dad wants you to do it, since you're the one who started cooking them all juicy."

He groaned again. "Fine. If it'll help the restaurant, I'll do it."

"All right! I'll let him know you're coming, so see you soon!"

"See you."

He really didn't want to go, no matter how many times he told himself that he still had two weeks of break left and that he could sacrifice the first day as an offering. His body became a hunk of lead, sinking slowly into the gravitational pull of his mattress. His hands almost didn't want to raise the controller for his game anymore.

But, if he had a chance to save the restaurant by the way he cooked burgers, then why not? And if he was lucky, he could get some free food and not have to worry about dinner later.

He dressed up in black jeans, a gray, long-sleeved T-shirt, and his black leather jacket. When he thought about how cold the ride would be, he grabbed his black leather gloves from one of his dresser drawers. Reluctantly, he apologized to his video game and his TV as he turned them off. He apologized to his sandwiches, too, and put them away in his little refrigerator. On his way out, he sent Mitsuru an email to let her know that he was going to the restaurant and would be back sometime in the evening.

When he arrived at Toshio's, he was pleasantly surprised to find a long line of customers that ended just inside the restaurant doors. Ryuichi noticed big signs in the windows showing blown up pictures of fried chicken that looked similar to what he cooked for his dorm mates. The advertisements showcased the various meals and packaged deals customers could buy to fit their needs for the holiday season, and the sale extended from Christmas Eve until the new year.

Through the big windows, Ryuichi was amazed to see nearly all the tables full of customers enjoying their food. Many of them feasted on fried chicken, along with some of the sides they got with their meals. Others ordered barbecue ribs, pulled pork, and brisket, but only one or two people ordered burgers.

"What happened in here?" Ryuichi asked his sister when he found her wiping down tables.

His sister gasped just before they hugged. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, uh, I had to protect Mitsuru from a couple of thugs," he answered quickly, having forgotten all about his black eye and the scabs on his jaw. "So, I guess things have been busy here?"

Shizue released him and gestured to everything as she kept a hand around his shoulder. "Behold: the result of Mitsuru-san's hard work!" she said grandly. "She asked Dad a while back if he had any ideas for promotional dishes to sell around Christmas time, and so far, people seem to like our fried chicken."

She hushed her voice a bit. "But, I guess they're all the ones who couldn't get any from the competition, so I'm not complaining!"

Ryuichi went to go greet his parents to let them know he was there. As he peeked into the kitchen, he saw a new guy assembling burgers, who was most likely his replacement. He was about to ask Shizue about him when his mother spotted him first. She had the same reaction as Shizue when she saw the injuries on his face, to which Ryuichi had to quickly give the vague story about the two thugs and how he subdued both with minimal injuries.

"It only looks worse than it really is," he reassured his mother as she hugged him.

"That doesn't change the fact that you got hurt again!" Ayumi grumbled darkly into his chest. "But if you're well enough, you can help me take orders, then."

Ryuichi had a feeling he would get roped into working, somehow. At least it was a clean job with little grease involved, but he started to tense up as he welcomed customers and took their orders. He would much rather be in the back with the grease and the meat and the smoke, where he could work without fear of upsetting a customer. But for now, he was stuck taking orders and calling out numbers for people to pick up their food.

During a lull in customers, Toshio came in from the back and gave Ryuichi one of his great big hugs. Ryuichi didn't feel any pain anymore from his side getting crushed, and even hugged his father back with the same fervor, if not a little bit more. Once again, Ryuichi had to tell the same altered story about the two thugs attacking Mitsuru when he was asked about his injured face, but for once, a member of his family reacted favorably to his quick actions and praised him for protecting his charge.

Toshio led his son to the smokers in the back, where they chatted a bit more about his work as a bodyguard before switching topics.

"So, how were exams?" he asked Ryuichi while checking up on the barbecue. "You finally get the top score?"

"I wish," Ryuichi said with a shrug. "I scored eighth, so at least I made the top ten."

"Not bad! You know your sister was always either first or second in her time."

Ryuichi was ready to turn around and leave the restaurant after his father's remark, but he made his legs as rigid as tree roots to keep him there. "So, I saw the signs about the chicken. How'd it do?"

"People loved it!" He saw excitement glitter in his father's eyes. "It's not the same as getting a bucket of chicken from the other guys, but I guess those who didn't want to wait in line for five hours or who forgot to preorder came and got some from us, and the reviews all said they liked it!"

"I cooked some for everyone at the dorm, and they devoured it all," Ryuichi told his father proudly, watching his face light up even more. "I even saw Mitsuru take like, three big pieces, so you know it's that good."

"Incredible! You know, it was her idea to feature something for Christmas. I didn't think she could make it work, but we actually ran out on Christmas Eve! Can you believe it?"

Toshio gave a final, satisfied grin before changing topics again. "Anyway, I asked your sister to call you here so we can do a comparison of how I cook burgers with how you cook 'em. We're going to make two burgers each, and it's going to be the Timeless Toshio Burger. We assemble it, we cut it into smaller pieces, and we have some customers sample a piece of yours and mine. Simple enough?"

There was uncertainty in his father's eyes, something he couldn't remember ever seeing before. His father used to always be so confident with his food, but as he followed him back into the kitchen, he noticed how quiet the man had become.

It had been a while since he cooked the patties without turning them into charcoal. He almost wasn't sure if he could pull it off, fearing that he would make them dangerously undercooked the way his father used to blame him for cooking them. He watched the patties carefully, even taking care of other burger patties not part of the test. When he was satisfied with the clear juices coming out of them, he started assembling his burgers while his father remained on the grill, still smashing down on his patties with the weights.

"You've got this, Ryuichi-kun," Kaminori said to him.

"Come on, Ryu-chan," Shizue urged him. "You can do it."

"Guys? Don't you have work to do?" Ryuichi asked nervously, though he appreciated their support.

Shizue went back out onto the floor to clear any vacated tables while Kaminori prepared more chicken. As Ryuichi worked, he could feel the staff members constantly glancing over to him, urging him to succeed with their tense stares. He hated the extra pressure, especially when he noticed that no one in the kitchen was talking anymore. When he finished assembling his burgers, he worried that his food would be cold by the time his father finished cooking. He breathed a little easier when Toshio began to assemble his burgers.

When they were both ready, they prepared two trays to hold one of each burger, and all the burgers were cut into sixteen pieces each. The burgers were labeled either "A" or "B", and Ryuichi kept an eye on his two Bs as Shizue and Ayumi began to go around to the customers with their samples.

"Hi! We're doing a taste test for our burgers and it would be a great help if we could get some feedback," Ryuichi heard his mother say. "Please try one of each and let us know which one you prefer."

To prevent the customers from feeling pressured during their sampling, Ryuichi dragged his father to the smokers in back. Toshio stretched his neck as far as it would go just so he could see the reactions on the customers' faces, but eventually, his son managed to pull him away.

"Everyone's been showing me the reviews on the internet," Toshio said once they were out back. "And not just on the burgers. I read what they wrote about all the yelling and everything. When Mitsuru-san asked me about it, I told her that it was because the staff wouldn't follow directions. You guys were cooking the burgers your way even after I showed you guys how to do it. Shizue would argue with me in front of the whole restaurant, so I thought I had to start taking charge."

His father opened up one of the smokers to check the brisket. "But, you guys kept resisting, and I couldn't understand why. When I told Mitsuru-san about it, she said that there must have been a good reason why you guys weren't following my directions. She said that you in particular wouldn't defy your orders unless you saw something wrong in what you were told to do."

Toshio let out a heavy sigh. "Mitsuru-san told me that being a good leader isn't about being right all the time. She said that being a leader is more about overseeing your people to guide them through their work and make sure that everyone is taken care of. Yeah, we sometimes have to put our foot down, but she said that leaders are in a position to care for the people they're overseeing and should consider their thoughts and opinions when trouble arises.

"I wasn't doing that for my staff, or my customers," Toshio lamented, shaking his head. "I was so frustrated with you guys for not following directions that I let my anger out on everyone, especially you and your sister. But, Mitsuru-san helped me realize that what was really bothering me was the fact that it felt like I was watching my life fall apart again."

Ryuichi listened without saying a word. He couldn't believe how much his father actually listened to Mitsuru, and how she was able to break through to him.

"Back then, when my friend lost his restaurant, I got scared that someday the same might happen to us," Toshio continued. "I was so scared that I ended up losing everything anyway, in a different way.

"When Shizue started acting out in high school and gave away my recipes, I felt like I was losing her. And then you quit the restaurant and moved into the dorm. I felt like I was losing my family back then."

His father's morose voice resonated within Ryuichi. He felt compassion for his father, seeing that he really did care about his family.

"After the both of you left, your mother and I were left to clean up the mess," Toshio said with a long sigh. "I don't know if your mother told you this, but I ended up getting a heart attack a few years ago because of all that."

Ryuichi nodded with remorse. "Yeah. She told me about it."

"She would, wouldn't she?" Toshio threw some more hickory logs into the smokers. "She's a good woman, sticking by me through all that, even though all I did was cause her nothing but trouble and heartache.

"And then we had to go through it all again when Shizue returned," he groaned. "I was just starting to get everything back, and then I was losing it all again."

Toshio closed the hatch on the smoker. "I don't know what happened to us. We had the perfect family, the restaurant was a huge success, and everything was going so well. It's like we were cursed for having the perfect life."

Ryuichi shook his head, knowing that his father's perception of their family back then was completely different from his own.

"It broke my heart when you quit the restaurant years ago, and then again last month," he continued to say. "I was depending on you to take over the restaurant someday. You were my last hope for this family. You were the one who could cook the food the way I do. You had the talent. You were the one who learned to cook when you were little to make sure your sister was fed."

"Shizue eventually learned how to cook." Ryuichi wasn't sure why he was defending his sister over something so trivial.

"Yeah, but she starts taking shortcuts and messes things up. At least you follow the recipes. That's one reason why I thought you would be the better pick to take over the restaurant: for your consistency with the food. The business aspect, I thought you would be able to pick that up later."

He checked the ribs next. "I guess I couldn't believe that you'd actually become a bodyguard, and to Mitsuru-san, at that," Toshio told his son. "I used to think that there was no way they would entrust a CEO's daughter's safety to someone who was always so shy and lazy. You've really grown so much since you moved out three years ago."

Ryuichi wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment, or if he should be offended. His father closed the smoker to face him, and Ryuichi saw his eyes weighed down with weary bags as he fixed his tired gaze on the scabs on his son's jaw.

"Are you sure you want to continue working as her bodyguard?" he asked in a forlorn voice. "You'll only keep getting more scars on that body of yours, and that's if you're lucky enough to get away with just that much. We're all worried about you, son, and we're worried about Mitsuru-san, too."

Ryuichi gave him a look that made the disappointment show on his father's face before he could even say anything. "I'm sure, Dad," he said, watching the older man age about a decade or two in an instant. "I can't see myself doing any other job."

"Do you like your job?"

"I do. It challenges me to be smarter, stronger, and even though I'm still learning, I know that Mitsuru trusts in my abilities."

Toshio nodded, then clapped a heavy hand on his son's shoulder. He pulled Ryuichi into another crushing hug.

"Then you'd better take good care of her and yourself," Toshio said firmly. "I don't wanna have to wake up to another phone call saying you've been shot again."

"I'll get stronger so that doesn't happen," Ryuichi told him. It was a promise he made to himself, too.

They were called back into the kitchen to get the results. Ayumi announced that the customers unanimously chose the juicier burgers and declared Ryuichi the winner. The staff all cheered, even the newcomer who appeared clueless as to why it was such an important event for the restaurant. While everyone celebrated, Ryuichi braced himself, fearing that his father might throw another tantrum for losing.

Instead, Toshio turned to his son and patted him on the back. "Congratulations, Ryuichi," he said to him, appearing to be choking down his disappointment. "We'll start cooking it your way from now on."

The others congratulated Ryuichi on his victory before going back to work. The Okazaki family grouped up for a quick hug before Ayumi noticed the line of customers waiting to place their orders. She pulled Shizue to the registers to help her, and the kitchen staff began to assemble the orders while Toshio told them to leave the burger patties to him.

"Ryuichi, show me how to cook them your way," he said to his son.

His father struggled to break his old habit of pressing down on the patties to squish the juices out. He quickly grew frustrated, arguing that it didn't feel like the meat was getting cooked.

"They are," Ryuichi reassured him. "I know it's hard to not press down on them, but this way, they're getting cooked thoroughly without losing their juice."

He explained that the juices would look clear when they were done. Toshio kept checking with him to determine if the juices were clear enough, and Ryuichi had to keep telling him to stop poking and lifting the burger patties while they waited for them to finish cooking. When they looked just about done, Ryuichi showed him what he meant about the clarity of the juices before allowing Toshio to lay some slices of cheese on top of the patties, squirt water around them, and then cover them with a metal bowl to melt in the steam.

"Mitsuru-san!"

Ryuichi whipped around when he heard his mother cry out. Indeed, standing at the counter was Mitsuru, who was placing her order while making small talk with Ayumi.

"What are you doing here?" Ryuichi asked her as he came out from the kitchen.

"Ryuichi!" his mother hissed. "You have to ask her nicely!"

Mitsuru chuckled. "I was on my way back to the dorm and happened to pass by," she replied. "The smell of barbecue drew me here, and I remembered you said you would be here today."

"It's very nice of you to drop by and visit us," Ayumi said to her kindly as she pressed a few buttons on the register. "Now, would you like anything else, Mitsuru-san?"

Mitsuru looked to Ryuichi. "Other than large fries and three sides of ranch dressing, is there anything else you would like?" she asked.

"No, that's all right," he said, smiling bashfully. "And, you don't have to get me those fries, either."

Ayumi cupped a hand around her mouth. "He usually gets the Spicy Viper with his fries," she told Mitsuru.

"Mom!"

Mitsuru nodded, smiling broadly. "Then, please add a Spicy Viper and a large soda with those fries," she said happily.

"No!" Ryuichi groaned. "Come on, you don't have to!"

"Ryuichi, please take care with this order," his mother said, still grinning. "It's for our honored guest."

He pouted playfully at both women as he headed back to the kitchen to prepare everything. Mitsuru had ordered fries and a salmon sandwich for herself, which was lovingly dubbed "The River God's Sandwich". It was basically a Timeless Toshio burger with the beef patty replaced with a marinated salmon patty, one that was popular with those trying to cut back on calories and fat but still craved the flavor of a Toshio Burger.

The Spicy Viper was something of Ryuichi's own design. It had two burger patties, both topped with slices of pepper jack cheese, three or four onion rings, jalapeño poppers, pickled jalapeño slices, and spicy mayonnaise to glue it all together in a toasted sesame seed bun—Although, this time he used sourdough, since it was now available. While he cooked everything, Ayumi told him to eat with Mitsuru, since he wasn't supposed to be working anyway.

"And mind your manners around her, Ryuichi," his mother warned. "Remember, she's your boss and you should treat her with respect."

"She's just Mitsuru to me, but okay," Ryuichi said, grinning.

His mother didn't approve of how casual he was with his boss, but that was fine with him. Once everything was ready, he brought Mitsuru's order to her table, where she had already filled their drinks for them.

"Aw, you remembered to get a little bit of everything for me," Ryuichi gushed when he spotted the familiar, murky-looking concoction.

"I remembered from last time," she said, looking pleased with herself. "It looked interesting, so I thought I might try it myself. It's quite the cornucopia of flavors, I must say."

He cocked an eyebrow at her as he took his seat. "A 'cornucopia', you say?"

She blinked. "Was that strange?"

Chuckling, he stuck his straw into his soda. "Coming from you, it was adorable," he said softly, making her blush.

When Ryuichi unwrapped his burger, he noticed that Mitsuru was staring up at the menu over the counter. "Um, is something wrong?" he asked.

She kept scanning the menu. "Your mother called it the 'Spicy Viper', correct?"

"Yeah, but you're not gonna find it on the menu," he said. "Not a lot of our customers are into spicy stuff, so it's more like a secret menu item I made years ago. Mom and Dad started calling it the 'Spicy Viper' since I used to make it all the time."

"Yes, but why 'Viper'?"

"Because it's got a bite to it."

Ryuichi went to grab a knife from the kitchen and cut a piece of his burger for her. "Here," he said. "Give it a shot. It's actually not as hot as they make it sound."

Mitsuru took the piece, staring warily at the lava-like spicy mayonnaise and the bit of pickled jalapeño slices falling out. Tentatively, she raised it to her mouth and took a bite.

"Oh! There are so many flavors in here," she gasped in amazement. "The sweetness of the onion rings, the sourness of the jalapeños, and the creaminess of the—of the—"

"Jalapeño poppers," Ryuichi said, grinning. "It's jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, breaded, and deep-fried. And I promise it's all flavor minus the heat."

"It all combines together to make such a symphony of flavors," she marveled, popping the other half of the loose jalapeño popper into her mouth. It was slathered with spicy mayonnaise, and as she chewed it up, her breathing became more labored. She took several quick sips from her soda and started flapping her hand over her mouth.

It was then that Ryuichi realized that her soda wasn't cooling her down. He quickly jumped up from his seat and saw his mother putting a cover on the milkshake she had just made. He snatched it from her, apologizing as he hurried back to Mitsuru. He gave it to her and told her to let the milkshake sit in her mouth for a bit between gulps.

"Sorry about that," he said to Mitsuru as she sat there, silently cooling down. "The only actual hot things in the burger are the hot sauce and the jalapeños, and I guess I put too much of both."

She waved him off. "It was delicious, but I suppose the name should have been enough to indicate how spicy it would be," she uttered. "Thank you, Ryuichi. It was quite, um, educational."

They returned to their food, Mitsuru no longer accepting any more of Ryuichi's burger despite looking like she wanted to try another bite. After nearly searing her tongue off, she was still able to chat pleasantly with him, the two remarking on how the ambiance of the restaurant had improved.

"We really owe you a lot," Ryuichi told her, looking around the place with all the full tables.

"Not at all," Mitsuru said humbly. "I was just happy to help."

"You two are looking cozy here," Shizue said as she came by. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Ryuichi groaned. "Here we go again."

"Tell me, Shizue-san: if Ryuichi was a woman, or I a man, would the same assumption be made that we are closer than mere friends?" Mitsuru asked her.

"I guess not, huh?" Shizue shrugged. "It's just that, you two look so comfy together, you know?"

Mitsuru smiled up at her. "We wouldn't be very good friends if we weren't comfortable with each other," she reasoned, and Shizue agreed.

"Oh! Before I forget: Are we still on for dinner on New Year's Day?" Shizue reminded them both. "Dad's busting out the mochi machine, so we're gonna have a ton of fresh mochi to eat."

"I look forward to it," Mitsuru replied, looking delighted to hear what was on the menu. "What time should we be there by?"

"Is seven okay? It's going to be at my—well, Ryu-chan's house. Have you been there before?"

The two women chatted on. Mitsuru's visit had been a surprise, but Ryuichi still felt a bit disappointed that they couldn't have more time together without being interrupted.

However, a new concern crossed his mind: If Shizue said they were looking perfectly cozy together, then perhaps they were being too lax about hiding their relationship.

After Shizue left, Mitsuru reached for a fry and dipped it into one of the open containers of ranch dressing.

"I had the car drop me off here, so, do you think I could have a ride back to the dorm?" she asked him.

Ryuichi tingled with excitement. "Sure thing," he said. He dropped his voice lower to add: "And we can even take the long way home."

He asked her about her meeting with her grandmother, getting a response he had not expected.

"As the matriarch of the Nanjo Group, she expressed concern when I cut ties with a company that could potentially save ours. But as my grandmother, she was quite proud of me for deciding to run the company myself," she said with a calm elation from having her grandmother's support. "She said my father would be proud, and that he never would have allowed me to marry someone like that."

"Nanjo-sama," Ryuichi sighed fondly. "I've always liked that woman."

"She asked me if there was another reason why I decided to cancel the marriage and if there was a 'nice young man' involved," she added, making Ryuichi flinch. "I told her that there wasn't."

"She didn't believe you?"

"I don't think so."

Mitsuru took a moment to sip some of her soda. "But, she did say one thing to me: She said that the next time we see each other, she wants me to invite my bodyguard to join us."

Ryuichi let out a high-pitched squeak that made Mitsuru choke on her soda.

"Relax, Ryuichi," she coughed, dabbing her napkin around her mouth. "She said that she wants to know if the young man responsible for my safety is worthy of the task. The Kirijo Group may have separated from the Nanjo Group, but she is still my grandmother and worries about me."

Panicked, Ryuichi felt his blood pumping rapidly in his ears. "So, when's next time?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "I don't know yet. We'll just have to wait and see."


	95. Chapter 95

**Chapter 95**

On the twenty-ninth of December, Mitsuru had Ryuichi accompany her to go visit Aigis in the lab. The enormous, sterile-looking facility consisted of smaller rooms made up of large, thick windows that allowed outsiders to see what the technicians and engineers inside were working on. Many of them were dressed up in lab coats or coveralls, some working on computers while others tinkered with equipment. Ryuichi especially took interest in the room where a man missing an arm was testing a mechanical replacement, where he slowly made each of the metal fingers touch the thumb.

They came to a room where they found Aigis sitting in a giant pod. There was a computer screen next to her, showing the status of every part of her body to be fully functional. The moment they entered the room, Aigis' eyes flew open. The moment she saw them, her eyes became bright, and an overjoyed smile spread across her face.

"Mitsuru-san, Ryuichi-san," Aigis said, remaining seated in her pod. "How good it is to see you both."

"How are you feeling, Aigis?" Mitsuru asked as she stood before her. Ryuichi flanked her, relieved to see that their friend looked well.

"I am fully repaired, but they want to keep me here for another week to ensure that all my systems are operational," Aigis replied in a mournful tone as she looked down at her knees.

"You look pretty good, though," Ryuichi remarked.

All the cracked and shattered plates on her body had been replaced with new ones. The metal works in her shoulders and legs were no longer bent or broken. She looked just as she did before her battle against Ryoji, except, Ryuichi felt a change in her. Something about her was different, but he couldn't quite figure out what.

Mitsuru began to fill Aigis in about everything that Ryoji had told them, regarding the Fall and the decision they had to make by the end of the month. Ryuichi observed Aigis as Mitsuru spoke, noticing the way her hands would grip the arms of her seat, and the way her eyes tensed up in anguish. She grimaced the more she listened to Mitsuru, appearing distraught at the news or in her guilt for failing to stop Ryoji when she had the chance.

"That is too great a burden to bear," Aigis said at the end of Mitsuru's tale. "It is not possible to win against Nyx, so it is advised that you do not allow yourselves to suffer."

"We've been told many times that it's impossible to win against Nyx, but I have decided that I would much rather fight than live in blissful obliviousness to the impending Fall," Mitsuru said firmly.

"But, you will be living in fear until the very end," Aigis argued, her voice growing hoarse with desperation. "Please, you must kill Ryoji and spare yourselves the agony."

"I also would rather face Nyx and try to win," Ryuichi told her. "At least I'll die trying instead of just waiting around for the Fall to hit. I mean, if we're doomed anyway, why not at least try to fight?"

"I agree," Mitsuru said, staring hard at Aigis. "If we don't have a chance against Nyx, then we will have to carve out our own chances ourselves."

"Plus, I don't want to forget anybody," Ryuichi added.

Bewilderment crossed Aigis' face. "You do not know what you are fighting against," she kept insisting. "You are only causing yourselves greater suffering."

"Then we'll suffer," Ryuichi spouted without thinking. "We'll at least have each other, so I think that's better than just forgetting we all ever met."

"You don't understand!"

Her outburst startled Ryuichi, not from the sudden loudness of her voice, but the passion behind it. Aigis sat with her head down, desperate, pleading with them.

Her pod emitted a rhythmic series of beeps. Two engineers came in to examine her and asked Ryuichi and Mitsuru to leave. Ryuichi kept his eyes on Aigis, trying to get a glimpse of her between the two engineers. She still kept her head down, looking strangely small instead of the powerful figure that had once incapacitated him in a single strike.

"Did you notice, Ryuichi?" Mitsuru asked once they were out in the hallway.

"Yeah," he sighed. "It took me awhile to figure it out, but she seems more human now."

Mitsuru peered through the large window to see the two engineers still tending to Aigis. "It's likely because it's easy to forget that she's a robot. But without a doubt, her concern for our possible suffering was the most telling of her humanity. Her programming should have made her ready and willing to fight an entity such as Nyx, and yet, the Aigis we just saw had been afraid for us."

Ryuichi saw the anguish plain on Aigis' face, and for just a second, her eyes met his before she looked away.

"So, what caused the change?" he asked.

"I don't know," Mitsuru said, her eyes fixed ahead as they went back down the hall they came from. "I don't understand how or why such a transformation in her has occurred. When I was here last, she was getting work done on her, so I couldn't speak with her then, but one of the engineers told me that she was behaving strangely like this. Even they don't know what caused the change."

They turned a corner, seeing some technicians testing out a new mechanical arm without attaching it to a person. One technician held the metal arm with the fist aimed upward. The hand shot out and grabbed onto the beam high overhead, trailing a thick cord still attached to the arm. The technician clung to the arm as it began to reel in the cord, pulling him up to the beam.

"So, what do we do now?" Ryuichi asked as he observed the spectacle.

"I'm going to make a request to have Aigis returned to the dorm by tomorrow," she said. "When I last saw her reports, it read that she was indeed fully repaired, but that she seemed 'depressed' during her time here in the lab. If that's the only thing that's preventing them from releasing her, then perhaps bringing her back to be with everyone might help her recover."

"Hey, yeah. She seemed really happy to see us earlier, so maybe you're onto something."

She found the engineer in charge of overseeing Aigis to discuss what she had just told Ryuichi. The engineer thought she was making a strange request and insisted that there was still more work to be done on Aigis. Mitsuru argued that the reports said that Aigis was fully repaired and gave the final word to have any last checks or repairs sped up to have her released in time for New Year's Eve. The engineer shook his head, but reluctantly gave up and agreed to do as she asked.

"I'll have someone bring her to the dorm tomorrow evening," Mitsuru told the engineer. "Make sure that she is ready by then."

They stepped out into the dreary morning, where Ryuichi helped Mitsuru into the car before going around to the other side to slide in himself. Mitsuru had just one meeting that morning that would let out before noon, and from there, she insisted that they spend the rest of the day studying.

Tempers flashed their fangs at the meeting as a Kirijo affiliate attempted to belittle Mitsuru, mocking her for thinking she could become a CEO and expect to be respected. Mitsuru retorted, speaking calmly with reason and facts before beginning their discussion over business.

"That's enough," the affiliate said, waving her off. He looked to Ryuichi. "Hey, you. Let's talk business."

"He is my bodyguard," Mitsuru corrected him, somehow managing to keep her cool. "I am the president of the Kirijo Group. Your dealings are with me."

"Yeah? Fine. Let's do business, then."

He talked fast, sounding like he was throwing business jargon into everything he said, as if hoping to confuse Mitsuru. She deciphered every term, demonstrating that she knew exactly what he was talking about, even shaking him up slightly when she cornered him with facts and figures he couldn't deny. Ryuichi delighted in seeing the man squirm in his seat, especially since his bodyguards couldn't do anything but watch him get reamed.

"O-Okay," he finally said to Mitsuru in defeat. At long last, they started the meeting, though the affiliate still seemed to be reluctant to deal with her.

During the car ride back, Ryuichi congratulated Mitsuru for her victory.

"It would be much easier if they recognized me as the president of the Group rather than make me jump through hoops before they take me seriously," she sighed.

"Yeah, well, you kicked some serious ass today. I think you've earned yourself a little reward."

She gave him a look of intrigue. "And what do you have in mind?"

He grinned like an imp. "You'll see."

Back at the dorm, in the few seconds Ryuichi had while he unlocked the front door, he told Mitsuru to get her stuff so they could study in his room.

"With the door open," he added quickly so that she would know he wasn't planning anything strange. "And I swear I'll try to cut down on my attempts to hold your hand this time."

"All right," she chuckled. "Just give me a few minutes to freshen up and get my things."

She headed upstairs while Ryuichi went to his room. He had gotten rid of his low table to make room for the kotatsu he bought just the previous day. It was about the same size as his old table, but had a large, thick blanket covering the sides to trap in the warmth of the heater underneath. He switched on the heated table, and while it warmed up, he went to grab the snacks he prepared for Mitsuru's tea. After that harrowing meeting, he thought she could use a little decadence, glad that he prepared something in advance.

When he had the tea, the plate of sandwiches, and the little red velvet cake sitting atop the kotatsu, he changed out of his black suit and into a fleece pullover and jeans. He propped his door wide open with one of his dumbbells so that anyone who peeked in wouldn't get suspicious if they saw Mitsuru go into his room. Satisfied that everything was ready, he got settled under the kotatsu, moaning as the heat welcomed his cold legs and feet. When Mitsuru came in with her study materials, she smiled when she saw the kotatsu.

"Ta-da!" Ryuichi greeted with his arms out wide. "No more freezing upstairs and no more frozen butts in my room! And with the door open, people can see that we're serious about our studies and not doing anything weird—All while allowing us to actually study!"

"When you put it that way, it sounds suspicious," she laughed, settling under the kotatsu across from him. "It's so warm. Is this the reward you spoke of in the car? Or was it the cake?"

He opened up the cake box. "Red velvet," he said with a smug smile. "Complete with cream cheese frosting."

Ryuichi served the tea while Mitsuru helped herself to a sandwich. They chatted a bit over their snacks, Ryuichi poking fun at the affiliate from that morning while Mitsuru chuckled along. Mitsuru expressed some of her gripes about the difficulties she had in becoming the new president of the Kirijo Group, but she quickly cut herself off so they could begin studying.

Mitsuru tutored Ryuichi, as she always did, and if he hadn't been so focused on their work, Ryuichi was pretty sure that he would have tried to hold her hand at some point. He couldn't let himself slip up, just because he missed being able to embrace her. He didn't want to look weak in front of her while she seemed to have no trouble resisting.

"Out of curiosity, Ryuichi, if we went to Tartarus tonight, do you think you could lead a team?"

It took Ryuichi a moment to come out of his focus on a math problem. "Huh? Wait, tonight?"

"That's if we all decide to go," she said. "But, do you think you're up to the task? You've been saying that you're able to work out without any pain anymore, so I was wondering if you would be willing to lead a team inside Tartarus."

Ryuichi sat back, giving it some thought. "I think I can," he told her. "Key word is 'think'."

"I'm sure you'll do splendidly," Mitsuru reassured him. "According to Yamagishi, you asked her for any notes she had on the Shadows so you could study them."

"You knew about that?"

"She told me about it. We both agreed that it was nice to see you so concerned about possibly taking on a leadership role that you would prepare for it."

Ryuichi couldn't stop the blush from spreading over his face. "It only makes sense, doesn't it?" he asked bashfully. "These are our friends' lives I'm leading into battle. This is _your_ life, too. I don't want to make any mistakes when it comes to stuff like that. I'm not some genius like Minato is when it comes to leading others in battle, so I have to do something so I can at least be competent."

Smiling, Mitsuru placed her hand on his and squeezed without breaking their gazes.

"I'm confident in your abilities," she told him, her grip becoming stronger. He hoped she wouldn't feel how fast his heart raced right then. "I've always felt safe when you're around, so I know you'll perform well."

Sighing, Ryuichi placed his other hand on top of hers and cracked a small smile. "Yeah. You're right," he agreed. "I haven't fought Shadows in over a month, so I was getting kind of concerned about that."

"We can start off on a lower floor, first. When you're comfortable, we'll try climbing hi—"

"—not really feeling Wuck today," they heard Yukari say just outside the room. "Is there anything else around here?"

"We've already eaten everything at the strip mall," Minato replied. "What about that one pizza place? It's only four blocks away."

"Yeah, I guess we can do that, but—" She sucked on her teeth. "—is there anything that isn't too greasy or too fattening?"

"Wanna try a convenience store?"

"Hey, yeah. Okay, I'm up for it. What about you?"

"Sure. Hey, Ryuichi-senpai's door's open."

Ryuichi and Mitsuru let go of each other and quickly pretended to look like they had been studying the whole time. The two juniors poked their heads in to see them both bent over their work. Ryuichi rapidly copied a random line from Mitsuru's notes while she had her nose in one of her study guides. He refused to look up until Mitsuru acknowledged their visitors first.

"Can I help you both?" Mitsuru said to them.

"Whoops! Sorry," Yukari said quickly. "We just saw the door open and thought—"

"It's quite all right," Mitsuru said to her. "We might be due for a break right now, actually."

Yukari cocked her head at them both. "If you're studying, wouldn't it be better to keep the door closed so you don't get distracted?"

Ryuichi let out a sigh as he rested his face against his fist. "We would, but then people might spread rumors about Mitsuru going into my room and spending X amount of time doing who-knows-what," he grumbled while tapping his eraser onto his notes. "And since she's the head of her family, we can't let rumors like that get out of hand."

Yukari didn't seem to notice Minato's tiny smirk. "Sorry," she said, frowning. "I didn't think stuff like that would be such a problem, Mitsuru-senpai."

"It's all right," Mitsuru replied. "I just feel bad that Ryuichi always has to accommodate me to protect my reputation."

"I don't mind," Ryuichi said to her. "I'm just sorry you're the one who comes off worse with those dumb rumors."

Mitsuru nodded, then looked to Minato next. "How's your shoulder?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be wearing your sling?"

Minato made a show of moving his arm around in a circle.

"The doctor said he's supposed to give it a couple of weeks to fully heal, but he says he's ready to fight already," Yukari grumbled while Minato rotated his arm again, as if to playfully mock her. "If you ask me, I don't think he's ready yet."

"I don't think so, either," Ryuichi agreed, earning himself a disgruntled glare from Minato.

Mitsuru set her pencil down. "We still have many more floors to climb," she reminded them all. "With our leader still recovering from his injury, I proposed to the others that we should assign a temporary leader for the time being."

"Yeah? Who?" asked Yukari.

Mitsuru gestured to Ryuichi, who shyly raised his hand.

"Oh, definitely," Yukari said with a smile. "Ryuichi-senpai led us through Tartarus before, so I'm okay with that. Are we going tonight?"

They sent messages to the others, telling them that they were planning on going to Tartarus. The others asked about their leader's condition to see if he was able to fight, and when they were informed that Ryuichi would be taking the lead, they all seemed open to the temporary change in leadership. As the Dark Hour drew closer, Ryuichi began to feel nervous about leading his friends into combat, worrying that his lack of battle had dulled his skills or that he hadn't prepared enough.

"You'll do fine," Mitsuru reassured him again. "Just trust in yourself and in your teammates."

His stomach wouldn't stop churning. The more it churned, the more his insides felt like they were getting as thick as butter—thicker and thicker, until they were stone.


	96. Chapter 96

**Chapter 96**

"Ken-kun! Light spells!"

"Junpei, ram it!"

"Mitsuru, ice!"

"It's dancing! Don't look!"

Three Immoral Snakes writhed and danced in the air like strippers in front of the team. The colorful flashing lights of Tartarus' floors and walls only made it filthier to watch as the team avoided getting charmed. After an explosion of ice, fire, and lightning, the snakes were nothing more than smoke.

"Everyone okay?" Ryuichi asked the team.

"All good," Junpei said, making a show of dusting off his shoulders.

"Me, too," Ken chimed in.

"No injuries sustained," Mitsuru reported. "And you?"

"I'm fine," Ryuichi said, taking a quick glance around the room. "Okay, good work, everyone. Let's move on."

As they went through the night club-like floors of Tartarus, Ryuichi noticed that he gained Heimdall's acute hearing ability. Instead of hearing wool growing on sheep, Ryuichi could pick up the sounds of Shadows down the hall—That is, until his teammates' heavy footsteps made it difficult to hear anything. When he did hear something, he would check with Fuuka to determine what was up ahead.

"It's like we're ninjas," Junpei said as they crept along the halls.

"That's the point," Ryuichi told him. "Stealth can keep us out of danger, especially when we can plan our attack beforehand."

"Was this part of your training to become Mitsuru-senpai's bodyguard?" asked Ken.

"Yeah, it was."

"That's so cool!"

Ryuichi thrust a hand out to halt the others. He listened, certain that he heard something.

"What is it?" asked Mitsuru.

He readied his Evoker. "Sounds like armor. Two knights?"

Junpei scratched his head. "Um, I don't hear anything."

"That's correct," Fuuka confirmed for Ryuichi. "They're weak to wind spells and repel lightning spells. They also nullify slash and pierce attacks."

"They repel lightning, huh?" He gave it some thought. "Does that mean they use Zio skills?"

"Yes, so watch out, Ryuichi-senpai."

"What do you want us to do, Leader?" Mitsuru asked him.

Ryuichi touched his Evoker to his lips, thinking. "Well, I guess the easiest thing to do is to just have me blast them with Garu skills," he said as he recalled his previous battles with other knight-type Shadows. "But, there might be a chance that that won't be enough to eliminate them."

He looked to the determined faces of his teammates, then to their swords and Ken's spear. "Looks like none of us can use our weapons in this fight," he told them all. "Ken-kun, since they repel lightning, I want you to focus on healing."

"What about Hama skills?" Ken asked.

Ryuichi shook his head. "They won't stand still long enough for you to insta-kill them."

He turned to Junpei and Mitsuru next. "Since slash and pierce attacks won't work, have Trismegistus use Gigantic Fist to try to knock them down," he said to Junpei. "Try using fire spells, too, if you're up for it."

Last was Mitsuru. "They're tough, so we should try to eliminate them quickly, so use Mind Charge to beef up a Mabufudyne," he instructed.

"Understood," Mitsuru replied, and readied her Evoker.

Ryuichi thought again about their previous battles, feeling like he was missing something. "Wait, scratch that," he said, making everyone pause. "Mitsuru, since those types of Shadows are fast and powerful, use ice to protect us, but not as attacks. Make shields or walls or some kind of obstruction to stop them from charging."

"Ice as defense," she confirmed. "You can count on me."

He nodded and felt the tiniest tingle of nerves twitch in his muscles. "Okay, and everyone else, your orders remain the same. I'll attack first, so if I miss, I want Junpei and Mitsuru to back me up. Got it?"

"Understood."

"Roger!"

"Just say the word!"

Ryuichi heard metal rattle and knew what was going on before Fuuka said anything.

"Look out! They heard you!"

Junpei gasped. "They did? Crap!"

"So much for stealth," Ken grumbled while shaking his head.

Ryuichi quickly cast Marakukaja to raise everyone's defense. "Everyone, this way!"

They ran into one of the big rooms to give them enough space to fight. The moment the knights appeared in the doorway, Ryuichi hit them with Magarudyne. One ran past the vortex, the other popped into the air. Trismegistus rammed the suspended Shadow into the wall.

The other Shadow raced towards Ryuichi. Atremisia raised a wall of ice, making the knight's steed rear up on its invisible hind legs.

"Good work!" Ryuichi shouted. "Junpei—"

Lightning slammed him into the ground. Excruciating pain wracked his whole body, and for a few seconds, he couldn't breathe. A buzzing noise filled his ears, drowning out his friends' distant shouts.

Get up. He repeated those words in his mind as he shakily got to one knee. His eyes focused in time for him to see Junpei parry a knight's lance. Junpei guarded each of its strikes until the horse armor reared up, knocking him down.

"Junpei!" Ryuichi cried out.

A block of ice formed on the lance's tip just as the knight thrust it at Junpei. The ice smashed into his face, and he rubbed his sore nose before frantically rolling to safety.

"Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai!" Junpei yelped. A second later, he cast a fiery blast on the Shadow.

Mitsuru charged up her power and blasted both Shadows with an especially devastating Mabufudyne. The knights were bludgeoned with ice, and Ryuichi finished them off with twin cyclones that shredded them into wisps of black smoke.

"That could've gone better," Ryuichi muttered to himself as Mitsuru helped him to his feet. "Good work, everyone."

Mitsuru cast Diarahan on him. His muscles stopped their painful spasms and loosened up. He stood upright and breathed easier, thanking her as he stretched.

"It seems they were faster than we anticipated," Mitsuru said to him.

"Yeah. That and I'm still out of practice," Ryuichi grunted, disappointed in himself.

"Give it time. That's why we're starting on the lower floors before we try climbing higher."

Ryuichi nodded. He replayed the battle in his head, seeing numerous moments where he could have acted.

"By the way, good job protecting Junpei when you froze that knight's lance," Ryuichi remarked to Mitsuru. "That was some quick thinking."

Mitsuru appeared perplexed by his praise. "I almost hesitated, as I wasn't sure if I should attack it directly or act defensively," she admitted. "I ended up sealing its lance on accident."

"Well, it was a good move."

Junpei mopped up his bloody nose with some tissues. "Thanks again, Mitsuru-senpai," he murmured nasally. "Man, I thought it was all over for me."

Ken let out a sigh. "That could've been avoided if you'd just remembered that slash attacks didn't work on those Shadows."

"Uh, _he_ attacked me. I was just trying to defend myself," Junpei pointed out.

"Anyway, great work, everyone," Ryuichi said again before the two could argue. He holstered his Evoker and started heading out into the hallway. "Well, let's keep going."

"Wait," Mitsuru called after him. "Don't you want to rest first?"

"I'm okay," he replied. "Your Diarahan worked really well."

"Hey, what about us, Senpai?" Junpei asked Ryuichi with a broad grin. "How come you're only praising Mitsuru-senpai?"

Ryuichi felt the heat rise in his face as Ken answered for him.

"That's because she really stepped it up for this battle," Ken said. "Since I couldn't help at all and Okazaki-san was knocked down, she had to cover for two extra people."

Ken smiled up at Mitsuru. "Excellent work back there, Mitsuru-senpai."

Mitsuru returned his smile with an appreciative one of her own. "No need to feel badly about not being able to fight this round," she said to him. "You've been helpful in many other battles in the past."

Junpei clapped a hand to Ryuichi's back. "He's just too young to understand," he whispered impishly to Ryuichi. "Don't worry, Senpai; I'll help you look extra good for your wife in the next battle."

Ryuichi let his head loll back as he uttered a groan. "Is that what you think I was doing when I was praising her?"

"Of course! I, Junpei, the guru of romance, know when a young man's heart is aflame for his special lady!"

"I give up," Ryuichi moaned. "Do what you want, but just remember that we're just good friends."

"Hey, don't give up now." Junpei gestured towards Mitsuru. "Someday, her heart might catch on fire for you, too!"

"That just sounds like heartburn."

Just then, Mitsuru glanced in their direction. "We should go soon," she called over to them. "Have you rested enough?"

Grateful for her interruption, Ryuichi shrugged out from under Junpei's hand and headed into the hallway. "Yeah," he replied. "Let's go."

They climbed a few more floors when Ken started showing signs of fatigue. He slowed down drastically, dragging his feet after everyone even after they cast healing spells on him. They decided to head back downstairs, and on their way to the nearest warp point, they encountered five purple eyes that floated around in the air.

"Fate Seeker," Fuuka told them, and Ryuichi instantly remembered it as the giant, invisible head that was strong against everything except physical attacks and light spells.

"If we can sneak a light spell on it, we can avoid combat altogether," Ryuichi said to the others. "Ken-kun, here's your chance to use Hama on it."

"Yeah," he panted. His Evoker weighed down his arm as he pressed it to his chest and fired a single round. With a bright flash of golden and white lights, they caught a glimpse of the Shadow's enormous head before it became smoke.

"There's another one behind you!" Fuuka told them. They all whirled around to see more purple eyes.

Ryuichi looked down to see dark patterns swirl beneath their feet.

"Move!" he yelled, and yanked Mitsuru off her sigil. The spell missed Junpei, but Ken collapsed, unconscious.

"Trismegistus!"

Junpei's Persona appeared and slashed the Shadow. The gray head revealed itself for a second before disappearing again.

"Come on, Ken-kun," Ryuichi urged the boy as he stuck a Revival Bead into his mouth.

Mitsuru dashed forward and slashed at the Shadow twice before running around behind it. She stabbed it, and it rolled, staying completely visible as its eyes swirled in dizziness.

"The enemy is down! Let's finish it!" Mitsuru bellowed.

Ryuichi gave the order, and all but Ken struck, stabbing it with their swords, with stiletto heels, and with whatever weapons their Personas had. When the smoke cleared, Junpei was also doubled over, breathing hard.

"W-We did it," Junpei panted, his face drenched in sweat.

Ryuichi looked to Ken, who gave a weak nod. "Fuuka, are we close to the exit?" he asked.

"Two rooms away on your right. I see no Shadows there."

"Thanks."

He turned back to the team. "You all did admirably tonight," he said to them. "Let's go downstairs so you can take a well-deserved rest."

Down in the lobby, Ken and Junpei both sank down on the stairs to catch their breaths while Mitsuru remained on her feet with Ryuichi.

"Akihiko, Yukari, and Koromaru," Ryuichi said to the others. "You're up next."

"And me," Mitsuru chimed in next to him.

He blinked, amazed that she was still willing to fight. "Are you sure?" he asked. "If you're tired, you should stay and rest."

"You said before that you need an ice elemental," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but we have Gems and Magatamas in case you're too tired."

"Except that I'm quite all right."

Ryuichi shook his head. "You should stay and rest," he said again firmly.

"He's right, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said to her. "You look pretty beat right now."

"Don't worry, Mitsuru," Akihiko insisted. "We can handle it, no problem."

Mitsuru glowered at them, but mostly at Ryuichi. She grimaced, balling her hands into fists at her sides before taking a breath and releasing it slowly.

"Very well," she reluctantly conceded. "But be careful, all of you. Keep those Gems and Magatamas ready."

Ryuichi nodded before he turned back to the others. "Okay, so Yukari and I will be on healing duty," he began. "Akihiko, you and Koromaru will be in charge of assault. Focus on knocking down enemies if you can."

He took a few sips of water before they all got on board the warp point. He met Mitsuru's eyes as she watched them go, seeing the worry and her dejection for being benched when she was still raring to fight.

"Sorry," he muttered to her, even though she wouldn't be able to hear him.

They all appeared back in the hallways of flashing lights and colors, where they proceeded with the same stealthy tactics he had employed with the previous group. They crept down hallways, peeked around corners, strategized before an assault, consulted Fuuka, and when needed, threw elemental Gems or Magatamas.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but don't you ever just wanna run in and bash 'em before they know you're there?" Akihiko asked after climbing up a couple of floors.

"As nice as that sounds, I'm going for maximum safety and damage," Ryuichi replied.

"Yeah, but doesn't this way seem kind of cowardly?"

"Not when it's our survival, it's not."

"I guess, but it kind of takes the fun out of the fight. And it's slow."

"I like how we're going," Yukari said to Akihiko. "No one's gotten seriously hurt because we've been so careful."

Akihiko exhaled sharply through his nostrils. "I know, but all this sneaking around just makes me wanna break loose and fight them head-on. Kind of like when you study for a week and all you want to do is get up and go for a run, or something."

"Great," groaned Yukari. "Now that you've said it, I almost want to do the same and just let loose."

"Woof! Woof!"

"But, we're doing really well," Yukari argued against herself. "Sorry, Ryuichi-senpai. Let's just keep going with what we're doing for safety's sake."

They came across three sets of Iron Dice. Ryuichi told Akihiko to just hit them with Maziodyne so they could be done with it.

"Feh. No challenge at all," Akihiko sighed, and knocked down the die with lightning. Everyone finished them off in a full assault.

"Ryuichi-senpai, I sense three Daring Gigas up ahead," Fuuka warned them. "They're weak to wind, so you and Yukari-chan should be able to take them."

Ryuichi ate some Snuff Souls to replenish his energy. He was starting to feel the fatigue drive him into the ground, but he bounced on his toes to wake himself up.

"All right, let's end this quick," he said to the others.

Akihiko yawned. "Sure thing."

"Get a Gem ready in case Yukari and I miss."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

They crept closer to the Shadows. Ryuichi and Yukari had their Evokers already aimed at their head and chest respectively when something clattered on the ground behind them. They both turned to see Akihiko stooping to pick up the Gems he dropped.

"Oh, shit."

The three wrestler Shadows charged. Ryuichi rapidly fired three rounds before diving out of the way of an oncoming fist. He rolled, dove, dodged, scrambled out of the way of the rapid strikes when his and Yukari's wind spells picked two of them up but missed the third.

"Keep firing!" Ryuichi ordered, but Yukari's Evoker only gave a few empty clicks.

"I-I'm out!" she panicked.

Koromaru dashed past the Shadow, slashing at its massive calf with his dagger. Akihiko sprang forward with two punches—duck!—and a powerful uppercut that threw the Shadow's head back.

"This is more like it!" he snarled with satisfaction, dodging more blows. The Shadow grabbed his next punch and flung him into the wall.

Ryuichi crammed another Snuff Soul into his mouth and fired more rounds. Another tornado formed, sucking the three enemies into the vortex while he grabbed for Yukari and Akihiko. As Yukari chomped on some Snuff Souls, Koromaru lunged after them and into the room to hide from the strong gusts while the three Shadows were ripped apart. Ryuichi fired more rounds to keep the spell going, feeling his strength drain with every pull of his trigger. Yukari's wind strengthened his.

"Woof! Woof!"

Ryuichi looked to see Koromaru barking at a Luxury Hand. The golden hand-shaped Shadow scuttled away.

"Get back here!" Akihiko scrambled after it, pulling his bladed glove off to get to his Evoker. He sent Caesar after it while Ryuichi and Yukari went to check if the other Shadows had gone.

"We got 'em," Ryuichi reported, and thrust a finger towards the Luxury Hand. "All right! Get that Shadow!"

He cast more wind, trying to knock the Shadow down. All he did was drain his strength with every miss. Koromaru caught up to it and snatched it up in his jaws, crushing the Shadow's mask with his fangs. Yukari shot it with an arrow, and Akihiko finished it by slamming his fist down onto it.

"Luxury Coin!" Akihiko held up the prize in a triumphant hand.

Ryuichi yawned. "Good work, team," he told the others. "Are you guys getting tired, or do you think you can go another floor?"

"I'm getting kinda beat," Akihiko said. "Sneaking around's more exhausting than charging right into a battle. I think I'm gonna call it a night."

"Me, too," Yukari said with a yawn and a stretch.

Koromaru whimpered as he flattened his ears back.

"All right. We'll find a warp point and head back downstairs," Ryuichi agreed. "Hey, Fuu—"

"Be careful!" Fuuka cried. "I sense Death!"

Ryuichi heard chains rattling before she could finish. He checked all his pockets and pouches for a Traesto Gem, but his blood ran cold when he remembered that he gave Mitsuru his last one a while back.

"Does anyone have a Traesto Gem?" he asked the others frantically.

They checked their pockets, but came up empty.

"I gave mine to Ken," Akihiko told him.

"Minato-kun usually buys them, but he hasn't had a chance to get any since he messed up his shoulder," Yukari realized too late.

"Shit." Ryuichi cursed himself for not checking on their supplies more thoroughly. When the chains rattled closer, fear spurred him to act.

"Everybody, move!" he ordered.

They all broke into a sprint, fueled by fear and panic as the clanking chains came closer.

"Fuuka, where's the exit?" Yukari called out.

"The other way!" she answered. "You have to go back!"

"Death's that way!" Akihiko snarled.

Ryuichi reached a room. "In here!" he shouted, ushering them inside. "Get to the platform! We gotta keep our distance from him!"

At the top of the platform, they all breathed hard as they listened for the chains again. The metallic rattle grew closer, closer, and Ryuichi could feel the chill of the cold steel against his skin as the chains clanked in his teeth.

"He's almost there! Get ready to run!" Fuuka told them.

The towering, emaciated figure wrapped in a tattered coat and torn, raggedy sack for a mask came drifting into the room. It had its two long-barreled revolvers in its hands, aiming one at them.

"GO!"

Bits of floor and dust sprayed wherever bullets struck. The four scrambled down the stairs, tossing Gems and firing spells over their shoulders to try to slow it down. As they fled the room, Ryuichi felt a chill on the back of his neck as Akihiko cried out behind him. He spun around to see Akihiko trapped in a hunk of ice with his head sticking out the top.

"J-Just go!" Akihiko chattered.

Heimdall split the ice. Akihiko staggered, shaking so badly he could barely stand. Ryuichi threw him over his shoulders and ran after the others when he felt a powerful heat lick him all up and down his legs and back from Koromaru's Agidyne.

"On your left! Hurry!" instructed Fuuka.

Ryuichi felt something rip through his chest. He pitched forward, dropping Akihiko.

"Y-You're okay!" Akihiko said, grabbing him by his harness. "It was just your Persona! You're fine!"

"Dammit! That hurt like a mother!" Ryuichi grunted. He clutched his chest as Akihiko jerked him to his feet.

Ryuichi stumbled when Akihiko shoved him onto the warp point. In a flash of light, they were back in the lobby, all panting and groaning. Ryuichi was still clutching his chest as he sat up.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked them while the others hurried over.

Yukari managed a weak smile. "I-I'm okay, Senpai," she panted.

Koromaru barked and ran around in a circle, as if to show off that he still had energy to spare. Next to Ryuichi, Akihiko sneezed.

Mitsuru looked Ryuichi over. "Are you hurt? Were you—"

"Heimdall took the hit," Ryuichi told her, seeing the relief calm her face. "I just felt it. Not a good feeling, I have to say."

Akihiko sneezed again. "Dammit. I think I'm coming down with something," he murmured with a shiver.

Ryuichi looked to everyone again, seeing them so worn out, practically liquids on the stairs or jelly trying to stand upright. "I was too rough on all of you, wasn't I?" he said glumly.

"Not even," Junpei answered from the stairs.

"He's right," Mitsuru reassured him. "The worst injury tonight was Iori's nose, but thankfully, it's not broken."

Fuuka let Juno fade away. "It looks like Ken-kun is already asleep," she pointed out with a weary smile.

They all looked to see him passed out on the stairs next to Junpei. As they all prepared to leave, Ryuichi took it upon himself to carry Ken back to the dorm.

"I think your employment of stealth tactics was a good idea for maximizing safety," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi on their way back to the dorm. "Maybe next time, we can try to climb a little higher."

Ryuichi reviewed their trip into Tartarus in his mind, seeing too many mistakes on his part. "I guess we can, but stealth can be pretty slow at times," he yawned, thinking about what Akihiko had said before. "Not to mention you have to be vigilant about it, even when you're already tired."

Behind them, Akihiko sneezed again. Ryuichi sped up a little just in case he ended up sneezing on them. Mitsuru quickened her pace to keep up, and Minato joined them.

"So, how did you like being leader?" Minato asked him.

"It's nerve-wracking, that's for sure," Ryuichi admitted. "There's so much pressure on you to make sure everyone gets out alive and in one piece. And most of the time, I kept worrying that a Shadow might attack Mitsuru down in the lobby ."

"Just Mitsuru-senpai?" Minato cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Well, she _is_ my responsibility," Ryuichi said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Her safety is my priority."

"What would you have done if a Shadow did attack?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'd tell everyone to grab a Traesto Gem, even if we were in the middle of a battle."

"None of us had any Traesto Gems, remember?" Yukari called from behind.

Ryuichi sighed, feeling his arms cramp under Ken's weight from holding him for so long. "Right, right. I'm sorry about that. I'll have to do a little shopping later."

At the dorm, Ryuichi brought Ken up to his room to tuck into bed. Mitsuru watched from the doorway as Koromaru settled on a spot on the floor close by.

"Good work, Koromaru," Ryuichi whispered to him. The dog yawned and stretched before curling up to sleep.

"Aside from a few minor mistakes, you did very well tonight," Mitsuru said to him after they left Ken's room.

"Those few hiccups could've cost us big, though," he said with a sigh. "And I'm not just talking about the oversight with the Traesto Gems. If you weren't there, Junpei might've been—"

"It's okay to rely on your teammates," she reminded him. "We don't expect you to fight the Shadows on your own, and it's everyone's job to take care of one another."

Ryuichi leaned his hip against the banister and sighed. "I'm wondering if I should've let someone else take the lead first," he murmured, more to himself than to Mitsuru. "All I had was Fuuka's data to study, so I didn't realize how much stronger the Shadows had become since I haven't been to Tartarus in over a month."

Mitsuru stood with her arms folded in front of her, looking like she was thinking the same thing.

"Perhaps you're right about that," she agreed, and Ryuichi accepted his shortcoming. "However, I still think that you were the most qualified to lead us into battle."

Ryuichi made a face. "What happened to the brutal honesty you normally dish out?"

"I am being honest," she said flatly. "And don't forget that it's only your first night back on the frontlines, so don't be so hard on yourself."

"Yeah, okay," he said with a sigh. He ended up smiling afterward. "Well, excellent work tonight, _Ojou-sama_ ," he teased.

She made a face. "Not this again."

"Well, I have to get used to it, don't I?" he chuckled to himself. "How weird will it be when you host a party and your servant just casually calls you by your name while all your guests have to call you 'Ojou-sama' or 'Shachou-sama' like peasants?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Very well, but don't get too used to it," she warned him. "You know I regard you as more than just my bodyguard, so you have every right to call me by my name."

"I know, I know." He let out a yawn. "Well, good night, Mitsuru."

He looked around, listening for anyone still awake. When he was sure that everyone else had gone to bed, he opened his arms to Mitsuru, inviting her in for a hug. Mitsuru's eyes shifted around cautiously before taking his invitation, but only for a moment before pulling away.

"We can review battle tactics later, so at least next time you won't be caught off-guard like before," she reassured him on her way up to the third floor. "Rest easy tonight, Ryuichi. You earned it."

He headed back downstairs, but he didn't go to his room just yet. He settled on the couch in the lounge, his body and mind still racing and reeling from his first night as leader and being back on the battlefield after more than a month. He didn't want to say anything to Mitsuru to worry her, but he was more than stressed right then.

Now that there were no distractions, his mind was free to torment him. Panic shot through him, filling him with the strong urge to run, to escape, to get up and try to do something to make it all stop. At the same time, fear paralyzed him in his seat, constricting him, making it hard for him to breathe. His heart pounded furiously in his throat while he rubbed his cold, clammy palms on his knees.

"It's just a panic attack," he told himself softly. "Or anxiety. Whichever it is, that's all it is. Everyone came out just fine, so there's nothing to worry about for now."

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, deeper each time, and released them slowly, just the way that Eshima taught him. After taking several deep breaths, he felt the itchy sensation calm down significantly, reducing his panic to the familiar tingle from before.

He should have been more prepared. He should've done more than just strategize and learn about their enemies. He should've realized that he needed more than just elemental Gems, that he should've checked for recovery and escape items. His mistake could have cost them their lives that night, and the thought of what could have happened almost made his panic spike again.

"Get it together, Ryuichi," he urged himself. "You've led them into battle before. It was just your first night to lead them after so many months. You'll do better next time."

More deep breaths. After a little while, he started to calm down again. He still couldn't forgive himself for endangering his friends, at least not until he redeemed himself.

When he started to feel better again, he returned to his room to shower and get to bed. He only hoped that he could sleep as peacefully as Mitsuru wished him to.


	97. Chapter 97

**Chapter 97**

Evening the next day, everyone gathered in the lounge to greet Aigis upon her return from the lab. She stood in the middle of them all, appearing to cheer up the moment she saw them. They all welcomed her back with big smiles, relieved to see that she was safe.

"I'm back, everyone," Aigis said in her mechanical voice. "Sorry to have worried you all."

Junpei grinned at her. "Man, I'm glad to see you. I was getting nervous."

"Me, too," Fuuka agreed. "I was fearing the worst."

Aigis craned her head to look to Fuuka. "I'm a machine," she reminded her, "so I can always be rebuilt. Even if I was completely destroyed, the programming data necessary to recreate me would still exist."

Yukari let out a groan. "Hey, don't talk about yourself like that," she chided.

Mitsuru spoke with Kikuno at the door before letting the maid bow and leave. "They said another week would be required for a complete recovery, but I had the process expedited," Mitsuru told them all. "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve."

The others agreed that it was nice to have Aigis back in time to ring in the New Year, but Ryuichi noticed that Aigis appeared downcast, not meeting anyone's eye.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused," Aigis apologized to the team. "Mitsuru-san and Ryuichi-san visited me at the lab and told me everything. That must have been difficult for you all to hear."

She turned to Minato now. "Minato-san, have you been well?" she asked their leader. Her eyes shone bright, locked on Minato's for a moment before casting them to the floor. "I mean, considering the circumstances—"

"Welcome back," Minato greeted her warmly, but Aigis kept her head down.

"I've come back, but—"

Aigis hesitated. "Ten years ago, I—What I did to you was—"

She kept hesitating, as though ashamed of her past actions.

Minato flashed her a reassuring look. "You did the right thing."

"But, if I hadn't done that to you, you wouldn't be suffering like this," Aigis insisted. She raised her eyes to him. "Minato-san, Ryoji has presented you with a difficult choice. Have you made your decision?"

"Yes, I have."

Aigis' eyes hardened, as if she turned on the offensive. "I have a favor to ask of you," she said. Everyone gasped, surprised in her sudden change of tone. "Tomorrow, when Ryoji comes, please—Please, kill him!"

Everyone's faces gaped in shock. They all started murmuring to each other, some asking Aigis why she would make such a request.

"I can't bear to see everyone hurting like this!" Aigis' voice broke from her monotone as desperation came bursting out of her. "Please choose to have your memories erased! Even if—Even if it means forgetting everything, and everyone."

"A-Aigis, what're you talking about?" Yukari asked her, horrified.

"Yeah," Junpei piped up. "This isn't like you."

"What's wrong, Aigis?" Mitsuru asked, her voice fraught with concern.

Aigis' shoulders rose and fell without any sound of a sigh to follow. "Why?" she uttered. "Why did I come back here?"

The distressed monotone returned in her voice. "My mission is to protect humanity from Shadows. But, now I know that I can't defeat them!"

She clenched her fists now. Hard metal clicked and groaned and squeaked the harder she squeezed. "So then, why am I here?"

Aigis shut her eyes. "I'm useless! I cannot even shed a tear for you all!"

Fuuka touched Aigis' arm. "Oh, Aigis," she said softly, trying to calm her down.

The distraught girl looked to Minato again. "Why fight when you know that you can't win?" Aigis demanded. "What is the purpose of that?"

Frustration rose with her voice. Her frightened, blue eyes darted around to everyone. "Why are you wasting your lives?"

Minato shook his head. "I don't plan to waste it," he told her.

"Yeah, he's right," Akihiko said, clapping a hand on Minato's shoulder. "We're just planning for the future. Right, Ken?"

He looked to the boy, who nodded in reply. "Right," Ken agreed.

Aigis' face fell. "I-I don't understand," she uttered weakly, and this time, a sound like air whistling through metal escaped her as a hollow sigh. "It must be because I don't possess a 'life'."

Junpei laughed. "This has nothing to do with having a life."

"I'm a machine," Aigis said again. "A machine that was created to protect humans from Shadows. But, I can't fulfill that mission with the powers I was given. So then, what is my purpose now?"

She looked around at the concerned faces that surrounded her. "Could someone please tell me?"

"We don't know the answer, Aigis," Junpei said to her. She turned towards him. "The only one who can tell you what your purpose is, is you. That's why we're having such a hard time making our decision. There's just no easy answer. But, as long as we're alive, we have to do something."

The others nodded in agreement, encouraging Junpei to smile.

"When we see others hurting, we want to help them," Junpei explained to Aigis. "So, that's our purpose."

He let out a dry laugh again. "I'm not too good at explaining it, but that's what we all think."

Aigis lifted her head. "Can finding one's purpose really be so simple?"

Fuuka stepped forward next. "When I saw you collapse, I realized something: I want to protect you," she told Aigis. "I don't want to forget about you."

"Fuuka-san," Aigis gasped as soft as a sigh.

Mitsuru flashed Aigis an encouraging look. "There are times when you will lose sight of your goal, and you will have to search for it. But, if you can't find it again, then you must set your heart on a new goal. I'm not really one to talk, but I feel that I've come to understand something important this year: To truly live, you will need to make changes sometimes."

Ryuichi nodded in agreement, and Mitsuru's eyes flickered briefly in his direction.

"Do you think I can do that?" Aigis asked, still sounding desperate. "Do you think I can change?"

"Well, yeah," Ryuichi said, surprising her. "I mean, you've changed so much already. Haven't you noticed?"

"In fact, you're changing even as we speak," Mitsuru added, and Aigis seemed to come to a realization. She stood silent for a moment, and everyone kept quiet to let her process her thoughts.

"I know what my purpose is," she said slowly. "I'm a machine—A machine who is here to 'live.' And the one who has given me this new purpose is: Me."

Aigis touched her fist to her chest. "This is the promise I've made to myself. I don't know how I'll do it, but I guess that is a part of living, too."

Minato nodded. "I'm sure that's it."

"Yes," Aigis agreed. For the first time since her return, her lips curled into a gentle smile.

Surprise crossed Minato's face. Ryuichi started to ask if he was all right, but Aigis spoke up again.

"Will you allow me to join with you all?" she asked them.

Minato snapped out of his trance and looked back to Aigis. "You're already a part of us," he pointed out.

"Thank you!" she gasped, her smile brilliant on her face. "I will be with you all, no matter what happens!"

"That's the spirit!" Yukari cheered, and everyone welcomed Aigis back to the group once again.

They sat down on the couch with her, made plans to take her shopping, to see a movie, and even talked about New Year's Day plans after they spoke with Ryoji. Aigis spoke almost as animatedly as the others, though her speech was still a little monotone and slower than most. Looking at her, she was just like everyone else, smiling with the rest and having fun. It was almost impossible to tell just by looking at her that she was a machine.

"She has feelings now," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi while the others fussed over Aigis. "The people at the laboratory said the same thing you did and described her to be more 'human'."

"How is that even possible?" Ryuichi asked, astonished to hear that she developed emotions.

"They don't know. But, you saw how anguished she was over the idea of us suffering."

Ryuichi exhaled slowly. "Were the engineers planning on erasing that part of her? Did you stop them from doing so?"

Mitsuru had a mischievous grin. "So you noticed. I thought it would be cruel to have her humanity erased, so I ordered them not to touch that part of her."

Ryuichi was still in disbelief that Aigis had indeed developed feelings, and yet, he somehow always considered her to be human, even before. Looking at her, chatting with the others on the couch, he noticed that she was smiling much more now that she was back with everyone.

With Aigis fully recovered, all they had to worry about now was telling Ryoji about their decision. On New Year's Eve, everyone stayed in the dorm all day long in anticipation of Ryoji's return later that evening. Even Mitsuru made sure to keep that day free of meetings, making for a rare day of her staying home. However, she kept herself and Ryuichi busy by studying at the kotatsu in his room.

"Just because we're making a life-changing decision tonight doesn't mean we can slack off on our studies," she told Ryuichi when he complained about having to study on such an important day. "You've already made your decision, haven't you? That means that, if we do succeed and prevent the Fall, you have every reason to pass your exams and get accepted into Kawaguchi."

"I know," he groaned. He frowned down at his notes and reached for his pencil. "My head just feels like it's about to explode at this point."

As he started to scribble down some notes, someone stuck their hand into his open door and knocked.

"What's up?" Ryuichi called out, and in came Fuuka and Aigis, the former holding a tray with tea and some toasted rice crackers.

"I thought you might like a snack while you study," she said, smiling.

"Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you," Mitsuru said appreciatively. "Would you two care to join us?"

Ryuichi had an idea. While the three girls sat at the kotatsu, Ryuichi sat down at his keyboard to play for them while they chatted. It was actually more for himself, so he could give his mind a break from all his worries and from studying for a little while.

"It's like we're at the cafe," Fuuka said, amused.

"Whenever he gets stressed out from studying for too long, he plays a few songs to help clear his head," Mitsuru explained. "It helps me relax, as well."

"You're taking the exams next month, aren't you?" Fuuka asked. "Where do you plan to go?"

"We are both aiming for Kawaguchi University."

"Wow. Kawaguchi is one of the top universities in the nation!"

They didn't stay for long. After Fuuka and Aigis left, Akihiko joined Ryuichi and Mitsuru to study with them. Mitsuru had to keep explaining things to Akihiko while Ryuichi struggled with his own studies, left to try to figure things out for himself until Mitsuru was free to help him.

Sometime after eleven-thirty that night, Ryoji came to the dorm as promised. He peered into the quiet resolve on everyone's faces, smiling at them all.

"Hey. Long time, no see. Midnight's just around the corner," Ryoji greeted warmly. His face somehow appeared paler than usual. "At midnight, I will change from this form into something unrecognizable."

His smile faded to a thin frown. "So, have you reached a decision?"

No one said anything, yet there was a mutual understanding between them all. Ryoji shrugged and started for the stairs.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be waiting in Minato's room until midnight."

To Minato he added: "Come see me when you have your answer."

"Ryoji-kun," Fuuka whispered, but he didn't appear to hear her. He headed to the stairs and stopped, turning back to the group.

"Oh, and one more thing: Don't let the fact that you'll have to kill me influence your decision," he advised them. "As I said before, I'm going to disappear anyways. I won't feel any pain by 'dying', so there's no need to worry about me."

Still, no one said anything. "I'll be waiting," Ryoji said, filling the silent void with his gentle voice, and they all watched as he climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Mitsuru looked to their leader. "Have you made your decision?" she asked.

"Yes," he said in a soft but decisive voice.

"I see."

She turned to the others now. "Have the rest of you made your decision?"

"No need to ask me," Akihiko replied.

"You know how I feel," Yukari said.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't on board," Junpei answered with a grin.

"My decision remains the same," Ryuichi said, nodding.

"I'm with the rest of you," Fuuka added.

"I'm in, too," Ken answered with a smile.

Koromaru barked, and Aigis said, "I have made my decision, as well."

Mitsuru nodded to them. "Then, we're all in agreement, yes?"

Akihiko went up to Minato. "Better let him know, then. Okay?" he said to him, and he dutifully headed upstairs after Ryoji.

Ryuichi leaned against the wall with his hands deep in his pockets. "He might try to convince him to kill him," he noted.

"And? We've already made our decision," Akihiko said to him. "You don't think he'll change his mind, do you?"

"I doubt it," Yukari piped up. "Ryoji-kun's his friend. There's no way he could take his life."

"What if it were me?" Junpei joked. "Would you be able to off me if you were him?"

Yukari flashed him a devilish grin. "I would throw you off of Tartarus in a heartbeat," she joked.

He made a disappointed noise while everyone let out weak chuckles. As much as they poked fun at the situation, they had plenty of time to let their thoughts of the Fall finally sink in. Everyone fell into a silence that no one dared to disturb, where moments of the sofa groaning under someone's shifting weight or the rustle of clothes was enough to make some of them flinch.

They waited several agonizing minutes without exchanging another word. Their gazes never crossed paths. None of them even appeared to be breathing at all.

And then, they heard a door open and shut upstairs. Footsteps came down creaky steps, and soon, the team went rushing over to Minato and the very much alive but dour Ryoji.

"Yo!" Junpei called as he slapped the pale-faced boy a high-five. "What's up, Ryoji?"

Ryoji didn't return his cheery demeanor and sighed. "It's an unfortunate decision, but it's yours to make," he mumbled.

"That's right," Yukari agreed.

The deathly boy's shoulders rose and fell again in disappointment. "But, you can't defeat Nyx. It's impossible."

"But, we must still try," Mitsuru insisted.

Akihiko crossed his arms over his chest. "Personally, I don't care if it is impossible."

Ryoji picked up his head and showed them all his warm smile. "I understand," he said quietly.

Looking around at everyone's hopeful and determined gazes, Ryoji seemed almost encouraged by the lot of them, judging by the way his expression lifted.

"It's almost midnight, so I'll keep it brief," he said. "I'll tell you where to find Nyx."

He took a deep breath. "You'll find her at the top of Tartarus. On the promised day, you must journey to the top of the tower."

"When's the promised day?" Yukari interjected.

"Exactly one month from tomorrow: January thirty-first, two thousand ten. Nyx will descend to Tartarus, and the world will end."

"One month," Junpei echoed, and everyone took in the alarmingly short time and put it into perspective. It all seemed so short now.

"Tartarus is a gigantic rift in the darkness of the night sky," Ryoji continued. "It's a beacon to guide Nyx. With the Appriser's coming, Nyx learns that the way has been prepared and descends there. And thus, the demise will come."

Akihiko nodded in thought. "So that's why it's called the Tower of Demise. But what you're saying is, we can fight Nyx if we reach the top?"

Ryoji buried the lower half of his face into his yellow scarf. "That's right. But remember: From today, you will fight against eternal despair."

He lifted his face out of his scarf again and looked everyone in the eyes. "Like I've said so many times before, Nyx cannot be defeated. When you face her, you will finally understand this truth. And then, you _will_ realize what it is you are trying to stand against."

"We understand," Mitsuru said for them all. "There's no need to keep telling us. January thirty-first—We won't forget that date."

Ryoji nodded to them all and managed to smile. "Well, I'll be going on ahead of you, then," he said, letting his gaze fall on each of them again for a moment before resting on Minato. "I want to leave you while I'm still in this form."

"Ryoji-kun," Fuuka whispered again, and he turned his smile to her once more in appreciation. He looked to Aigis next with an apologetic expression.

"Aigis, I'm sorry for all the pain and suffering I put you through," he told her.

She touched a hand to her chest. "I won't forget that you were my enemy," she replied. "And my friend."

Yukari put a hand on Aigis' shoulder. "Aigis."

Ryoji smiled at Aigis now. "Thank you," he said softly, and swept his gaze over the whole team once more. "This will probably be the last time I'll see you all like this. But, I'll always be watching over you. Well, goodbye."

He took one last look at Minato as they all made their way to the door. "Goodbye, Minato," he said to him. "I hope you and the others prove me wrong."

At the door, he turned around to face everyone. "Best wishes in the coming year," Ryoji called to them all. "That's what you say on New Year's Eve, right? See ya!"

It was their final glimpse of the cheerful Ryoji they knew. He flashed them all a grin and waved before he closed the door behind himself, pulling the door out from Minato's hand.

"Heh," Junpei chuckled. "That Ryoji."

Mitsuru turned to the group. "We have one month until January thirty-first," she reminded them. "Together, we'll reach the top."

Everyone shared looks of determination. There was no turning back, now that they made their decision. They knew that failure was not an option, no matter how impossible Ryoji said it would be to defeat Nyx.

They all gathered around the TV in the lounge to watch the New Year's special ring in the new year. Just as the hosts' countdown reached zero, the Dark Hour struck, drowning the New Year's celebrations in darkness before they could even begin. Everyone mumbled a quiet "Happy New Year" to one another, and Ryuichi watched them all head upstairs to bed.

"One month," he sighed to himself as he went to lie down on the sofa in the lounge. "It's already that close, huh?"

He felt sick just thinking about it. One month. Thirty-one days. There wasn't nearly enough time to even breathe. If they failed to defeat Nyx, they wouldn't just be dead. They would be living as mindless, soulless beings, drifting and burning their eyes out by staring at the sun. He didn't even know if they would be conscious, or if real death would come swift enough, if at all.

A door opened upstairs. Ryuichi remained still, curious of who it might be. He recognized the footfalls right away as they came down two flights of stairs and headed straight for his room.

"Don't you think Fuuka would find it odd that you're looking for me right now?" he asked, and heard quite a commotion by his door.

"What are you doing there?" a flustered Mitsuru hissed on her way to the sofa.

"What are _you_ doing down here?" he flung the question back at her.

"Shh. Not so loud. The other's might hear."

He blinked. "Uh, you were pretty loud coming downstairs. I think they already know you're here."

From what he could make out in the faint moonlight, Mitsuru appeared to be alarmed at how true his words might be. Despite that realization, Ryuichi sat up to let her sit next to him.

"If you must know, I was just thinking about how short a month is," he told her, staring down at his knees. "All of this is happening so fast. Like, why now? Why not sooner? And how come it's only this year that Minato returned to Iwatodai? If he didn't come back here, would the Fall still happen?"

"Perhaps it was fate that he returned here after ten years," Mitsuru said. "If the prophecy the Chairman spoke of was true, then perhaps there was no way to prevent Arisato from returning."

Ryuichi cringed. "If we follow that logic, then wouldn't that also mean that there would be no way to stop the Fall?"

He felt her shiver. "I—"

He took her hand, squeezing it. "Screw the prophecy," he snarled. "We've made our decision. We're going to fight with everything we've got to make sure the Fall doesn't happen. What other reason is there for us to have these powers, if not to fight against fate?"

Mitsuru squeezed back. "You're right," she said, her voice emboldened. "It's strange that only a select few of us have this power, especially if we consider that there are those among us who had no previous ties to what happened ten years ago.

"And, why us? Why now? I'd like to believe that it's because we are the right people to take on Nyx, no matter how hopeless it seems."

"Yeah." He raised their clasped hands and shook them vigorously. "Then that means everything aligned perfectly for us to win!"

"Indeed."

Ryuichi lowered their hands and smiled at Mitsuru when he noticed the lumpy package she held in her lap. He squinted in the dark at it. "Hey, whatcha got there?"

She held up the package. "I suppose you can call it a belated Christmas present," she said, holding it out to him.

"Christmas? But you already gave me something."

"I was actually planning to give this to you for your birthday," Mitsuru admitted. Her pale face shone like a beacon of discomfort in the darkness. "But, as it is uncertain if we will live to see that day, I decided it would be best to give it to you now."

He took it, turning it over, feeling parts of the wrapping paper that had puffed up on some places, had corners that poked up in others, and the occasional piece that felt like it was supposed to be cut off but missed.

"I can't really see here," Ryuichi said, getting up. "Let's go to my room. I have candles there."

He lit three of them, giving them more than enough light to see the crudely-wrapped package.

"I'm afraid it was my first time to wrap a present myself," Mitsuru murmured bashfully.

Ryuichi grinned. "It's actually not that bad," he said, peeling off the first piece of tape. "The first time I wrapped a gift, it looked like I let Megumi do it."

"It can't have been that bad."

Ryuichi made a face. "When Mom gave the gift to her friend, she made it clear that I was the one who wrapped it. I think I was only ten years old."

It was enough to get Mitsuru chuckling. He unwrapped the present, finding a wooden box inside with "R. O." in big letters carved on the front. He opened the box to find a silver pocket watch with an intricately designed dragon on the cover with two twinkling, blue topaz eyes. It had a silver chain attached to it, designed to look like a fancy rope.

"Whoa." He clicked the little button on top. The front cover opened, revealing a black outer ring on the face with golden Roman numerals inside, and a window in the center that showed the gears at work.

"Mitsuru, this is way too nice," he marveled as he continued to turn it over in his hands.

"That's not all," she said, holding out her hand for him to give it back. She popped the back panel open, revealing two dates crudely carved inside. The one on top read "2009-12-21," and the second read "2009-12-22."

"December twenty-first," Ryuichi murmured to himself. It didn't take long for him to recall the significance of the date. "That's the day that we both declared our feelings for each other."

"That's right," Mitsuru said with a nod, beaming at him. "And the other one?"

"When we made it official," he answered proudly. "It's already been ten days since then. Just think: we've been going out for that long already and I still haven't woken up from this dream."

"It's not a dream," she reassured him. "Or if it is, I hope I never wake up from it."

The flickering candlelight made their shadows dance on the walls. Ryuichi watched Mitsuru carefully as she eyed the pocket watch in his hand. When she looked up, she locked eyes with him.

"I-Is there something wrong?" she asked, becoming flustered again. She averted her gaze first.

"N-No. Nothing's wrong," he insisted, getting a fluttery feeling in his stomach. "It's just, um—"

He closed the pocket watch. "Thank you, Mitsuru," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "I love it."

He shyly shifted his eyes to her. "I, um, I love you."

She gasped, looking delighted. "I love you, too," she told him timidly. "And, um, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

They both leaned in. Mitsuru's breath was warm and minty, and her lips so soft that Ryuichi was afraid his own would cause them harm. He felt a sharp sizzle all up and down his body, ending in a stirring just below his belt.

Mitsuru pulled away first. "I should go," she said hastily, hurrying to the door. "Yamagishi might find us."

"Y-Yeah," he agreed, turning his back to her. "Um, thank you again for the, the present."

"You're welcome. Good night, and Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

When at last she closed his door, Ryuichi sank down on his bed, still grasping the pocket watch in his hand. He clicked it open again, seeing the face of the watch but not paying much attention to it. He could still feel Mitsuru's lips on his, how soft and gentle she had been. The more he thought about her, the more he felt his stomach flutter and his body tingle once more.

He let out a dry chuckle. "I wonder if Fuuka saw that," he muttered to himself, and flopped down on his bed with a big grin on his face.

 **Arc 4 End**


	98. Chapter 98

**Arc 5**

 **Chapter 98**

Ryuichi treated the first morning of the new year like all the others: he woke up, did his morning workout with some training, and showered. But this time, he dressed up in his charcoal three-piece suit, black dress shirt, and his silk blue, black, and silver striped necktie. He took his new pocket watch and laced the silver chain through one of his vest's button holes before letting the pocket watch reside in one of the vest's pockets. When he checked his cell phone, he saw that Mitsuru had already sent him directions to the shrine she and the girls were going.

He grabbed his black leather gloves and checked himself in his full-length mirror, making any adjustments needed to his outfit. He straightened his already straight tie, made sure his leather dress shoes were polished, cocked his fedora slightly to the side, and of course, took care to keep his Evoker hidden in its holster under his arm. He brought along a few other pieces of equipment he hoped he wouldn't need, in case of an emergency. When he was ready, he stepped out of his room to see the others guys in the dining area, with Akihiko feeding Koromaru his breakfast.

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," Ken greeted Ryuichi as he joined them.

"Good morning, Ken-kun," Ryuichi returned. "Happy New Year, everyone."

"What're you all dressed up for, Senpai?" Junpei asked him, eyeing the chain of his pocket watch.

"To visit the shrine, of course," Ryuichi replied. "Aren't you all going?"

"No. I don't believe in superstitions," Akihiko answered, still kneeling by Koromaru's bowl.

Ken shrugged. "Oh, that's too bad. Yukari-san and the others are already there. They're all wearing kimonos."

Junpei perked right up. "Kimonos, huh?"

He briskly walked to the front doors. "Uh, I'm gonna run to the store," he said hastily.

Akihiko raced after him and grabbed him by the furry hood of his jacket. "Hold it right there, Junpei."

Junpei's arms pinwheeled as he struggled to keep his balance. "Uhh, what?"

"You're going to the shrine, aren't you?"

"N-No, I'm not! I-I'm just going for a walk!"

Akihiko let him go and grinned. "Oh, yeah? Well, I'm going with you, then. I'm bored."

"I'll go, too!" Ken hopped off his chair and pushed it back under the table.

"All right, then, let's go," Junpei announced, and Ryuichi found himself with more company than he hoped for.

"Anyone know where it is?" asked Akihiko.

Ryuichi was about to let them know that he had the directions when Ken piped up, saying that the girls gave him the directions before they left.

"Sweet!" Junpei threw a triumphant fist in the air.

Minato smirked, looking just as excited as the others.

While Akihiko put on Koromaru's leash, Ryuichi let out a heavy sigh. He was surprised to see his breath produce a visible mist—While they were still inside the lounge! Outside was just as cold, if only a few degrees colder than indoors. Ryuichi's face stung from the winter morning chill, and his nose went numb from just taking a few breaths. Thankfully, there was no snow, but the sun did little to warm them up.

As they ventured to the shrine, Junpei told the guys about a movie he was watching late last night, about towering Amazonian women who barely wore anything except for some leaves that covered the important stuff. Akihiko and Ryuichi yelled for him to shut up while Ken took in the information as if he was learning a vital lesson. When he was forbidden from talking more about Amazonian women, he went on to educate them all about kimonos.

"You know the interesting thing about kimonos, right Ken-kun?" Junpei asked the boy, his eyebrows jumping with excitement.

"What is it?" Ken asked inquisitively.

"Well, the thing about kimonos is that girls don't wear anything under them!"

Minato said nothing. Ryuichi was about to yell at Junpei when Akihiko leaned in. "Is that true?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes, Akihiko," Ryuichi grumbled sarcastically, making the boxer take in a sharp gasp. "And they also thrive on the thrill of a well-placed breeze, especially if there's a crowd."

"Do they really—"

"No!"

They walked deeper into the mainland in the freezing weather. Ryuichi asked Ken if he was cold and offered him some heating pouches he brought with him. He refused, and the other guys also declined the offer, turning their noses up at the pouches. It was clear to Ryuichi from their chattering teeth and dripping noses that they were all freezing, and even he refused to use any for himself.

The shrine was far larger than Naganaki Shrine, with droves of people dressed in long, thick coats, pants or long skirts, high boots, scarves, hats, gloves, face masks, and one elementary school girl ran around wearing a blanket with a cute bear hood attached. There were women dressed in colorful kimono, and the guys found themselves stopping to admire them.

Incredibly, the only Nyx flyers in sight were in trash cans. The only other indication of the Fall was the Lost, most of them left alone to sway in the cold or getting turned around and around in the crowds. Ryuichi noticed a little girl offering some of her takoyaki to one of the Lost, where she stood on her toes and stretched her arm as high as it would go to try to push it to the Lost's chapped lips. The little girl's mother quickly pulled her away.

Ryuichi noticed Ken shivering. "You okay?" he asked him.

Ken's face was half buried in his turtleneck. "I-I'm all right," he chattered, trying to sound tough against the chill.

"Wow! Look at all the kimonos!" Junpei watched with his mouth open, eyeing every girl in a kimono he could find.

There were lines everywhere. Clusters of people flocked to pray at the large shrine towards the rear. More lined up to draw their fortunes. Some were tying their bad luck fortunes to tree branches, while others opted to tie theirs onto the wires surrounding the trees. Even more gathered around the stalls near the entrance to purchase snacks and special charms blessed for different needs. Priestesses in white haori and red hakama guided their guests, offered help, and directed them to the ends of the lines.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Ken asked the others.

"There's too many people," Akihiko said with a squint.

Ryuichi rose up on his toes in search of the girls, checking everyone in a kimono. The guys all looked around, walking among the stalls and the crowds when someone behind them called to them. They all turned around and gasped when they saw the four girls all together, dressed in kimono as Ken had said.

Yukari wore a red kimono with pink flowers, her waist circled by a pink obi. She had matching pink flower clips in her hair that held her bangs out of her face. Next to her, Fuuka blushed at the sight of the guys, wearing a grayish-green kimono, also decorated with pink flowers, and wore a brass decoration hanging in her hair. Aigis was clad in a faint pink, almost white kimono with star-like flowers, and had a purple obi wrapped around her waist. The girls had given her a simple red ribbon with little pink flowers to adorn her headband.

Ryuichi's eyes went straight to Mitsuru. She stood poised, appearing perfectly familiar with wearing a heavy kimono. She had her hair pinned up behind her head in a slightly tussled bun, which Ryuichi found alluring for its simple touch of rebellion against her constricted outfit. Her creamy skin glowed against her black kimono dotted with small, pink flowers spattered over her left shoulder. Her red and gold obi was held in place with a professional knot expertly tied with the hands of a master. Like the other girls, she smiled at the awestruck boys, all of them with their mouths gaping at the beauties before them.

"Oh, wow," Junpei gasped.

"Happy New Year!" Yukari greeted them. "Let's all do our very best this year!"

She looked to the row of guys and tilted her head. "Hey, you guys are late. We were just about to leave."

Her smile fell off her face when she spotted the blushing Junpei staring at her.

"Y-Yuka-tan," he uttered hoarsely.

She became flustered. "Wh-What?"

Mitsuru bowed. "Happy New Year," she said to the guys, and caught Junpei staring unblinkingly at her. "Hm? What's the matter, Iori?"

Junpei swallowed hard. "Mitsuru-senpai, you look hot."

Ryuichi nearly smacked him until he realized he couldn't disagree.

Junpei nervously tugged on his collar. "I, um, heh, I mean—"

Mitsuru blinked. "S-Stop staring at me."

Fuuka shrank before their eyes. "I've never worn a kimono before," she murmured. "Um, does my obi look okay?"

The hearts in Junpei's eyes grew even larger. "Fuuka," he gasped. "You look—Wow!"

"G-Geez," she murmured, but appeared happy with his reaction.

Aigis held up her arms like she was examining her long sleeves. "This traditional clothing is quite interesting," she remarked. "However, it's difficult to move in."

Junpei's attention whirled over to her. "A-Ai-chan! Considering what you usually wear, that looks even more amazing on you!" he gushed, practically drooling now.

Somehow, Aigis seemed pleased with the attention, smiling at him. "I-Is that so? What is this odd sensation I feel?"

Minato turned to Ryuichi. "He just won over two out of four," he murmured to him.

"As expected of the guru of romance," Ryuichi said with a smile, confusing Minato with Junpei's self-proclaimed title.

Junpei turned his back on the girls and pumped a fist in the air.

"I'm so glad I came!" he cheered. "New Year's kicks ass! Yeah!"

"Junpei-san," Aigis said, "why are you acting so strange?"

He still had his satisfied grin plastered on his face. "Man, we got to see some great stuff today. Right, guys?"

Minato looked away, rubbing his neck. "Y-Yeah," he hesitatingly agreed.

"Uh, I-I guess so," Akihiko muttered, unable to look any of the girls in the eyes.

"What about you, Ryuichi-senpai?"

Ryuichi froze up as the four girls looked to him next. Mitsuru's expectant stare made him forget to breathe.

"B-Beautiful," he stuttered, sweeping his eyes over all the girls before lingering on Mitsuru. "You all look, um, amazing."

Ken eyed the girls in wonder. "Hey, aren't you guys cold?" he asked them.

"A little," Yukari answered. "But, I love this time of year."

"Um, that's not what I meant," Ken said. "Junpei-san said that you guys aren't wearing anything underneath your kimonos."

Fuuka gasped. "He said _what_?"

Junpei clamped a hand over Ken's mouth. "Shh! Not in front of the girls!"

Yukari glared at him, backed by the other three.

"Wow, you've really taken Ken-kun under your wing, huh?" Yukari snarled at Junpei.

He shrunk beneath the combined frigid glares. "Nonono, wait, wa—"

She slapped him across the face with a _smack_ that rang out over the crowds. Anyone within earshot stared as Junpei touched a hand to his slowly swelling face while Yukari chewed him out in front of everyone.

Mitsuru touched Ryuichi's arm. "Shall we go around?" she asked him.

Ryuichi blushed, still in awe at her beauty. "Um, sure," he uttered, choking on his words. "But, didn't you already go around with the girls?"

"I don't mind going around again," she said, and he followed without another word.

She led him to the temizuya first to purify his hands and mouth with water before waiting in line for the shrine. When it was his turn, he rang the bell there and put an offering into the offering box. He bowed twice, clapped his hands twice, and prayed silently.

He prayed for good health, safety, success, and happiness for everyone, success for his family's restaurant, for Megumi to grow up healthy and happy, and for everyone in SEES and their success in the coming fight against Nyx. At the last second, Ryuichi prayed for himself to be the best person he could be, to strive to be stronger and smarter each day, and that he would be able to make Mitsuru happy. And before he forgot, he also prayed that he would get into Kawaguchi on the first try.

He finished his prayer with a final bow, and Mitsuru led him to another line so he could draw his fortune.

"I was fortunate enough to draw middle blessing," she said to him, smiling. "Yukari drew half-curse, so she had to tie her fortune onto one of the wires by the tree."

"Poor Yukari," Ryuichi chuckled. "Well, if I draw a bad one, hopefully you can rub some of your luck off on me."

His hand twitched when he felt her icy fingers brush against his. "Are you cold? I've got some heat pouches if you need some."

"Thank you, but I'm all right," she said as she pulled her sleeves lower over her wrists. "Prepared as always, I see."

He shrugged, trying to not look too smug about it. "By the way, um, you look incredible in that kimono," he ended up saying, feeling like he could have said that better.

"Thank you. You look quite dashing in your suit, I might add."

Ryuichi bashfully lowered his fedora over his eyes. "Th-Thanks," he murmured, and made a show of pushing his jacket aside to reveal the silver chain on his vest.

"Ah, you brought it along!"

"Of course I did," he said, unable to stop grinning as he pulled out his new pocket watch. "It wouldn't do it justice if I just wore jeans and a hoodie with this thing. It at least deserves a nice suit."

"You dressed for the sake of an accessory?" she laughed.

"You bet I did!" he replied, sharing in her laughter.

When Ryuichi's turn came to draw a fortune, he paid the priestess before picking up the hexagonal box to shake a wooden stick loose. The priestess checked the number on the stick and matched it to one of the many drawers on the wall behind her. She took out the drawer so he could pick a fortune, and he and Mitsuru thanked her and stepped off to the side to see what he got. He held his breath as he unfolded the paper.

"Great curse," Ryuichi read aloud glumly.

"That's all right," Mitsuru said, trying to console him. "Let's go tie it on the wire."

They went to one of the trees surrounded by the thick wires there. Ryuichi found a spot to tie his bad fortune, glad to be rid of the cursed little piece of paper. It was almost alarming to see so many other bad fortunes for his to join, where some of them were starting to overlap one another.

"I basically paid a hundred yen to curse myself," Ryuichi bitterly joked.

"At least you got rid of it," Mitsuru reassured him. "And perhaps now I can share some of my luck with you."

"Yeah?" He glanced over to the stalls selling food and souvenirs. "Either way, wanna get something to eat?"

Mitsuru smiled. "Very well, but only if it's my treat."

"Free food? Looks like your luck is already rubbing off on me!" he laughed.

They got in yet another long line, this time to buy some gooey bunches of takoyaki. As if to make sure she got to pay, Mitsuru made Ryuichi hold both their takoyaki boats to keep his hands away from his wallet. They then went in search for a place to sit, finding every bench packed with people. Mitsuru pointed out a family vacating a bench, and Ryuichi dashed over to it to claim. Mitsuru came shuffling over after him, having trouble moving swiftly in her kimono.

"Won't the others find it suspicious that we got away from them?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru while she blew on her first takoyaki to cool it down.

"We should be fine as long as they don't find us looking too comfortable," she said, but not without a quick scan around them.

"I guess you're right." He kept looking around, searching for anyone familiar while ribbons of steam rose up from his octopus balls. He eventually let himself skewer one with a toothpick and nibbled on it. The moment he bit into it, the scalding, gooey batter within scorched the tip of his tongue. He set it back down in the boat to cool.

Mitsuru ate her first takoyaki and held her hand over her mouth to cover while she chewed. "Everything seems so normal, doesn't it?" she asked him once she could speak. "You would never know that the Fall was imminent. It's times like these that I believe we need to treasure the normalcy of things, so that we can remember what it is we're fighting for."

Ryuichi blew on his takoyaki, but didn't try to eat it yet. "What's normal to you?" he asked her.

"Normal for me? Going to school, attending fencing practice and student council meetings, studying for exams, and I suppose fighting Shadows is normal, though unorthodox."

Ryuichi nodded, seeing nothing faulty with her answer.

"And having you around, of course," she added, smiling.

"There it is!" he exclaimed. "Now that I think about it, I don't really know what's normal for me anymore."

"You don't? Why's that?"

"My life's changed a lot this past year," he replied, thinking back to night he received that phone call from his mother. "Back then, normal for me was going to school, attending kendo practice, pretending I helped out the Student Council, fighting Shadows, and even just hanging out with you.

"When we started our third year, normal changed. My sister was back and she had a baby I needed to help with. The restaurant was falling apart again, Mom and Dad were in denial about everything, and I felt like I was shirking my duties as your butler and bodyguard. I felt like I was losing sight of myself."

He leaned back on the bench and sighed. "I felt like I was falling back to our third year of middle school all over again. It was like I was back in that place where I was just so tired of everything, where it was just too painful to keep living."

"But you kept going," Mitsuru said to him. "Even though the path you tread was only causing you anguish, why did you keep going with it for so long?"

"I guess because there were too many people depending on me. I didn't want to let them down."

"Then, what made you change your mind and walk away from it all?"

Ryuichi took a breath and released it slowly. "I realized that I was dying inside," he said softly. "I had it in my head that yeah, I needed to help my family, but they weren't willing to help themselves. I wasn't helping anyone, since they didn't want to change, and because of that, I definitely wasn't helping myself. I know it was selfish to just abandon them like that, but I knew I wouldn't survive if I stayed."

Mitsuru's expression became as placid as a falling leaf drifting on a breeze. "You once told me that it wasn't selfish if you're doing something good for yourself for once," she said. "I knew right away that you weren't talking about someone who was selfish on a normal basis, but rather someone who gave so much of himself that he forgot to take care of himself. I used to think that my own well-being didn't matter, as long as my father was protected, but after his passing, I felt like I had lost my purpose in life.

"But, the Group still needed me, even though all they needed was my birthright. And yet, even though Yukari helped me come to terms with my father's passing, I still couldn't find value in myself. My role was still solely defined by the Kirijo name, where I knew that role would be used to stabilize our company through an arranged marriage. It was my primary purpose as a Kirijo, and I detested that."

Ryuichi listened quietly, recalling just how devastated Mitsuru had been during that turbulent month and the weeks that followed.

"It seems so silly now, the way I was so convinced that I had to make such a sacrifice for the Group," Mitsuru remarked wistfully. "Even though it was clear that my mother and grandmother were against the marriage, they had no choice but to go along with it at the time. Kikuno would also voice her disapproval, but of course, she would be scolded for speaking out of place."

She looked to him with a smile in her eyes. "But, while everyone else in the Group kept reminding me of my duty to my family, you were always encouraging me to do what was best for me. You were so passionate, trying your hardest to change my mind about the marriage while trying to teach me that I wasn't just a pawn to sacrifice. You helped me see that I mattered, too."

Ryuichi shyly prodded a takoyaki with his toothpick. "Well, you did it for me, first," he murmured, then shoved the whole thing into his mouth. It was thankfully cool enough that the gooey insides didn't scald him.

Mitsuru looked at him with curiosity in her eyes. "When did I do that?"

He chewed quickly, then swallowed everything. "Kindergarten, again," he replied. "You were the first to not look down on me."

"And why would I do that?" she asked.

"That's what I wondered," Ryuichi said, staring down at his takoyaki boat. "Everyone else did it—family, teachers, classmates—but you didn't. You treated me like I mattered, though I guess I lost sight of that until just recently."

"Of course you matter," Mitsuru said firmly, then softened her expression. "I just find it so strange that we both had to keep confirming it for each other, where we acknowledge that fact in the other but not within ourselves."

"Then, I guess we were meant to be if we bring out the best in each other," Ryuichi said, smiling, making Mitsuru blush.

"Ooh. You two look like you're getting along," came Yukari's voice.

Alarmed, the two looked up to see Yukari, Minato, Ken, Fuuka, and Koromaru coming towards them. Ryuichi perspired cold, hoping they didn't hear him just then. Next to him, Mitsuru stiffened in her seat.

"Are you two going out or not?" Minato asked them bluntly, making the others gasp and the seniors flinch.

"You can't just ask flat out like that!" Yukari screeched at him. "Geez."

"I thought they got along because they're best friends," Ken said, looking up to the juniors.

"I do consider Ryuichi to be a very good friend of mine," Mitsuru confirmed, no longer appearing flustered. "Perhaps that's the closeness you see in us."

"Please. You just like me for snacks," Ryuichi joked, hoping to deflect the others' suspicions.

"Ryuichi-senpai, did you write down your wish yet?" Fuuka asked him.

Ryuichi speared another takoyaki. "Not yet," he answered her. "I got hungry and made Mitsuru buy me food."

"Seriously, Ryuichi-senpai?" groaned Yukari. "You're the guy! You should be the one treating Mitsuru-senpai!"

"That just means they're definitely not dating," Ken pointed out. Next to him, Fuuka shyly shifted her gaze to the two seniors but said nothing.

Yukari shook her head in disappointment. "Geez, you'd be the worst boyfriend ever, Ryuichi-senpai."

"You think so? I always thought I was boyfriend material," Ryuichi said, pretending to be astonished by her accusation. "I like long walks on the beach, stuffing my face with free food, and lounging around in my underwear all day. Aren't I a peach?"

"You're more like a durian!"

"Aw, you think I'm the sweetest thing deep down inside? Thanks, Yukari!"

They all laughed while Yukari pouted. Ryuichi and Mitsuru laughed the hardest, silently relishing in their secret and leaving the others guessing. It became more of a game to them to hide their relationship, and it looked to Ryuichi like everyone wanted to push the two of them together.

"Uh, oh. It looks like Junpei and Akihiko-senpai are going on another 'Operation Babe Hunt'," Minato said when he spotted the two over yonder. Aigis was with them, observing carefully with Junpei as a flustered Akihiko tried to speak with a couple of girls in kimono. The expression on his nervous face grew more and more panicked the more he sputtered out words, turning the girls' faces sour.

Yukari sucked on her teeth. "Looks like Akihiko-senpai's crashing bad."

"Maybe we should save him," Ryuichi suggested. "Or at least pick up the pieces."

"Poor Akihiko-senpai," Fuuka said sympathetically.

Mitsuru leaned in towards Ryuichi. "May I have two of those heating pouches?" she whispered.

When she had them in her hands, she looked to Ken. "Amada, take these and give them to those two girls," Mitsuru instructed.

He took them, blinking in confusion. "Sure, but why?"

"They look a bit cold," was all she said, and sent him on his way.

"Uh, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked cautiously. "What are you hoping will happen?"

Mitsuru said nothing, her smile still plain on her face. Ken took Koromaru with him, and the older teenagers watched him walk up to the two girls while Akihiko continued to struggle. The boy held up the pouches to the girls, and their faces instantly lit up. They fussed over Ken and Koromaru, Ken looking indifferent to all the attention while remaining oblivious to the defeat on Akihiko's and Junpei's faces. Nearby, Aigis seemed to continue to study the struggles of human courtship.

"Um, are you sure you helped him out?" Ryuichi whispered to Mitsuru.

"I thought I'd help him regroup and try again later."

They watched Akihiko saunter away, trailed by Junpei and Aigis. "Ah, so it was a diversion tactic," Ryuichi realized. "Nice one."

The group split up again. Yukari and Fuuka had to rescue Ken and Koromaru from the two girls Akihiko was trying to ask out. Junpei was trying to console Akihiko from his failure while apparently giving him advice that Ryuichi wasn't sure would work. Meanwhile, Minato and Aigis went around to look at all the different charms the stalls were selling, where Aigis attempted to buy more than a dozen.

Ryuichi went with Mitsuru to get in line to write down their wishes on wooden charms. While they waited their turn, Ryuichi took notice of how many elderly people were around, looking like they were having as much fun as the children. It was the young people around his age who seemed to be the most grave, where they turned bad paper fortunes into death sentences, prayers into deals with the gods, and wishes as mantras for success. He pointed out his observation to Mitsuru, who took a moment to see for herself.

"Does that mean you're confident for when you take the college entrance exams?" she asked.

"Kind of, but not really. But then again, I've got a secret weapon."

"And that is?"

"I'm looking at it."

It took Mitsuru a moment to understand what he meant. "I can only help you so much," she reminded him. "The rest is up to you."

Their turn came next. They each bought a wooden charm with a little colorful cord on the end and borrowed some markers. All the things Ryuichi prayed for before ran through his mind, making him positive that there would be no way he could fit everything onto the little ema. He took a furtive glance at Mitsuru's charm, barely seeing anything on hers. She happened to notice his brief stare and covered it up.

"No peeking," she chided.

"Just making sure you're not copying me," he joked with a weak laugh.

He went back to his charm and gave it a little more thought. In the end, he wrote _"For many happy years with her"_ and hoped that his handwriting wouldn't be recognized by the others.

Mitsuru saw it. "It seems we have the same wish," she said with a smile, showing him hers.

Ryuichi saw almost the exact same words on her ema."I swear I didn't copy you," he told her, not that it mattered anymore.

They both went to hang their wishes on the wall covered with little hooks, all sagging under the weight of thousands of other wishes. They added theirs, making sure they were lost among the others, should their friends come looking to see what they wished for.

Ryuichi checked the time on his pocket watch. "That took us hours to get through all those lines," he sighed. He looked to Mitsuru. "You doing all right? That kimono's gotta be heavy."

"It's quite heavy, but I'm all right," she said, looking him up and down now. "How about you? Are you cold at all? Tired?"

"Honestly, I'm just happy being here with you," he replied, glad to see her smile. "It's one of the longest times we've spent together where we're not in a meeting or studying our brains out, and I don't have to call you 'Ojou-sama' or mind my manners around you. I'm like, stupid happy right now."

"'Stupid' happy?"

Her snort cracked the air. Mitsuru clamped a hand over her face, now turning a deep shade of maroon. Ryuichi clamped his own hand over his mouth, his giggles spilling out as he fought to stifle his laughter.

"Y-You snorted!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

"B-But, you—"

Mitsuru pulled out a paper folding fan she kept in her sleeve and hid her face behind it. "I can't believe that just happened," she muttered.

Ryuichi had to press both of his hands over his mouth, forcing his laughter to come out as tears.

"Please stop," she pleaded with him.

"Trying!" he gasped. "T-Too cute!"

"C-Cute?"

Ryuichi took out his handkerchief to dab away his tears. "Aw, man, I'm dead," he whooped. "I guess this starts off the first of many happy years with you."

He could see that Mitsuru's forehead was still blazing crimson while the rest of her face remained hidden behind her fan.

"Just don't tell anyone about this," Mitsuru murmured under her breath.

"Sure thing, Boss. It was still cute, though."

The last thing they did was watch some of the visitors get a chance to pound mochi with a large wooden hammer. They did a demonstration of how the professionals prepared the mochi and gave away plenty for everyone to eat. Ryuichi didn't take too much, not wanting to get tired of mochi before dinner with his family.

"So, are you ready for tonight?" he asked Mitsuru while they were still separated from the others.

"Truthfully, I'm a little nervous," she said to him. "I know that I've met your family many times before, but it's different this time: I'm not just your classmate or your boss anymore."

"That's because you're so much more," Ryuichi reassured her with a warm smile. "You have nothing to worry about. They already like you a lot. You pretty much can do no wrong in their eyes."

He leaned in close to whisper to her: "And that's without them knowing you're my girlfriend."

She flushed pink again. "Please refrain from calling me that," she whispered back. "At least not here."

They discussed dress code, the menu, etiquette—everything that would make Mitsuru comfortable in a less formal setting. He told her anything she wanted to know, reassuring her that it was going to be a relaxing evening with plenty of talk and even more food.

"Won't the others be suspicious if we both go out to see my family?" Ryuichi realized.

Mitsuru's eyes widened. She said nothing, but they both knew that they would have to figure something out and fast.


	99. Chapter 99

**Chapter 99**

Sneaking Mitsuru out of the dorm without the others knowing turned out to be simpler than they originally thought—In theory, at least. After Mitsuru spent the afternoon at home with family, she would return to the dorm in the evening and send Ryuichi an email to notify him of her return. He would then let her know if the lounge was empty so she could sneak into the back where the motorcycles were kept. The hard part was making sure the lounge was clear for her arrival.

As the time for dinner with his family drew near, Ryuichi kept poking his head into the lounge to see if anyone was there. For a little while, Akihiko was on the couch watching TV, eating a bowl of instant noodles while chugging down a protein shake. Then Minato came downstairs searching for something to eat while Aigis accompanied him. Yukari, Junpei, Ken, and Koromaru joined them shortly after, and Ryuichi was practically vibrating with nerves as he attempted to telepathically urge them all to go back upstairs.

When they finally left, Ryuichi ducked back into his room to check himself in the mirror. He now wore black jeans, a black, long-sleeved T-shirt, and a blue button-down shirt over it. His leather jacket was still hanging in the closet while his leather gloves were laid out on his desk. He just hoped that would be enough layers to protect him from the cold during the ride to his house.

His phone beeped. He sighed with relief when he saw Mitsuru's email, notifying him that she would arrive at the dorm soon. Thankfully, no one had returned to the lounge, and it didn't look like anyone was going to be coming downstairs anytime soon. Fuuka had gone home to spend New Year's Day with her parents, and everyone else was upstairs in their rooms, likely exhausted from their visit to the shrine. After giving Mitsuru the all-clear, he grabbed his jacket and gloves and headed to the back of the dorm.

Mitsuru entered the back room a few minutes after him. She now wore black pants tucked into her black knee-high stiletto boots, a gray turtleneck sweater, and her black leather riding jacket. Her red hair spilled out in loose waves around her shoulders, freed from its tussled bun from that morning.

Ryuichi admired her change of outfit. "Looking good!" he said, smiling. "And you seem happier to be in clothes you can move around in."

She wore a shy smile on her face. "It's not too much, is it?" she asked.

"You look perfectly casual." He eyed the cake box she carried. "Uh, did your chefs question why you were bringing that here?"

"I told them that I wanted to bring some dessert for everyone at the dorm, so they prepared two cheesecakes for me," she replied coolly. "It's a variety kind of cheesecake with different flavors like blueberry, raspberry, and chocolate."

Ryuichi cocked an eyebrow. "They made you two cakes without questioning why?"

"Well, they said that the smaller one—this one, in fact—is meant for me to keep in my room," she admitted shyly. "As for the other one, that one is for everyone in the dorm to share. I hid it in the refrigerator in my room for the time being."

"What for?"

"If everyone saw that I brought them a cake and went out again shortly after having just returned home, they might suspect that I left with you."

He beamed at her. "Clever," he said, impressed that she thought so far ahead.

With the cake box tied securely onto his motorcycle, Ryuichi started the engine and walked it out the back. Mitsuru closed and locked the back doors, then climbed onto the seat behind Ryuichi. When her arms were secured around his middle, they headed out.

...

"So _this_ is the house I've heard so much about."

Ryuichi held his motorcycle steady just outside the house so Mitsuru could get a good look. He spotted his parents' car parked across the street.

"This is it," he said, taking out the gate and garage door openers. He pressed the two buttons, and the gate and garage both opened, the gate sliding behind the front wall while the garage door opened upwards. When there was room, he drove his motorcycle straight into the garage and parked.

"You don't see garages attached to houses like this often in Japan," Mitsuru marveled as she dismounted. "When you said you made a few changes to the house, I wasn't expecting something like this."

Ryuichi removed his helmet before swinging his leg over his bike. "That's not all: the upstairs didn't exist before, and I had the whole place redone so that there was insulation in the walls," he explained. He untied the cake box from his motorcycle. "And I had the living room and kitchen redone so they're all one big room now."

"Did you renovate or completely build a new house?"

"A little bit of both, now that I think about it."

They decided to go through the front door, leaving their helmets on the motorcycle's handlebars. Ryuichi closed the gate and garage door while Mitsuru handled the cheesecake. She barely raised her hand to knock on the front door when the first lock turned.

"Ah. They heard us," Ryuichi said with a grin.

Mitsuru's chuckled. "I wouldn't doubt that, what with your motorcycle's engine making all that noise."

The second lock turned, and the door slid open to reveal his family's smiling faces.

"Happy New Year!" they chorused.

"Happy New Year!" Ryuichi and Mitsuru replied back. This time, Mitsuru stepped forward to initiate the hug first, wrapping Ayumi in her one free arm while Ryuichi's mother returned the favor with both of hers. Toshio went next, then Shizue, and Ryuichi hugged whoever wasn't currently attached to Mitsuru.

"You both came on your motorcycle?" Ayumi hissed when she hugged Ryuichi. "What are you doing, bringing her on that thing?"

"Avoiding traffic?" Ryuichi went to hug his father next.

"She's right, Ryuichi. I don't like that motorcycle of yours," Toshio told him in a warning tone.

"Oh, it's quite all right," Mitsuru told them. "I have a motorcycle myself, but I haven't ridden it in a long time. You could say that Ryuichi lets me indulge by letting me ride in back."

She flashed them a nervous smile. "And, I was also the one who taught him to ride," she admitted.

Ryuichi thinned his lips to hide his smirk. Both of his parents' faces were caught in limbo between being upset with Ryuichi and trying to be happy and accepting of Mitsuru for teaching their son to ride the death machine.

Shizue cleared her throat. "Let's all get inside!" she said loudly, breaking the tension. "It's freezing out here! Come on, come on! You want them to catch pneumonia?"

Mitsuru was ushered inside, leaving Ryuichi to bring up the rear and close the door. The moment he stepped into the genkan, he walked into a wall of heat that made his fingers burn as they regained warmth. Ayumi and Toshio fussed over Mitsuru while she removed her jacket and boots, barely giving her a chance to answer between their questions. Ryuichi took her jacket and stowed it away in the closet with his while his family whisked her away to the living room. The poor woman nearly tripped just trying to get her slippers on.

"Oh, we went to a different shrine this year," Mitsuru told them when they asked. "All the girls in the dorm dressed up in kimono. Would you like to see?"

She showed them some pictures on her digital camera that she took that morning. When Ryuichi followed them to the living room, he saw that the island in the kitchen had been completely cleared and cleaned of everything except for the machine that was noisily turning mochi rice into mochi.

"Nya!"

Ryuichi looked down to see the little gray kitten, now more like a tiny cat, try to climb up his left leg.

"Hey, you!" he greeted, picking him up in his arms. "Happy New Year, Otoro!"

He turned to Shizue, who was putting away the cheesecake into the refrigerator. "Hey, no Ayaka-san today?"

"Nah, she went home to see her family for a few days," Shizue told him. "So it's just me, Megs, and Otoro here."

"Ryuichi! Since when do you dress up all nice like this?"

Everyone gathered around Mitsuru's camera. Ryuichi cringed when he saw the picture with him and Mitsuru in their suit and kimono smiling and standing apart just enough to not look like a couple.

"W-Well, uh, since I'm Mitsuru's bodyguard, I have to start looking the part, don't you think?" He fumbled on his words, but they seemed to appreciate his attempt to dress better.

Shizue squinted at the tiny screen. "What's with the fedora?"

Ryuichi started to crack under his family's expectant stares. "Uh, well, it was around the time I was attacked on my way home when I went to buy a snack from a vending machine," he said quickly, recalling the lie they came up with months and months ago. "Mitsuru saw that I wasn't comfortable walking around with bandages on my head, so she had her maid get me a hat to cover up. I didn't think she'd get me a fedora."

"I was also surprised that she chose that style for you," Mitsuru added, appearing apologetic for the harm that came upon him back then. "It ended up suiting you well."

Ryuichi watched his family carefully as they seemed to question his style of fashion more than anything. He was just glad that they accepted the story, knowing that they wouldn't take it well if they heard the truth where he split his head open during a fight against Shadows.

"You both look wonderful together," Ayumi gushed in the end, letting Mitsuru have her camera back. "And that was a beautiful kimono, Mitsuru-san."

"It's actually my mother's," she said, setting her camera down on the coffee table. "She's quite frail, so it's not often she gets to wear her kimono anymore. This was the first time in many years that this one in particular has been worn. I hope I did it justice."

"You looked great in it," Shizue said, beaming.

"I'm sure you made her very happy," Ayumi told her with a warm smile. "Were you able to greet her a Happy New Year? I hope we didn't steal you away from her."

"I spent the day with her this afternoon," Mitsuru replied. "She tired out quickly, so she told me to enjoy myself today so she could rest."

Toshio went to check on the mochi machine. "It's going to take a couple of minutes, so—Ryuichi!"

Ryuichi flinched. "Y-Yeah?"

"How about a tour of the place?" he asked, grinning.

Ryuichi and Shizue shared the role of tour guide, Megumi happily being carried in her mother's arms. It was a small house to begin with, so there wasn't much to show off, but their parents and Mitsuru seemed interested in the drastic changes Ryuichi made, the insulation in the walls and the addition of the garage being the most intriguing.

"I was able to get it a lot cheaper than the list price because the place was trashed," Ryuichi told everyone as they walked through the house. "The real expenses came from the renovations and additions."

"Not to mention the air conditioners you put in every room," Shizue chimed in. "It's so useful when I just need one on in my room at night, and during the day, I just keep the one in the living room on."

"You put air conditioners in every room?" Ayumi inquired, sounding impressed with his decision and ability to afford the luxury.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged, taking in the rare looks of awe his parents wore for him. "I mean, it's practical, right?"

The last place he showed them was the master bedroom. Ryuichi unlocked the door, and their parents stepped inside first, marveling at the size of the room, the high ceiling, the fancy upgrades in the bathroom, the spacious walk-in closet, and of course, the view from the balcony.

"Now _this_ is a master bedroom!" Toshio howled as he and Ayumi both opened the curtains in front of the sliding door.

"Très bien, Ryuichi," Mitsuru told him while following the two to the balcony.

Ryuichi's face hurt from smiling so much. "It's really nothing," he replied bashfully. "The house itself is pretty small, so I just went a little overboard with the master bedroom."

"It's quite comfortable," Mitsuru told him, beaming. "It feels like I could sit in any room and enjoy a nice book."

Ryuichi took that as a huge compliment, knowing how much Mitsuru loved her books.

After they had a quick look around at the room, they headed back downstairs. The mochi rice was now a smooth, gooey ball, just about ready to be served. Ayumi gleefully ushered the kids to sit on the couch while she and Toshio worked to prepare the mochi into smaller, easier to eat pieces.

"Hot! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" Toshio whooped from the kitchen as he dumped the scalding-hot ball of mochi onto the rice flour-coated countertop with his bare hands.

The TV in front of the coffee table showed a New Year's variety show that went almost unnoticed by the three. Ryuichi sat on the edge of the sectional sofa with Mitsuru next to him. He was about to say something to Mitsuru when Shizue came up and dumped Megumi on her brother's lap before crossing in front of them to get to where the two sections of the sofa met at a corner. As he bounced Megumi on his knee, Otoro clawed up Ryuichi's leg and went to sniff Mitsuru, who smiled and stroked his fur.

"Happy New Year, Megs," Ryuichi cooed at his giggling niece while Mitsuru and Shizue chatted.

He was amazed at how much bigger Megumi had gotten. She had a full head of the same silvery-gray hair her mother, uncle, and grandfather had, and the softest, chubbiest cheeks that Ryuichi teasingly told her was like mochi. He made faces, repeatedly kissed her nose, and playfully munched on her mochi cheeks when he saw Megumi strain her face.

"Uh, oh." He got up before he could smell the odor. "Looks like you really dropped a bomb this time."

He brought Megumi to Shizue's room to change her diaper. For just a second, he stepped away to suck in a deep breath and quickly worked to clean her up. His hands worked faster than his brain could remember what to do. Soon, the dirty diaper was in the trash and Megumi was fresh and clean again.

"Wow, Megumi! You're such a good girl!" he crooned. "You didn't even cry!"

As if she understood, Megumi giggled. He began singing softly to her on his way back to the sofa, noticing that the kitten had curled up on Mitsuru's lap. Mitsuru and Shizue both looked up when they heard him sing.

"Boy bands," Shizue grumbled to Mitsuru. "Thanks to _this_ guy, Megumi loves boy bands, and it doesn't matter if they're from Japan, Korea, Europe, or America. And they all just happen to be _his_ favorites."

"Hey! I like non-boy bands, too!" he protested, feeling his face grow hot. "She just—She prefers boy bands."

"And don't I know it!" Shizue threw back her head and groaned again. "One time, Megumi wouldn't stop crying, so he got her to quiet down by singing a boy band song. When he stopped, she cried again, and he had to keep singing to her for two hours straight until she finally fell asleep!"

Mitsuru chuckled. "I think I remember a time when his voice sounded unnaturally hoarse. He didn't mention anything about boy bands, though."

His face reddened. "It's not something you go around telling people," he muttered, making the two women chuckle.

Just then, Ayumi and Toshio came by with numerous little dishes and bowls filled with goodies. The coffee table was quickly covered with fried and steamed vegetables, sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy sauces, different flavors of seaweed, and several other toppings to eat with the mochi. Mitsuru picked up her camera again to snap a few photos, and Ayumi and Toshio paused to smile for a few pictures before heading back to the kitchen to retrieve more items.

"Ryuichi, could you get the chopsticks?" Ayumi asked him.

"Sure thing." Without hesitating, he set Megumi down next to Mitsuru, who stared at the baby as if she was a grenade that was thrown at her. Megumi reached for Mitsuru, grabbing at her sweater while Ryuichi crossed the room to the kitchen.

"She won't bite," Ryuichi called to Mitsuru from the kitchen counter. "Just watch her for a sec."

When he returned to the sofa, he nearly snorted when he saw the intense look in Mitsuru's eyes as she stared at the baby.

"Um, maybe not like that," he chuckled, and set several pairs of chopsticks down on the table.

Shizue got up to rescue Mitsuru from Megumi. "Come here, sweetheart," she said, smiling as she picked up her daughter.

Their parents came back with three bowls containing two fat pieces of mochi each in them, and one bigger plate with several more pieces of mochi in various sizes. They gave Mitsuru the first bowl, then served their two children next before heading back to the kitchen to shape more and more of the mochi. They urged the three to sample all of the different toppings and sauces, telling them to try different combinations and to wrap some in crunchy seaweed. As expected of their parents, everything tasted incredible, with some blends of sweet and savory delight all brought together by the chewy, springy texture of the mochi.

Ryuichi had a little too much fun stretching a piece when he tried to bite one in half. Mitsuru had a particularly stubborn piece that stretched no matter how much she pulled. Ryuichi snorted into his plate as he snapped a photo of Mitsuru's struggle on his phone. As she protested, Shizue took some photos of them both using Mitsuru's camera, laughing along with her parents.

"It looks like it's someone's bedtime," Ayumi said to Shizue, gesturing to a sleepy Megumi.

The young mother scooped up Megumi, whispering softly to her on her way to her room. Ryuichi noticed Otoro perk his head up from Mitsuru's lap, eyeing Shizue's mochi. He got up to paw at her food, and Mitsuru snapped a picture of him.

Shizue returned to find everyone laughing. "Hey! No!" she yelled, snatching up her bowl. "Ugh! Every time!"

"Did he eat yet?" Ryuichi asked her.

"I fed him twice, but I guess it wasn't enough?" She nudged the kitten away. "Can you feed him for me? Just give him half the can and warm it up."

As he warmed up some wet cat food for Otoro, the little kitten kept ordering him around while digging his claws into his calf. When he finally set the dish of cat food down on the floor, Otoro dove in with both paws in his food, eating with the voracity of a starved dog. Ryuichi wiped off his dirty paws with a paper towel, and thankfully, he didn't step in his food again.

"So, how is it, kids?" Toshio asked the three about the mochi.

"Delicious!"

"It's really good!"

"C'est magnifique!"

Their enjoyment of the food lit both Toshio's and Ayumi's faces up.

"Mitsuru-san, have you tried it with some of this?" Ayumi asked, offering her more toppings.

Ryuichi returned to his seat as Shizue tried her mochi with the vegetables their mother prepared. Mitsuru kept having different toppings and sauces pushed on her by Toshio and Ayumi, gladly sampling a little bit of everything they offered. After trying everything once, she went back for some of her favorites.

"Mom, Dad? Aren't you guys going to eat some, too?" Shizue asked them.

"We will," Toshio said. "Just gotta do one more thing."

Toshio and Ayumi shaped the kagami mochi and stuck a bitter orange on top. They brought over two big plates of the mochi pieces they made, then took a seat on the far end of the sectional sofa. Everyone shuffled the dishes of toppings and sauces around so they could have some, and the two finally took their first tastes of the mochi.

The conversation around the table was mostly centered on Mitsuru, asking how she was doing, how work and school were, and her plans for after graduation. Ryuichi felt a twinge of emptiness inside himself, thinking about the final fight by the end of the month, long before graduation would come.

"So, you're not going to attend a university?" Ayumi asked, awestruck.

"If I could, I would love to go," Mitsuru told her. "But, given the circumstances, I must focus all my energy on running the company."

"Wow. A female CEO," Shizue marveled. "That's so cool."

Toshio looked to Ryuichi now. "What about you?" he asked him. "Are you still aiming for Kawaguchi?"

"Yeah, I am," he said with a mouth full of mochi.

"How are you going to go to class and be Mitsuru-san's bodyguard at the same time?"

Ryuichi swallowed his mouthful. "Online courses," he explained. "I'll be able to travel around with Mitsuru and still earn credits."

"When you're not traveling, do you plan on moving in here?" Ayumi asked, gesturing to the whole house.

"As he is my bodyguard and butler, it would be most practical for him to live at my home with me," Mitsuru told her. "I will also make sure that he doesn't shirk his studies so that he will get his degree."

"There's no need for that," Toshio said with a bashful grin. "We don't want to cause any trouble for you."

"It's no trouble at all. Ryuichi has sacrificed so much for me that it's the least I can do to show my gratitude for these past few years of his service."

Ryuichi had a feeling they were all thinking about his scars. Ayumi stared at the one above his right brow, prompting him to shake his bangs loose to cover it up.

"I'll work hard at my studies and strive to become a better bodyguard to keep you safe," Ryuichi promised Mitsuru. "You've done so much for my family and for me that I can't repay you enough, even if I served you for my whole life."

"Why you, though?" Toshio piped up. "Isn't there anyone else that's more skilled?"

"Ryuichi is highly skilled," Mitsuru said in all confidence while Ryuichi shrank in his seat. "Just a few weeks ago, we were attacked by two men who were skilled fighters, but Ryuichi was able to fend them off all on his own even after a month of not being active."

A stunned Shizue looked to Ryuichi. "You mean you didn't make that story up?"

He pouted. "You really think I'd make something up like that?" he asked indignantly, and his sister apologized for doubting him.

The evening continued on. After a few drinks, a drunken Toshio told stories of his days in college when he went abroad to the United States, doing a number of things that they were certain had to be illegal. Ayumi would try to quiet him down when he became too boisterous, but he just raised his voice higher with his spirits and chugged more beer. He was so red-faced that Shizue kept telling him that Santa should fire Rudolph and hire him instead.

"Shay, Michuru-chan," Toshio slurred, "d'you have a boyfrien' yet?"

Ayumi gasped. "Toshio! Shh!"

But he just flapped a hand at his wife while Mitsuru quietly sipped her tea. Ryuichi's face grew hot, the question plucking at his nerves, making him feel jittery as he hastily chomped down on even more mochi.

"At the moment, I am not looking for such intimacy with anyone," Mitsuru said, completely unflappable. "Right now, I'm too busy with running the company and finishing school. I have no time for such relationships."

Ryuichi visualized a little list in his head. Not actively searching for someone to love? Check. Busy with work? Check. Too busy for love? Check-ish.

"As the head of your family, wouldn't that mean that you would have to marry someone to merge your company with his?" Ayumi asked her, looking concerned.

"That was what was supposed to happen," Mitsuru admitted to them. The others gasped, including Ryuichi. "But, as I got to know my fiancé more, I realized that such a man was unfit to lead my family's company, and so I severed ties with him and decided to run it myself."

Ryuichi hadn't expected Mitsuru divulge that much of what happened. Mitsuru set her teacup down on the table and looked to the admiring expressions of Ryuichi's family.

"I think you're better off," Shizue said approvingly.

"What made him unfit?" Ayumi asked.

"Didjoo choozim?" Toshio slurred. "Shoundz like a total di—"

Megumi's wails cut him off. Shizue started to get up, but Ryuichi told her to sit and let him take care of it. When he was in Shizue's room, he held Megumi in his arms as he sat down in a nearby chair, singing to her, speaking softly, telling her fairytales from whatever he could remember from the books he read to her. He couldn't hear the others talking over Megumi's cries, and for all he knew, his family was sharing embarrassing stories about him.

He tried giving Megumi a pacifier. She threw it. He went back to the kitchen to warm her some milk. She quieted down to suckle, allowing Ryuichi to return to the others with a quiet Megumi in his arms.

"What did I miss?" he asked them.

"Mom and Dad are trying to get Mitsuru-san to go on a date with you," Shizue grumbled.

Ryuichi frowned and shook his head at them both. "For shame, Mom and Dad," he chided them.

"And what's wrong with that?" Ayumi asked. "We've seen how well you two get along."

"Mom, I think you're forgetting that we're just friends _and_ she's my boss."

"I'm just trying to help you out, Ryuichi."

He hung his head. "Thanks, but I'm not _that_ pathetic that I need your help to find me a girlfriend, Mom."

"Well, we haven't seen you with a girlfriend yet. How do we know that girls even find you attractive?"

Toshio giggled to himself. "How do we know he even likes girls?"

Ryuichi squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. "It's because I like boy bands, isn't it?"

He looked to Mitsuru, frowning. "I apologize for my family's behavior," he said cordially to her with a bow.

"Ryuu-ee-chee." His father paused to guzzle down more beer. When he finished, his demeanor changed from giddy drunk to scowling drunk. "You bedder not like boys!"

"I don't! I swear, I like girls! I'm just really picky!"

Mitsuru smiled at Ayumi and Toshio, seemingly amused at their insistence. "How about this: Ryuichi can take me on a date, and I will give him a grade based on how well he does? That way we can see what he's doing wrong and help make him more desirable to the female populace."

"Not you, too," he griped, but she looked like she was having too good a time to stop.

Ayumi's eyes twinkled. "You would do that for him?"

"I see no harm in it," Mitsuru said nonchalantly. "We are good friends and are perfectly comfortable being completely honest with each other, so it's a good opportunity to help him improve. Perhaps I might even learn something from the experience."

Shizue peered at Ryuichi from around Mitsuru. "Don't screw this up," she warned. "And you'd better take her someplace nicer than pizza or burgers."

Ryuichi cocked his head to the side. "So, beef bowls?"

It was a joke, but his mother and sister didn't take it that way. They began a hefty lecture about how to properly treat a woman, how to dress, how to be a gentleman, from pulling her chair out for her to sit at the table to paying for her meal, all in front of his clandestine girlfriend, who he hoped wasn't taking too many notes. Towards the end of the lecture, it wound up becoming a lesson on the birds and the bees from the drunken Toshio.

"The boys're the birds becuz they peck," he told everyone. "Oh, wait. They could be the bees becuz... they sting?"

"This is not happening," Ryuichi kept telling himself, unable to meet Mitsuru's eyes anymore.

Toshio held up a finger in the air and wiggled it around, going "Zzzzzzzz," as if the visual would help his lesson.

Shizue got up to take Megumi from Ryuichi. "Bring Dad upstairs, will you?" she asked him with shame and embarrassment in her eyes. "Let him sleep it off for now. Mom, you should stay the night, too. Dad's not going anywhere."

Ryuichi took his sloshed father by the arm and guided him carefully up the stairs, Ayumi following closely to help out. Toshio stumbled a few times, arguing with the steps while his son and wife helped him to his feet. Ryuichi managed to get his father to lie down on the bed, but he was still yammering on about how the stairs were ruining the bee population and stagnating their country's growth.

"Ryuichi, she's agreed to go on a date with you, so you'd better be on your best behavior," Ayumi said to him as she helped to tuck her husband in. "Take her to a nice place, like a good sushi restaurant. Don't take her anyplace that serves fast food."

"I know, Mom."

"And don't speak to her like she's another guy! Not only is she a woman, she's the president of the Kirijo Group! Your boss! Speak to her with the respect she deserves!"

By the time they got Toshio tucked into bed, Ryuichi was questioning why Mitsuru even liked him in the first place, since he apparently was so slovenly and only ever took her to fast food restaurants. The lecture continued while they headed back downstairs, where they saw Shizue and Mitsuru standing in front of the kitchen sink, washing the dishes together. Ayumi shooed Mitsuru away, telling her to relax on the couch so she could take over. Ryuichi looked around to see that Megumi was nowhere in the room, most likely back in her crib. Relieved of baby duty, Ryuichi sat down on the couch, picking up Otoro and placing the sleepy kitten on his lap. Mitsuru came around to sit, but Ryuichi blocked her with his legs. Chuckling, she stepped over him and sat down.

"So, where would you like to go on that practice date?" Ryuichi grumbled to her.

"I think I will leave that up to you," Mitsuru replied with a smile. "I'm curious what my bodyguard considers to be a romantic date."

"A 'romantic' date, huh? What if my idea of a romantic date is staying in pajamas all day and watching movies while eating pizza?"

"Ryu-chan! At least try!" Shizue blasted at him from the sink.

He stroked the kitten under his chin. He answered back by rubbing his face against Ryuichi's hand, then went to curl up on Mitsuru's lap again. Mitsuru chuckled at the kitten and lovingly scratched his head.

"This could take me some time to figure out," Ryuichi said with a sigh, trying not to feel rejected by Otoro. "Sorry for dragging you into this."

He winked at Mitsuru, who smiled and said to him: "I'm looking forward to it."

Shizue and Ayumi finished up with the dishes and packed away the extra mochi. They joined Ryuichi and Mitsuru on the couch, bringing more tea and the cheesecake that they brought.

"So, how are things at the restaurant?" Mitsuru asked the two women. Ryuichi listened in while feasting on a slice of raspberry cheesecake.

"Toshio's improved so much since you've been talking to him," Ayumi said, joy crossing her face. "He's changed so much, and when he gets upset, he walks away for a few minutes and comes back to talk things over. The workers are still afraid to talk to him, but he's become more supportive of them."

"That's wonderful to hear!"

"Isn't it? We don't even fight as much anymore," Shizue told her. "It's so weird, like, if I mess up, I feel like he might yell at me, but then he just tells me what's wrong and to do better next time. It's like he's a totally different person."

According to his sister and mother, business was doing much better in the past month. Customers were slowly returning, and the reviews online had better things to say. Burgers were climbing to be among the most ordered dishes on their menu again, especially now that Toshio had finally embraced cooking the patties to where they were cooked but still juicy. Though, he still needed a few reminders to not smash down on the patties every now and then.

The staff finally started to warm up to their father, where they were less tense and more cooperative, but still had moments where they were nervous around him. They worked better with him, now that he had a better attitude, and the environment was much more inviting for workers and customers alike. Toshio even agreed to teach Shizue some of the recipes if she continued to work hard, which she was all too happy to report to her brother.

"Sounds like everything's finally falling into place," Ryuichi said, wearing a smile he couldn't feel.

"And we have Mitsuru-san to thank for that," Ayumi grinned.

Ryuichi knew that he should feel happy for his family, but a part of him felt a bit left out. He once again had to rely on Mitsuru to fix their problems, succeeding in just over a month while he failed to make any improvements in the past year. He made his choice to walk out on them, believing that he couldn't help them, and once he was out of the picture, things worked out better for them. His family was getting along, and they were getting along without him. Mitsuru just fit better with his family than he did, and apparently, so did Shizue.

Wasn't that what he wanted? Didn't he want to get away from his family? Now that he had spent a few years away from them, and more than a month-long hiatus from working with them, and especially with the Fall just a few weeks away, he now wanted to spend more time with them. He was happy for Mitsuru being welcomed into his family, and for Shizue for being able to reconcile with their parents, but he just felt like an outsider in his own family.

Just be happy for them, he told himself. He had been selfish enough. Their happiness was also important, even if he wasn't part of it.

Ryuichi excused himself to use the toilet. Otoro followed him, darting between his ankles as he relieved himself, mewing at him. He washed his hands and scooped the kitten up, taking Otoro to Shizue's room, where the kitten snuggled up with Megumi in her crib and fell asleep.

He tried to imagine if there was such thing as infant versions of the Lost. He couldn't recall any infants or children who suffered from Apathy Syndrome, mostly just teenagers and adults. Before school let out for break, he remembered there being a lot of empty seats in his class of those who had fallen ill with Apathy Syndrome. He shook the thought away and started back to the living room.

"—hasn't been easy when they only see me as the former CEO's daughter, so I can't make any mistakes during any business dealings," he heard Mitsuru say. "Undoubtedly, there are more challenges for me to prove myself to be on equal standing with the others, but your son helped me see that I can do it if I so desired, that there was more than one path for me to take that wasn't an arranged marriage."

"He helped you see that?"

"Yes. He's always given me his ear and his opinion on things. I was just too proud to listen sometimes."

"You give me too much credit," Ryuichi said, making the three women look up. "Just do us all a favor and prove to those crusty old guys that you're the right person for the job so that they'll fight amongst themselves to see who gets to do business with you."

Mitsuru's determined expression helped him relax. "I will," she said boldly. "I have every reason to succeed. If I falter, I'm depending on you to be there to catch me."

Ryuichi nodded. "I'll be there every time, no matter how many times you fall," he reassured her. "And trust me: I know a thing or two about falling."

"That was _almost_ romantic," Shizue sighed. "Way to ruin the moment, Ryu-chan."

"I wasn't going for romantic," Ryuichi murmured, sitting back down next to Mitsuru.

"It would be nice if you two did get together," Ayumi said to both her son and to Mitsuru. "You get along so well. And the way you look at each other, talk to each other—it's like you two are already a couple."

Mitsuru wore an apologetic look. "The only thing missing from that picture is passion," she said without her voice wavering. Ryuichi nodded, perhaps a little too emphatically. "We might be good friends, but Ryuichi and I don't feel that way about each other."

"You sure are comfortable talking about it," Shizue pointed out. "Most people don't talk about relationships so openly, so what are you guys hiding?"

"To be honest, there have been numerous rumors about us in school saying that we're dating, so we're just used to everyone assuming we are," Ryuichi replied with the same cool demeanor as Mitsuru. "We've refuted people so many times that we're just over it."

Ryuichi started to feel bad for his mother and sister, wishing he could just tell them the truth of their relationship. He had already given his family plenty to worry about, but their hopes of him finding a nice girlfriend, getting married, and carrying on the family name seemed to die right then.

"What if you change your minds _after_ you two go on that date?" Shizue asked, the eagerness shining in her widened eyes.

Ryuichi groaned. "Come on, Boss. Let's go before they plan our wedding."

Mitsuru's eyes grew. "Our wedding?"

"Yeah. And kids."

"Children? But—"

"They're gonna want five and four of them will work at the restaurant."

"F-Five?"

Mitsuru's face flushed pink while the others had a good laugh. For now, the topic of their relationship was suspended, even though it was clear that neither Ayumi nor Shizue were ready to quit. They chatted for a while longer until Ryuichi saw that it was already eleven-thirty at night.

"You and Dad can stay the night," Ryuichi told his mother. "Feel free to use anything you like."

"Thank you, Ryuichi," Ayumi said to him, smiling. "While I'm still a little mad that you didn't want your father and me to know about this place before, I can understand that it was probably for the best. Your father would've broken down the doors just to drag Shizue and Megumi home."

"At least you get it." He hugged his mother. "Thanks for dinner, and for making Mitsuru feel welcome."

"Anytime. Thank you for bringing her. I hope she enjoyed herself."

While Mitsuru was in the washroom, Shizue pulled her brother out the back door to stand on the deck just outside. The freezing cold against the heat on his skin was refreshing for the first few seconds, but he shivered soon after. Ryuichi breathed in, held his breath, and let out a steady stream of mist on the wind.

"You still haven't told her yet, huh?" Shizue asked him in a low, dark voice. "Aren't you ever going to tell her?"

Ryuichi's face squished in discomfort. "I kind of can't because, you know, she's my boss and she made it clear that she doesn't feel that way about me."

"Did you even hear the way she talks about you? The way she went on and on about the stuff you've done, it's like she's talking about her boyfriend!"

"She's just really proud of her friend," he reasoned, his voice getting higher and less confident.

He saw a small vein pop out on Shizue's forehead, much like their dad's.

"You still like her, though, don't you?" she asked. "All I'm saying is this: She _might_ actually feel something for you, so you should at least tell her how you feel. How sad will it be if you go twenty, thirty—fifty years down the road, only for you both to finally come clean? Don't you want those fifty years with her?"

Ryuichi blew sharply through his nostrils, getting frustrated with both his sister pushing so hard and with himself for wanting to just spill everything right then.

"All right," he murmured. "I'll tell her."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Promise?"

He made a face, trying to suppress a smile. "Promise."

Back inside, they saw Ayumi hand Mitsuru a plastic bag with two big plastic containers with big balls of leftover mochi inside.

"For everyone at the dorm and for your family," Ryuichi heard his mother say. "And, you might want to separate some and hide it for yourself. I haven't forgotten what you said about everyone stealing Ryuichi's food."

Mitsuru hung her head in shame. "My apologies," she said. "I am one of the culprits in the curry incident."

"How unbecoming of you, _Ojou-sama_ ," Ryuichi teased. "What would people say if they learned that the president of the illustrious Kirijo Group stole curry from her dorm mate?"

He watched as a disturbing smile spread across Mitsuru's face.

"Is that blackmail, Ryuichi?" she asked, amused. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind me telling them about the time you sampled someone's piece of cake you found in the dorm refrigerator?"

He gasped. "You saw that?"

Her smile grew. "And you stole the cherry on top, too."

"Ryuichi! How could you?"

"What is it with you and stealing fruit off of cakes, Ryu-chan?"

"I only took a tiny bit of frosting and the cherry was from the middle, not the top!" he snapped at them all. "Think of it like retribution for all the times _my_ food was stolen!"

While everyone had a good laugh at his expense, Ryuichi checked his phone for the time. It was ten minutes to midnight.

"We really gotta get going," Ryuichi told them all. "Sorry to have to cut the fun short."

"Go, go," Ayumi said to them both. "It's late, so you two take care and go straight home. Understood?"

"We will, Ayumi-san," Mitsuru said with a bow. "Thank you all very much for having me. I've never experienced such a warm feeling like this before. It's like I'm part of your family."

"Better get used to it," Ryuichi said, grinning. "You're practically unofficially adopted."

"And come back and see us whenever you get a chance," Ayumi told them in a firm voice. "That goes for you, too, Ryuichi."

He flinched. "Mom! _I_ was the one you gave birth to!"

"And yet we hear from Mitsuru-san more than you!"

"Oh, right. Good point."

They exchanged a round of hugs again, and Ryuichi and Mitsuru left with just two minutes to midnight. The Dark Hour fell shortly after, and all the world was quiet, save for Ryuichi's motorcycle rumbling and growling away. He drove in the middle of the road whenever possible, feeling Mitsuru adjust her arms around him to hold him tight but comfortably. He wished that they could keep riding forever, just like that, but with moments where they could park and chat for a bit.

"You think Fuuka knows we're together?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru when they neared the dorm.

"I'm certain she does. We can say that I asked you to come pick me up from my dinner."

He grinned. "That's right. I guess they won't notice if your dinner was the same as my dinner with family.

"By the way, Shizue was getting upset with me for not telling you how I feel about you, so she made me promise that I would tell you."

"Oh? Then let's hear it."

He took a hard left turn away from the dorm. They raced down the street towards Moonlight Bridge, Mitsuru shouting over the engine, demanding to know what he was doing. As they sped across the bridge, Ryuichi sucked in a deep breath and roared with everything he had:

"I LOOOOOVE YOUUUUUU, MITSURU KIRIJOOOOOO!"

He could hear her flustered shouts behind him, but the engine muffled her words. She hugged him tighter, pressing her body against his back even more. When they reached the end of the bridge, Ryuichi turned right around and headed back to the dorm.

"It'll be hard for Fuuka to hear me over the engine, right?" Ryuichi asked while he parked in the back.

"I hope so," Mitsuru chuckled, closing the rear doors once he was inside. "Thank you for opening your family and your home to me tonight. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much."

"When Mom says to visit, she means it," he told her, swinging his leg over to dismount. "So now you have a familial obligation to visit your adoptive parents and sister and niece every now and then."

"Family." A peaceful joy seemed to take hold of Mitsuru, embracing her, filling her with the warmth of the evening.

Ryuichi let her revel in her delight. He untied the bag of leftover mochi from his motorcycle and placed his hand on Mitsuru's back to usher her to the door. As he reached for his keys, Mitsuru pecked him on the cheek.

"I love you." She whispered it so softly that he understood it only when her lips brushed his face as she spoke. He could feel her heat rise with his as he fumbled for his keys. He grinned like an idiot, his brain numbed by her small gesture. When he couldn't get the door open, Mitsuru took him by the hand and guided the key to where it needed to go.

He really hoped that Fuuka had not witnessed the past few minutes. If she did, well, there was nothing they could do about it.


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter 100**

The next morning, Ryuichi awoke to his alarm clock going off. He panicked at first when he saw how late in the morning it was, but remembered that it was still winter break and that he had set it to go off a little later than usual. After shutting off the infernal beeping, he lay in the warmth of his bed for a few extra minutes, remembering how happy Mitsuru looked to be last night, talking with his family and being surrounded by people who loved her about as much as he did.

He carried that warmth with him during his workout, making himself impervious to the drag of the dreary weather and the freezing cold of his room. He ended up training for an extra half hour, his body doing all the work on the wooden dummy while his mind had gone elsewhere. After a shower and getting dressed, he stepped out of his room to see that his dorm mates had already discovered the little treat from his parents. Everyone but Mitsuru was there in the dining room, trying to figure out how they wanted to eat the mochi while picking off little pieces to nibble on.

"Ryuichi-senpai," Minato called to him. "Did you bring this home last night?"

"I did. Courtesy of the Okazaki family," Ryuichi said with a grin. "Help yourselves."

While they all gathered plates, bowls, and found sauces and goodies they could eat with their mochi, Mitsuru came down the stairs, almost floating on each step. She carried with her the box with the second cheesecake she told Ryuichi about the previous night.

"Good morning," Ryuichi greeted her as she joined everyone at the table. "Care for some mochi?"

"Good morning," she replied. "Oh? Where did all this mochi come from?"

"It's leftovers from when I had dinner with my family last night," Ryuichi replied, almost forgetting that she was supposed to be oblivious about the mochi. He spotted the box she carried. "Hey, what's that?"

She held up the cake box. "It's cheesecake," she answered, and everyone's eyes grew wide with excitement. "We also had a lot of food when I visited my home yesterday, and so I brought this to share with everyone."

Junpei slinked up to Mitsuru, trying to look nonchalant about eyeing the cake box. He made a show of buffing his fingernails on his shirt, rubbing his nose with a finger, and shrugging with a head bobble before snatching it up.

"Yoink!" He pranced away with the cake box, setting it down on the dining table. Everyone marveled in awe when he opened it, with the light of the heavens shining in their eyes as though it was a gift from the gods.

They warmed up the mochi, and Ryuichi ended up being the one to break it into smaller pieces for everyone to share. His dorm mates pounced on each piece he produced, trying different combinations of sauces, seaweed, and anything else they could find to eat with it. They had fun stretching the gooey mochi, laughing and having little contests to see who could stretch their piece the farthest. Mitsuru held back, taking only two of the smallest pieces while saying that Kikuno already brought her breakfast.

"Where did your parents get the mochi, Senpai?" Fuuka asked Ryuichi between bites.

"They made it."

"They did?"

"Yeah," he told her proudly. "It was really good when it was fresh."

"It's really good even now," Ken said, smiling.

"If fo gewy!" Junpei's tongue wrestled the wad of mochi as he spoke with his mouth full.

While they ate, Ryuichi took a picture on his cell phone and sent it to his mother, along with a message telling her and his father that everyone loved the mochi.

"No work today, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked as she got started on the cheesecake.

"Everyone is home with their families for the holiday, so I'm free today, too," Mitsuru explained. Ryuichi automatically interpreted the word "families" as "mistresses".

Aigis went over to the window to peer outside. "It is snowing today," she notified the others.

They all looked to see a light snowfall outside the window, delighted to see it actually look like winter for a change. As happy as they were that it was snowing, some of them lamented that they couldn't go out for the day. Koromaru seemed to be the saddest one among them, since he couldn't go for his usual walk around town.

Mitsuru looked to Ryuichi. "So, are you ready for another day of studying? We only have about two weeks until exams."

"Count me in," Akihiko piped up. "Are we studying at the kotatsu again?"

When everyone's bellies were full of mochi and cheesecake, they all cleaned up while Ryuichi prepared the kotatsu in his room. Akihiko was the first to show up with all his books, flashcards, notes, and pencils, and Mitsuru joined them shortly after. She sat between the two boys so she could help them without having to get up to move, but it was Akihiko who asked for her assistance more than Ryuichi.

"Like this?"

"Not quite." She leaned over to help him with a chemistry problem.

Ryuichi listened in to Mitsuru's explanation while trying to work the problem out on his own. He followed her instructions, and when Akihiko stopped her to ask a question, he continued without them, eventually coming to an answer.

"Good work, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said when she happened to look his way. "Here, try this one next."

"Wait, how'd you get that?" Akihiko started reaching for his notes when Ryuichi waved him off.

"Try it out yourself, first," he told Akihiko.

"I already did! What did I do wrong?"

"Check your work carefully," Mitsuru advised him, and with a frustrated groan, Akihiko hunkered down and went over his scribbles. He pointed at each individual part of the equation with his pencil and his finger, staring hard at his work until finally he gasped and erased a part. He solved the rest with ease.

"Very good, Akihiko," a pleased Mitsuru praised him. "Now, how about this one?"

About an hour later, Ryuichi looked up from his work and saw Mitsuru just sitting there quietly, her face a pale green. She had one hand clenched into a fist while the other covered her mouth.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her.

She started to get up from the kotatsu. "I-I just need to check something," she murmured. "If you would excuse me."

She hurried off. Ryuichi knew that look, having seen it a number of times over the past few years.

"She didn't look so good," Akihiko noted, shaking his head.

Ryuichi got up from the table. "Yeah. I'm gonna go check on her. Go ahead and keep studying," he said, and went to prepare hot tea to take to her.

Upstairs on the third floor, he could hear a catchy pop song with just the chorus on loop playing from the farthest end of the hallway. It sounded like someone was about to watch a romantic comedy, judging by the music. He shrugged and turned to face the lone door on the left.

"Hey, Mitsuru? I brought tea," he called through her bedroom door. He could hear her retching inside. "I'm coming in."

More retching. It was almost instinctual now for Ryuichi to set the tray down on her desk and turn down the blankets before checking on Mitsuru. He considered laying out her pajamas for her but hesitated, not knowing if he might find some personal articles of clothing in her wardrobe that she might not want him to see. He decided to let her get her own pajamas and headed over to assist Mitsuru in the washroom.

He found her kneeling before the toilet with her face hovering over the bowl, struggling with a few stubborn strands of hair that refused to keep out of her way. Kneeling behind her, Ryuichi held her hair for her to free up her hands. He rubbed her back, feeling her body convulse as she heaved again. Another wave of vomit fell into the bowl, and when she was through, she leaned heavily against him, panting as her tears trailed her mascara down her face in darkened rivers.

"Feeling better?" he asked her softly. She could only manage a weak nod. "Do you feel more coming up?"

She nodded again. Taking pity on her, he let her rest against him for as long as she needed. She shuddered, and a second later, she was bent over the toilet once more. He quickly pulled her hair out of the way again as the stench of bitter bile and mildly digested food invaded his nostrils. He held his breath to keep from gagging.

When she was through, Ryuichi helped her to her feet as she gave a feeble thanks. He flushed the toilet for her, then filled her glass with water for her to rinse with. Mitsuru just stood there, leaning heavily against the sink without touching the glass.

"Do you feel more coming up?" he asked, getting ready to hold her hair again.

Mitsuru motioned for him to step outside for the moment. He obeyed and closed the door behind him, hearing the water running as she washed up.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your studies because of this," she uttered through the door once she had the chance.

Ryuichi shook his head. "I'm more worried about you right now," he told her, keeping his voice light.

"I-It's just my time of the month," she said, her voice becoming timid. "It's nothing to worry about. You've seen me like this a number of times in the past."

"And? It's still miserable, isn't it? If I can do something to help make things a little easier on you, I'll do it."

After some time, the door opened. She staggered out of the washroom, leaning heavily against the doorframe. She had cleaned off the trails of mascara from her face, along with the rest of her makeup, revealing her pale, pale face. One bleary eye peered through her bangs at him, and he took it as a sign to carefully sweep her up in his arms to carry over to her bed so she could rest.

"So, did Kikuno-san ever have to carry you to bed like this?" he asked jokingly as he set her down.

Her face was strained, as though she was suffering from a great wound in her stomach. "She would offer me her shoulder and walk me to my bed, but your method is much more convenient, I will admit," she murmured, reaching for the straps on her boots.

"Here. Let me get those for you."

It took Ryuichi a few attempts to figure out how to undo the fasteners on her boots. He made sure not to let the soles touch the bed, setting her boots down on the floor so he could help Mitsuru out of her black peacoat. She told him to hang the short coat over the back of her chair, but she kept her white pashmina scarf and wrapped it loosely around her neck.

"Um, do you want to change your clothes first?" he asked nervously, unable to look at her as he asked. "You're on your own with that, though."

"This is fine for now," she told him, and a bit of rosy color returned to her face. She also couldn't look right at him. "I'll change later, after some rest."

He brought out the heating pad and plugged it into the wall. After laying it over her stomach, he covered her up with her blanket, pulling it up until it was just under her eyes. She seemed to relax, now that most of her face was covered.

"Thank you," she mumbled, muffled by the blanket.

"Anytime." Ryuichi took her boots over to the door. Upon his return to the bedside, he brought over the waste basket in case she needed to vomit again.

"Is it still weird, having me help you out with something like this?" he asked uneasily.

She blinked, her eyes thinned with fatigue. "Not anymore, no."

He felt the tightness in his chest release as he exhaled. "Okay, cool," he said, hating how dumb he sounded right then.

"Then, how about you? Is it awkward for you to assist me like this?"

"Not at all. I'm too busy worrying about my girlfriend not feeling well, after all."

He heard a tiny gasp escape her while he felt himself grow hot all over, despite the freezing cold of her bedroom. He located the remote control for her air conditioner and turned on the heater.

"Is the medicine still in the medicine cabinet?" he asked her.

Mitsuru's hand came out from under the covers to point at her bedside table. He checked, finding a few bottles of over-the-counter drugs. The one Mitsuru needed was the only one that was empty.

"Um, was I supposed to maintain your medicine supply, or is that still Kikuno-san's job?" he asked, confused as to how the usually attentive maid could have missed something vital.

Mitsuru turned her face slightly to see the empty bottle in his hand. "I think that's her way of testing your attentiveness," she said with a sigh. "Or perhaps she doesn't know that I'm not the only one who uses that medicine."

"Definitely the former," he said with a shrug, and checked all the bottles to see which ones were running low. He took a moment to study the names and strengths of the ones that needed to be restocked, especially noting the one Mitsuru needed most right then.

"I'll go get you some more," he informed Mitsuru on his way to the door. "I'm sorry, I should've been paying more attention."

"That's not your fault. I prohibited you from doing anything more than vacuuming my room, so you couldn't have known."

He had his hand on the doorknob. "Just try to get some rest, okay?" he asked, flashing her a reassuring smile. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Wait, Ryuichi."

When he turned back, he saw Mitsuru laboriously sit up. He returned to her side, and Mitsuru removed the scarf from around her neck and tied it around his.

"It's snowing, so please be careful," she told him in a soft voice.

Smiling, Ryuichi leaned in to give her a kiss when she turned away, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I'm sorry. Given the circumstances..."

He brushed her bangs aside and kissed her forehead instead. "I'll be back soon," he said again, and left the room.

On his way back downstairs, he tucked Mitsuru's scarf below his fleece pullover collar and zipped it up so no one would see it. He returned to his room to grab his parka when he saw Akihiko still studying at the kotatsu.

"Hey, how's Mitsuru?"

"She's not feeling well," Ryuichi told him while he checked his wallet for cash. "I'm gonna grab her some medicine really quick, so just keep studying."

"Is she okay? She doesn't have anything contagious, does she?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just something that comes once a month."

"Once a month? What, like a werewolf?"

Ryuichi didn't feel the need to correct him, too amused by his response as he fastened the clasps on his coat. With an apology for ditching Akihiko, he stepped out to get the medicine for Mitsuru.

The snow fell in a gentle sprinkle, lightly carpeting the asphalt. It was so cold that he could see his breath amid the snowfall and winter chill. As he walked through the powder, his thoughts wandered back to Mitsuru, hoping she was able to rest without any more trips to the toilet to interrupt her.

First, Ryuichi had to use the ATM at the local convenience store to withdraw some money. He always got a rush of satisfaction when he got a pile of cash from the machine, especially now since he was getting paid again. From there, he trekked to the nearby drugstore where he picked up some medicine, recalling the brands he saw from Mitsuru's drawer.

Next was the feminine hygiene aisle. He emailed Mitsuru to ask if she wanted pads or tampons while browsing the products. He saw light, thin pads, pads so thick they were practically pillows, pads for overnight leaks, pads with wings, pads without wings, pads with noise-resistant wrappers, and pads that were so long that Ryuichi could swear he could use it to staunch the bleeding of a large wound. When Mitsuru didn't answer his email after a few minutes, he decided to just pick some and hope for the best.

"Maybe not the mega ones," he said to himself, and grabbed one package of the lights, one of the overnights, and one standard, making sure they all had wings. He considered grabbing a package of tampons but shied away from them, unsure if she used them. At the last second, he grabbed one of the most expensive brands of tampons, just in case.

With two bags filled with medicines, pads, and tampons (and a funny look on the male clerk's face), Ryuichi stopped by the supermarket just a few more blocks away to check the different types of chocolate there. He grabbed a package of Go Diva chocolates, then found some flowers on his way to the register and selected a single red rose.

The snow fell heavier now, making it harder to see. Ryuichi tied the plastic bags to keep the fresh powder out but tucked the rose into the deep, inner pocket of his jacket. He pulled his hood back on, but still felt the cold sting his cheeks as the wind blew snow into his face. He tugged Mitsuru's scarf up higher over his neck to keep warm, but it quickly became soaked in snow.

"Sorry, Mitsuru," he muttered under his breath. "Guess I'll buy you a new one later."

He made it to a street corner, where others who braved the winter weather gathered to cross the street. Ryuichi huddled with them, blinking snow out of his eyes constantly as he watched for the traffic light to change. He checked to make sure his frozen fingers were still attached, and tried wiggling them around to keep the blood flowing.

Someone behind him sneezed. The person next to Ryuichi turned and coughed into his face. Someone sneezed into her hands and went to push the button for the crosswalk. All around him, people were sniffling and coughing, packing in tightly as if to cut off Ryuichi's escape. He was trapped until the light changed to let everyone cross, and Ryuichi wasted no time hurrying away as quickly as possible.

The heavy snow lightened up when he was almost home. Just before he entered the dorm, he tucked Mitsuru's scarf back down below his collar again to hide it from view. He stopped by his room first and was surprised to see Akihiko still studying there.

"It really started coming down on you, didn't it?" Akihiko asked while Ryuichi brushed snow off of his shoulders. "I don't remember any mention of a storm in the weather reports."

"I wouldn't call it a storm, per se, but yeah, I wouldn't recommend going out."

Ryuichi headed to his bathroom to hang his jacket there. He carefully unwound Mitsuru's sorry scarf from around his neck, feeling badly that it was soaked from the snow. He had to change his clothes, only realizing now that his legs were frozen numb from his snow-drenched jeans. The collars on his fleece pullover and his shirt were also saturated in melted snow, surprising him that it was able to sneak its way past his hood and Mitsuru's scarf.

He remembered the rose just as he was leaving the bathroom. He plucked it from his jacket pocket, unsure of how he was going to sneak it past Akihiko. After tucking the long stem into his back pocket and covering it with his gray button-down shirt, he slipped out of his room with his purchases and headed upstairs.

"I'm back," he said upon returning to Mitsuru's room. She had changed into her silk pajamas, this time wearing a shimmery, dark gray set. She was lying in bed, looking like she was suffering from a terminal disease caused by womanhood. When she heard Ryuichi, she struggled to sit up.

"Those aren't the clothes you were wearing when you left," she noticed as he kicked off his shoes by the door.

"Yeah, the wind picked up and it started snowing kinda hard while I was out there, but it's not as bad now," he said to her as he set the bags of goods down on her desk. "Sorry, but your scarf got soaked."

"I can always have it cleaned. Did you get a chance to warm up?"

"I'm fine. I dried off and I can warm up with tea after we take care of you first."

He read the instructions on one of the medicine bottles and shook out a pill. He gave it to Mitsuru with some water, then helped tuck her back into bed. When she was settled, he presented her with the lone rose from his back pocket and the box of chocolates.

"And your family worries that you've been nothing but trouble to me," she sighed, then thanked him for both of his presents. She told him that she would have some chocolate later, asking him to put them away in her desk drawer for now. After doing so, Ryuichi went to fill a small vase with water for the rose.

Mitsuru look to him with her weary eyes as he placed the vase on her desk. "I feel like I've demanded far more of you than you have of me."

"I've dealt with your puke, and you've dealt with mine. I think it balances out," he replied with a smile. He scooted her desk chair over to the bedside and reached under the covers to hold her hand. She felt warm to the touch.

"You're so cold," she murmured from beneath the covers. "You really should warm up with some tea."

"I'll be okay. Anything else I can get you?"

Mitsuru shrunk beneath the covers. "Could you stay with me for a little while, please?" she asked timidly.

He nodded and saw relief wash over her face. When he couldn't find a comfortable angle while sitting in the chair, he knelt on the floor with both hands under her blanket, holding her one hand in both of his.

"While you were out, I was thinking that, as awkward as last night might have been for you, it made me very happy to hear that your parents would choose me for their son," Mitsuru murmured from under the covers. "I almost wanted to tell them about us last night."

"Me, too," he agreed, though he was glad that she took his family's forwardness more as a compliment than anything else. "But if we did that, they'd tell everybody. You saw how excited they got, trying to get us together."

Mitsuru let out a weary sigh. "That's true. Though, I found it somewhat amusing that they were teaching you to be a gentleman when you were already so considerate of me."

"Yeah, but they made some good points. I have to improve on myself so I can make you happy and so that your parents approve of me, too."

Mitsuru's eyebrows knitted together. "Ryuichi, my father is—"

"I know," he sighed. "But even still, I want him to know that I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy so he can rest peacefully."

"But, you're already fine the way you are."

"There's always room for improvement," he insisted. "I want to be the best version of myself that I can. I don't wanna just rest on how I am now just because it's good enough for the time being. If I have a chance to get stronger, to change for the better, I'm gonna take it."

He paused. Something about his own words struck him silent, making him stop and think for just a second. As the thought began to manifest, he felt a tickle in his nose. His face contorted, and at the last second, he let go of her hands to turn away and sneeze.

"Sorry," he sniffled.

"What was that just now?" Mitsuru asked him. "You looked like you had something on your mind."

He recalled his thoughts from a few seconds ago. "I just got to thinking about whether or not it's possible to defeat Nyx, even if we get stronger," he said quietly. "I wonder if the prophecy said anything at all about us fighting Nyx, or if what we're doing is completely different from what the prophecy says."

Mitsuru rolled onto her side to face him, reaching for his hand again. "Based on the little we know about the prophecy, it's possible that we've already deviated from it," she replied in a small voice. "The fact that we were given a choice to fight Nyx is evidence enough."

"Yeah, but not only that, I wonder if the Fall was supposed to happen ten years ago if Aigis hadn't sealed Ryoji inside of Minato."

They both fell silent, processing their ideas and trying to piece everything together.

"There's also the curiosity of Arisato's power," Mitsuru murmured. "How is it that he is able to summon different Personas? Did Ryoji being sealed inside him do something to cause it?"

"What about _our_ powers, though?" Ryuichi asked. "Why can we summon Personas in the first place? If Ryoji gave Minato the power to have multiple Personas, does that mean he gave us our powers, too?"

"I doubt that. Besides, I don't think Nyx would have given us any way to try to combat her to prevent the Fall," Mitsuru argued.

Ryuichi eyed her carefully. "Does that mean we got our powers from someone else? Could there be another being like Nyx mentioned in the prophecy, except they're trying to prevent the Fall?"

Mitsuru sat up, letting his hand go. She took a moment to adjust her heating pad and her blanket, then quickly adjusted her pajama top while Ryuichi looked away. "We aren't even certain of what the prophecy said, or where it came from," she said to him. "All we know is what Ikutsuki told us, and even that isn't enough to go off of."

He sniffled again. "Well, either way, whatever gave us these powers makes me think that the prophecy's pretty much voided at this point."

"We don't even know how true our speculation is."

"Yeah, but like you said, just being able to choose to fight Nyx is enough to indicate that we've pretty much deviated from the prophecy. We didn't even know we had any other options until Ryoji gave us that choice."

Ryuichi excused himself to use the washroom, taking out a packet of tissues.

"Going back to what we were saying about the origins of our powers, I don't think that my grandfather's experiments could have caused our powers to awaken, either," Mitsuru called to him while he attempted to blow his nose softly. "Just as we discussed before, there are some of us who weren't involved in what happened ten years ago, and we all awakened to our powers at different times, spanning across the years."

"Yeah," Ryuichi grunted. "And you were the first to awaken to those powers."

"Actually, that might not be true."

"Huh? How?"

He washed his hands and returned to the bedside, taking a seat on the desk chair. He didn't take her hand this time, not wanting to gross her out after blowing his nose.

Mitsuru sat there quietly, gathering her thoughts. "If Aigis sealed Ryoji inside Arisato ten years ago, it's possible that he was already conscious during the Dark Hour," she reasoned, shocking Ryuichi.

"Wait, so how was it that he was conscious during the Dark Hour back then?" Ryuichi asked, still reeling from the thought.

"I don't know," she replied, looking frustrated to not have that answer. "All I know is that, on the night Aigis sealed Ryoji inside of him, Arisato was riding in a car with his parents. They were killed in what was ruled as a car accident, but somehow, Arisato survived with minimal injuries."

Ryuichi connected the two events and winced. "It wasn't a car accident, was it? Aigis' battle with Ryoji was what really..."

Mitsuru nodded, grasping her arm. "As terrible as it is, we have to remember that, had Aigis not done what she had done, we might not have been given the chance to potentially change the fate of the world."

Ryuichi hung his head, letting it bounce a few times in a slow series of nods. "Prophecy be damned," he sighed, and sneezed again.

"It looks like you've caught a cold," Mitsuru remarked. "You should go rest in your room. I'll be fine here."

He got up, still sniffling. He took one look at Mitsuru and motioned with both hands for her to scoot over. When she didn't, Ryuichi went around to the other side of the bed to lie on top of the blankets.

"If the others find you here—"

"Then don't tell them," he said through his stuffy nose. He turned so that his back was to her. "I'm not letting a little cold cut into our time together."

He heard her sigh. Her weight shifted behind him, and he stiffened when he felt her arm slip under his, hugging him around the middle.

"Just for a little while, then," Mitsuru whispered with a tiny tremble in her voice.

They lay there for some time, barely passing murmurs between them. Mitsuru cuddled up next to Ryuichi when he turned to lie on his back, and he moved his arm to put around her. He took in the scent of expensive shampoo and conditioner in Mitsuru's hair, and noticed that her breath had freshened up with mint. He reveled in having her arm around him, having her body pressed against his, and just feeling her there with him. Just her presence was enough to take away his concerns for those few precious moments.

"Is it true that you'll be able to choose whoever you want to marry, now that you're officially the president of the Group?" he asked her idly, thinking back to what his family had said the night before.

Mitsuru adjust her arm around him. "I think the Board would only to accept someone who has a prowess in business, with the intent of having him take over as the new president and head of the family."

"Yeah? Can't you just marry someone and still continue as the president and the family head?"

"I don't know how far the legalities go, but it might be possible."

She fiddled with a button on his shirt. "The only solution I can think of is to have you adopted into my family, should we decide to get married," she explained, hesitating slightly on the last few words. "Even then, you might be expected to become the new head of the family and take over as the new president."

Ryuichi sucked on his teeth. "I really don't want to take over anything like that," he grumbled. "But getting adopted into your family? I think I'm cool with that."

"Are you sure? That would mean that you would be struck from your family's record and officially become a Kirijo."

He blinked, thinking about it. "So, I wouldn't be an Okazaki anymore?"

"I'm afraid not."

He nodded, intrigued by the idea. "Ryuichi Kirijo," he said to himself. "I think I like it."

Mitsuru sighed into his chest. "Personally, I think I would have preferred becoming an Okazaki," she told him, blushing.

"You actually want to be Mitsuru Okazaki?" he asked in amazement, raising his head to see her better.

"I-Is that a problem?" she asked, blushing even more. "At least that way, you wouldn't have to become the new president of my family's company."

Ryuichi lowered his head back onto his pillow and sighed. "Yeah, but what about your family? The Group? You decided to lead them instead of having some guy do it, and I think you're doing a great job of it."

She squeezed him around his middle. "Then, the only solution we can hope for is to adopt you into my family," Mitsuru replied. "But, what about your family? And the restaurant? You're their only son, after all."

"Meh, that's what Shizue's for. When she gets married, they can adopt her husband into the family and make him the new head. It all comes full circle."

"And your father's recipes? He would trust his new son-in-law?"

"Uh, maybe not right away?" He sniffled, wanting to blow his nose again but too comfortable to get up. "Well, then it all falls to Megumi!"

"You're putting that kind of responsibility on your niece?" Mitsuru chuckled.

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door that made them both freeze. Ryuichi held his breath, glancing over to Mitsuru who shared his same wide-eyed terror.

"Mitsuru-senpai? I heard from Akihiko-senpai that you weren't feel well," Yukari called through the door. "But, uh, he said something about becoming a werewolf?"

Ryuichi rolled off the bed, landing light on his feet. He fixed his hair, smoothed the wrinkles out of his clothes, and strode to the door. After a quick glance back at Mitsuru, he opened the door to a surprised Yukari staring back at him.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure how to explain to Akihiko what a period was," he admitted, and stood aside to let her in.

"Ryuichi-senpai? What are you doing in here?"

"Taking care of Mitsuru, of course."

Yukari went to see Mitsuru, who was now curled up with her blankets bunched all around her, hiding any indication that Ryuichi had been laying next to her. She opened one bleary eye to see Yukari there.

"Hey. Rough start to the new year, huh?" she greeted Mitsuru.

Ryuichi took it as a sign to leave. He blew a silent kiss to Mitsuru behind Yukari's back before putting on his shoes and closing the door, leaving the two alone.

"Finally!" Akihiko exclaimed when Ryuichi returned to his room. "Hey, Fuuka wasn't sure how to do this, so could you—"

Ryuichi covered his face with his arm and sneezed, feeling a chill all over his body. "Y-Yeah," he uttered, sniffling. "Lemme just make some tea and I'll try to help you."

That night, Ryuichi drank plenty of ginger tea, ate instant noodles, and soaked in a hot bath for a long while. His cold progressed to the point where his nose was stuffed up and still somehow leaked with no way to stop it. He almost wished he had kept some of those tampons for himself so he could plug up his nostrils.

After his bath, he went straight to bed immediately after. He slept for quite some time and all through the Dark Hour, waking up in confusion to his cell phone ringing just a quarter after midnight.

"Go to the restaurant right now!" Shizue frantically shouted at him.

He bolted up in bed. "What happened?"

"It's on fire! Dad's on his way there!"

Within a minute, Ryuichi was dressed and on his motorcycle, speeding out to the restaurant while trying not to slip on the many soaked flyers in the streets.


	101. Chapter 101

**Chapter 101**

He could smell the smoke before he saw it rising thickly above the other buildings. Red lights danced along the buildings from fire trucks and police cars, flickering on the gaping faces of the Lost who toddled up to the blaze. By the time Ryuichi got to the restaurant, he saw the charred skeleton of the window frames and nothing but flames inside. His father was on his knees on the damp sidewalk, where two firefighters held him there, trying to keep him from running into the blaze while others worked to put the flames out. Ryuichi parked his motorcycle and hurried to him.

"Dad!"

He hugged his father, and the two firefighters let Toshio go.

"Do you know him, son?" one of the men asked in a gruff voice.

"Yeah, he's my dad!" Ryuichi shouted over all the chaos. "What happened?"

"Gone!" Toshio wailed. "Everything! Gone!"

His father's anguish came out in endless tears and unintelligible sobs. He tried to get up, but Ryuichi held him back, telling him to stay down.

"Let me go! I have to—I gotta—"

"Just stop it, Dad! They're taking care of it!"

"I can help! I—"

Ryuichi crushed his father to his chest. "It's okay," he told him in a soft but firm voice. "We can rebuild it, Dad. We can always rebuild it. I'll help you rebuild it, and we'll make it better than before. Okay?"

He looked to the firefighter nearby. "Was there anyone inside?" he asked him.

"We're not sure yet," he said, not looking at Ryuichi. "We're doing everything we can, so please take your father and stand back."

Ryuichi helped his father to his feet and took him away from the fire trucks. There were news vans there, with their reporters already filming their stories on the blaze. Some of them knocked on the doors of the surrounding businesses to speak with the owners living above their stores. The police did the same, trying to get information regarding the fire.

Ryuichi put his leather jacket around his father, who only wore an old university sweatshirt over his T-shirt and jeans. He kept his arms around his father, not sure what to say as they watched the rest of the Okazaki family livelihood crumble in the blaze.

Reporters came over and shoved their cameras and microphones in their faces, firing off questions that Ryuichi didn't even have a chance to begin to think about yet. Neither Ryuichi nor Toshio tried to fend them off, letting them swarm them without a care.

"Sir!" called a reporter. "Is this your restaurant? What caused the fire? Was it carelessness, or do you suspect—"

"They say you had trouble with the workers in the past. Do you think one of your employees could have—"

"Is it true that the restaurant wasn't doing well before?"

Eventually, their words reached Ryuichi, who kept a protective arm over his father. "Please have some respect for my family over this trying time," Ryuichi said in a hollow voice to them all.

"Sir! Do you know what started the fire?"

His response caused a whirlwind of even more questions. He just ignored them, no matter how much they shined the camera light in his face and demanded answers from him. The police eventually got around to getting the reporters to leave them alone, but they still filmed from a safe distance.

It looked to Ryuichi like the firefighters were trying to knock over anything that still stood inside, sending pieces and chunks of walls falling over tables and chairs. The pictures, post cards, and any other memorabilia of his father's time in America had become sopping wet ash. The trophy case wasn't even there anymore, blasted away by flames and jets of water. Years of memories, Ryuichi's childhood, the place where he learned to cook, and the place that he once considered his second home—all of it was engulfed in blazes and then drowned.

"We'll rebuild it, Dad," he told his father over and over. "I'll help you. It's gonna be okay. I promise."

The police asked them many questions while the fire roared on. Ryuichi knew nothing, only able to listen to his father tell them everything he could.

"Do you think it could have started due to a grease fire?"

"No," Toshio said, keeping his face down. "We always took care to clean everything every single night."

"Anyone with a grudge against you?"

Toshio hesitated. His son spoke up for him.

"It's hard to say," Ryuichi explained. "Things weren't going so well at the restaurant this past year, so—"

"Do you think one of the employees could have done this in retaliation?"

"I don't think so, no," Ryuichi said, though he couldn't be entirely sure. "This past month, my dad's been making changes in himself, and conditions at the restaurant have been getting better."

"Who would do this?" Toshio uttered.

"Sir, we don't know yet if it was arson or an accident," the policewoman said to him.

Toshio had to describe each of his employees. From what Ryuichi could tell, they were all getting along better. He told the police everything that his sister and mother told him about how things were at the restaurant, even sharing some of his observations when he was last there.

"What about you?" she asked him. "Do you work at the restaurant, too?"

"No, I don't," Ryuichi said. "I quit back in November."

She asked him more questions, wanting to know why he quit and what conditions were like during his employment at the restaurant. He told her everything, finding it difficult to be honest without being too brutal with the truths about his father's treatment of the staff. Toshio stood completely silent as he listened to everything his son had to say, slowly deflating with every breath he released.

The police officer wanted to know more about Ryuichi. She asked about his relation to Toshio, his age, grade in school, hobbies, if he had a job, what his relationship with his father was like, and anything else that caught her interest.

"Let me just clarify: You're a butler?"

"Yes, I am," he confirmed.

"And a bodyguard," Toshio reminded the policewoman quickly. "To his classmate, Mitsuru Kirijo."

More questions. More answers. More explanations from Ryuichi, telling the police over and over again that things were getting better at the restaurant in the past month or so. The police kept asking about the other workers, like they were trying to pin the blame on one of them. They repeated many of the questions, trying to catch them in a lie.

Ryuichi shivered in just his long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, chattering through all his answers, his eyes constantly glancing back at the restaurant. The flames had shrunk, running out of dry, unburned items to latch onto to keep them alive. He watched the last embers of his childhood fly up in glowing ash before dying in the darkness.

Toshio's cell phone rang while he was answering more questions. Ryuichi took it from him and saw his sister's name flash on the outer screen. He stepped off to the side to answer it.

"It's me," Ryuichi said right away. "Dad's talking with the police right now."

"Why aren't you answering your phone?" was Shizue's response.

He checked his pockets. "Shit, I left it at home."

"Forget it. How's the restaurant?"

He woefully looked to the remnants of the restaurant that still blazed hotly in the frigid night air. "They're still trying to put it out," he told her.

"Do they have any idea what caused the fire?"

"Not yet, I don't think. Like I said, they're still trying to put the fire out."

"So, what's going on?"

The police are still asking us a lot of questions. It sounds like they're trying to see if one of the workers might've torched it out of spite for Dad."

"No way. I mean, sure, a lot of them hated Dad back then, but we were all definitely getting along better."

"The police don't seem to think so."

Her sigh crackled over the phone. "Anyway, Megumi and I are at Mom and Dad's, so when you're done, bring Dad here, okay?"

He nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Got it. I don't know how long we'll be here for, though."

"That's okay. Just come home when you're done."

Ryuichi returned to his father's side, still holding his cell phone for him. All they could do now was answer as many questions as possible while waiting for the firefighters to extinguish the flames.

After a few long hours, the fire was finally put out, and all that was left was crumbling walls, pieces of charred tables, melted or soggy memorabilia, a blackened kitchen, and restrooms that were largely unharmed but full of water. It looked like there was nothing left for them, nothing to salvage, no memories they could retrieve. Everything was now torched, drowned in water, or blackened with soot.

"Look out!"

Everyone turned in time to see firefighters flee as the rear wall of the restaurant fell. Toshio's tear-stained face gaped in defeat, and Ryuichi could only put an arm around him for comfort, feeling that his father didn't deserve such a punishment, even after all he had said and done in the past.

When it was determined to be safe to investigate, police officers and firefighters examined the charred remains of the restaurant to try to determine the cause of the fire. After some time, a police officer and a firefighter approached Ryuichi and Toshio with their results.

"From what we can tell, it looks like someone broke in through the front windows," the firefighter told them. "From there, they dowsed the place with gasoline before setting fire to it."

"Yours isn't the first business to be hit like this, Okazaki-san," the police officer informed them. "We've had a few cases of arson these past few months, but yours is a bit unusual this time. We asked your neighbors if they saw anything, but they said they didn't hear any glass breaking, nor anything else. They said it was already on fire by the time they looked out their windows and saw what was going on. And from what we could tell, it had been burning for about half an hour before it was reported."

"How is that even possible?" raged Toshio. "How can no one notice a fucking fireball outside their window for half an hour? Are you saying they just let it burn for that long before calling you guys?"

"We can't be certain," the police officer said calmly. "But it looks like the fire started sometime between eleven-thirty and midnight, except no one saw anything out of the ordinary until after midnight."

Ryuichi checked the time on Toshio's phone. It was long past five in the morning, and every part of him was numb from standing around in the cold for so long. He sniffled so much and shivered so badly that he almost wanted to ask his father for his jacket back.

As Toshio continued to grill the police officer and the firefighter for answers, Ryuichi was surprised that he was still lucid enough to piece together what might have caused the fire. He suspected that Strega must have done it during the Dark Hour, but even if he pointed them out, they would still have an alibi. No one there knew about the Dark Hour, and the two could easily say they were elsewhere around the time the fire supposedly started. Cold fury built up in Ryuichi's shoulders, spreading down his arms, into his fists, and all over his body. As badly as he wanted to act out, he held fast, keeping calm for his father's sake.

"Who did it?" Toshio's spit flew as he snarled. "Who's been setting the fires?"

"The last few we caught were worshippers of something called Nyx," the police told him.

"Those nutters preaching the end of the world?"

The police officer remained stoic. "Have you had an altercation with any of them before?"

"There was one—He wanted to hang some flyers in our window, but I refused. He just threw his flyers into our restaurant and left."

Ryuichi looked to his father. "When did that happen?"

"Around Christmas," he said gruffly. "We were so busy trying to serve the customers all that fried chicken that he was causing problems for them, so I refused to let him hang his stupid flyers."

The police officer scribbled down some notes. "Do you remember what he looked like?"

"Just some punk. Wore all black—T-shirt, jeans, and a beanie—one of those types you wouldn't waste any time with."

As the sky gained a frosty-blue hue, everyone started to pack up and leave. All the firefighters, the police officers, the news reporters, and the gawkers trickled away, leaving only Toshio, Ryuichi, and some of the Lost. The pair stood staring at the scorched bones of the restaurant, still in disbelief that it was all gone.

Toshio approached the burnt building first. He had his face down, squinting as he searched for any shred of memories to salvage. Ryuichi followed, stepping on broken glass and rubble, his feet finding sooty puddles that stained his shoes. Under the dim light from the early, early morning, he found a table that had been knocked on its side, completely blackened with soot and warped from the intense heat. The booths were mostly gone, showing only the remains of the scorched wood underneath.

Toshio went to the back office, where the ceiling had caved in and crushed almost everything inside. He knelt by the doorframe and called Ryuichi to come over.

"Do you remember this?" he asked him, touching a spot on the frame.

There was nothing there, but he knew what he was looking at. "That was where you and Mom used to record how tall Shizue and I were getting," he said, getting slightly choked up.

"Right. And look: You can still kind of see the spot where you tried to make yourself look taller by scribbling your line."

He saw the tiny remnant of four-year-old Ryuichi's erratic squiggle with a marker. "I was getting tired of Shizue always showing off how tall she was," he murmured, managing a weak chuckle that almost came out as a sob.

His father shared his own pained smile as tears filled his eyes. "You used to do your homework here, and afterward, you guys would come help in the kitchen."

"I remember she left me in charge of the fryer when I wasn't even tall enough to see what I was doing."

"And you ended up burning your hand when the oil splattered."

"Yeah. I definitely remember that."

Toshio reached into the charred remains of a cabinet and touched a large hunk of twisted plastic. "This was the cash register your mother bought me when we first opened," he said fondly and full of sorrow. "She tried to teach me how to work it, but I was just terrible at it, so she handled the business side of things."

They went around the restaurant, remembering things that weren't there anymore. Ryuichi recalled being too short to work until he was about ten years old. His father had shown him long before then how to cook the burgers, so when he was first put to work, he already had a good idea of what to do. When he was old enough, Toshio taught him how to mix the meats and spice rubs and marinades, then had him prepare the burger patties at home to be taken to the restaurant the next morning. Eventually, the rising demand for their food required them to prepare everything at the restaurant, since the kitchen there was large enough to accommodate all the different meats.

Ryuichi found a soot-covered medal among the rubble. He went to show his father.

"This was the third award I won for our barbecue," Toshio said to him, smiling as he turned it over and tried to wipe it clean on his sweatshirt. "I remember that day because Shizue was so curious about the journalist's camera and tried to play with it."

They searched for more treasures. Ryuichi picked up the soggy and burnt photo of Minato from when he conquered Mount 'Murica, and thankfully the SEES leader and Toshio were still clear to see on the faded picture. They found a cracked picture frame with an old photo of Toshio and his friends from Texas, all grinning while holding up big racks of ribs they were about to stick in a smoker.

"This was taken just about two months before my friend called to let me know that his family's restaurant was shut down after getting a customer sick," his father told him, pointing out the one in the orange collared shirt and black cowboy hat. "I think, deep down inside, there was nothing wrong with the way he cooked the food, seeing as no one else got sick from the restaurant. I was just afraid that the same thing would happen to us. That's why I wanted us to make sure the burgers were cooked thoroughly."

The two gathered up the few treasures they could find, taking a little more time to reminisce on more memories they had of the place before loading their goods into Toshio's car. Ryuichi followed his father to his parents' house on his motorcycle, unable to wipe away his tears through his helmet on the way there.

Shizue and Ayumi met them at the door with big hugs, peppering them with questions to which they had no definite answers. Toshio's tears returned as he told them everything, and Shizue and Ayumi were both crying with him. When his father sobbed too hard to talk, Ryuichi explained the rest, leaving out his speculation of Strega being the one to start the fires.

"We can always rebuild it," Ryuichi told his family.

"How? We don't have enough to do that," Ayumi reminded him.

"What about the insurance money?" he asked.

"It's not enough," Ayumi said to him.

"Okay, then loans?"

Shizue made a face. "Who's going to want to loan money to a restaurant that was in debt?"

She had a good point. There was one more option Ryuichi could think of, one that he knew his family wouldn't like, but he thought it was necessary.

"Then, I'll add to whatever the insurance money can't cover," he decided.

His family looked to him in awe.

"You have enough for that?" his sister asked.

Ryuichi's shoulders sank. "Well, not exactly," he answered, seeing the disappointment on their faces. "But, I can sell my house and use the money from that. With all the upgrades, it could sell for a really good price."

"No, you can't do that," Ayumi told him. "That's _your_ house."

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna be living in it anytime soon," Ryuichi argued. "Shizue's going to have to move back in with you and Dad, and Ayaka-san's going to have to just find a new place to live."

"What if we sold our house and just moved into yours?" Toshio suggested. "It would be a waste if—"

"It won't sell for enough to cover the costs of rebuilding the restaurant and getting new equipment."

Ryuichi looked to the woebegone faces of his family. "I'm sorry, but this is something we have to do," he said to them all. "I'll sell the house, so I hope that you guys will be able to get along living under one roof for now. It's going to be a struggle, I know, but this is your livelihood. Just combine the insurance money with whatever we can get for the house and use that. It'll be like starting over."

Despite everyone staying up all night, they stayed awake to continue their discussion. No one in his family liked Ryuichi's idea, but it was the most practical solution that any of them could come up with. They all sipped the tea Ryuichi made for them while they talked, planning out what was needed and what the costs could be, trying to determine if his house and the insurance money combined would fetch enough to cover everything.

Shizue agreed to move back in with their parents, promising that she would do her best to be cooperative and not argue with them. Their parents agreed to do the same, though it already looked to Ryuichi like all three of them were struggling to not feel accused of being the ones who supposedly initiated the arguments.

Before long, their conversations became little more than a chain of yawns that no one could contain. The day had long since begun, sunlight streaming in through the windows to signify that the disastrous night had come to an end. Everyone's eyes were puffy and cracked from shedding so many tears and carried the weight of a sleepless night in dark trash bags.

Ryuichi himself felt like he had woken up from a panic attack-fueled nightmare, where he couldn't believe that he had just witnessed the last few moments of the restaurant's life burn away. He felt like his body was moving on its own, that his mouth just seemed to know what to say while his mind hung out in back, dazed and hardly conscious.

When Megumi cried upstairs, Ryuichi started to go check on her, but Shizue told him to stay put and went herself.

"Shizue," Toshio called to her from downstairs. "Bring her down here, will you?"

She took slow, weighty steps back down to the living room, apparently too tired to keep her feet from pounding on each step. She passed Megumi to her father, who cradled his granddaughter lovingly in his arms. Toshio managed a smile for her, cooing at her, doing his best to calm her down. Doing so seemed to put him at ease more than it did her.

"You're sad about the restaurant, too, aren't you?" he asked her while she continued to wail. "It's okay, Megumi. We'll figure things out. We have enough saved to keep us afloat for a little while, until the new restaurant's built. We'll get to see you a lot more from now on. How do you like that? Do you want to come stay with Grandma and Grandpa?"

Ryuichi and Ayumi exchanged glances, knowing that the savings Toshio spoke of wasn't going to be enough, if there was any left at all.

"We can make new memories," Ayumi said to Megumi, smiling big with her voice high and light. "Would you like to make new memories with us in the new restaurant?"

Shizue turned on the TV. Sure enough, there was their restaurant on the screen, its growing crown of flames and the plumes of smoke rising high. Ryuichi's face flashed on screen, surprising him to see just how pained yet calm his expression and his voice were when he asked the reporters to give them some space. The reporter mentioned that it was just one in a series of other cases of arson that had been going on, just as the police had told them.

"I hope they catch the bastard," Shizue hissed at the TV.

"They'd better," Ayumi snarled in agreement. "If they don't, I'll find them myself."

Sniffling, Ryuichi yawned as he spotted the time on the TV screen. "Crap, it's already that late?"

"You've been sniffling since you got here," his mother pointed out. "I hope you didn't get sick from being out in the cold like that. It's best if you stay here and sleep before you go back to the dorm."

He didn't want to say anything, but he was indeed freezing, even now that he had his leather jacket on and with the heater blowing.

"I think we're all due for some sleep," yawned Toshio. "Masabuchi-san's coming today to watch Megumi, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she'll be here soon," Shizue said. "Oh, but, I guess I won't be able to pay her anymore, huh?"

"I got it," Ryuichi told her. "I'll pay for her, so you just try to find a new job while the restaurant's being rebuilt."

"We might be able to let Masabuchi-san go, since we will have more time to watch Megumi now," Ayumi suggested.

It sounded like a good idea to Ryuichi. With that, Shizue told everyone to go to sleep while she took care of Megumi. They all exchanged hugs and reassurance that everything was going to be all right, that they would figure things out as they go before Ayumi, Toshio, and Ryuichi went to get some sleep.

Ryuichi took the sofa in the living room, curling up under the thick blanket his mother had given him, but somehow still unable to warm up. He buried his face under the blanket, still hearing the TV's soft murmur of Megumi's cartoon while Shizue sat on the loveseat holding her daughter.

"Ryu-chan, do you think Mitsuru-san will help us?" Shizue asked him.

He let out a weary sigh. "Knowing her, she'll help in a heartbeat, but we can't keep relying on her to save us whenever something goes wrong."

"And why not? Someone set the place on fire, and we really need the money."

"I know, but think about it: She's already having enough trouble as is building up credibility as the head of her family and the president of her company. If she helps us, she'll be seen as someone who can't curb her emotions to make sound judgments, especially with our restaurant's poor track record from last year."

"So what? We're in trouble here!"

"Mom and Dad wouldn't agree, either. They know we can't keep relying on her for everything." Ryuichi raised his voice in an irritated snarl. "She's saved us so many times already that I'm starting to wonder if we're even worth saving if we can't save ourselves."

Shizue muttered a few swears. "Dammit, I guess you're right," she reluctantly agreed. "But, remember when you were the only one who believed in me after I screwed up? What would've happened if you didn't help me? Why did you help me at all if I was such a hopeless case?"

"That's different."

"How?"

Ryuichi was running out of patience. "Because you're my sister," he said firmly. "And, because someone saw potential in me to be something greater when I was still nothing."

"Who? Mitsuru-san?"

He sighed. "Her father."

Ryuichi shifted on the couch, turning more on his side so he faced the back cushions. "But, they're two different things, asking her for help and me helping you," he told her. "You're my sister. We're family. Mitsuru is—"

Shizue's cell phone rang. "Hold up," she said, answering it. "Hello? Mitsuru-san!"

Ryuichi grabbed one of the pillows and stuck it over his ear to try to muffle his sister's voice.

"Yeah, they said the fire started between eleven-thirty and midnight, but everyone else said that there was nothing going on around at that time."

He listened as she gave the same account that he and Toshio had given them when they got home. She kept in all the details and asked if Mitsuru had seen the news reports yet.

"Yeah, he's right here," Shizue said after awhile, and he could feel her gaze on him. "Do you want to talk to him?"

She stuck her cell phone in his face. "Here. Let her know you're alive, will ya?"

Ryuichi stuck a hand out to let Shizue pass her phone to him. "''Sup, Boss," he said in a dull drone.

"Are you all right? I've been trying to call you for hours."

"Sorry, I forgot my phone in my room."

He didn't know what else to say. Shizue had covered everything, and he wasn't in any mood to talk. His nose was completely stuffed up and runny, and all he wanted to do was get warm and go to sleep.

"Just stay there for now, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said to him. "I have a meeting in a few minutes, but I'll come by your parents' house when it's finished."

He sighed again. "Yeah, okay. Good luck with your meeting. See you later."

"See you."

They disconnected. In the few seconds that Ryuichi's hand was out from under the covers, he felt his whole body freeze all over again. He gave Shizue back her phone and sucked his hand back under the blanket for warmth, but the damage had been done. Shivering, he ducked his face under the covers to try to let his breath warm him up. The pillow toppled from his head and onto the floor.

"Ryu-chan—"

"Mitsuru's coming here after her meeting," he interjected with a shiver. "Sorry, but I'm really tired right now, so can we talk later, please?"

"Okay, yeah. Sorry."

Ryuichi dared to grab the pillow to place back over his head, trying to block out any light and as much sound as he could. After telling his sister he wanted to sleep, he found that he couldn't anymore. He just lay awake, hearing the soft babbles of his niece, the over exaggerated excitement in the cartoon characters' voices, and the gentle movement of his sister as she took her daughter to the kitchen for breakfast.

The more he listened, the more he wondered if Shizue really had to wake up early every morning to take care of Megumi, then hurry to work a few hours later, and then run some errands and then return home to take care of Megumi again, only to deal with another night of broken sleep. How many days and nights had she gone through living like that while he was fortunate to sleep soundly after a night of surviving Tartarus?

The doorbell rang. Ryuichi blinked a few times, unsure if he had fallen asleep or not. His nose was even more plugged up than before, and now his throat was dry from breathing through his mouth. Sitting up, he heard the door open and his sister welcoming Masabuchi-san to start her shift watching Megumi.

"I saw it on the news," he heard the older woman say. "Was anyone hurt? Did they find out who did it?"

"We're all safe, but the police don't know who did it," Shizue said to her. "Mom and Dad are still pretty shaken up, and I think Ryu-chan's caught a cold. He was snoring like a chainsaw earlier."

Ryuichi sat up and stretched. His body felt cold and heavy, prompting him to put his jacket back on. Masabuchi-san greeted him when she and Shizue joined him in the living room on her way to pick up Megumi.

"Not feeling well, Ryuichi-kun?" the older woman asked him. She was somewhere in her forties, though she looked only a few years older than Shizue.

"I'm okay," he said with a stuffy nose. "Just really tired."

He needed more sleep. Shizue told Masabuchi-san that she was going to rest upstairs, leaving her, Ryuichi, and Megumi in the living room. Despite feeling cold, exhausted, and blocked up, he got up to make them some tea and offered the babysitter some snacks. She told him to just get some rest before his cold got worse.

As he fell back asleep, he started to think that forgetting his phone was a good thing. He could actually get some sleep without people blowing up his phone with calls and messages, demanding to know what happened so they could all talk behind his back later. Everyone in SEES must have seen the news reports by now and were probably all talking about him and his family.

Not long after falling asleep again, Mitsuru arrived. His family was still asleep, but Mitsuru reassured Ryuichi that she would make time to speak with them later. For now, she loaded Ryuichi into the awaiting car to get him back to the dorm and into a warm bed.


	102. Chapter 102

**Chapter 102**

The moment he returned to the dorm, Ryuichi was quickly ushered to his room while getting peppered by their dorm mates' plethora of questions. As concerned as they were for him, Mitsuru respectfully asked them to give him some space for now. They quieted down, and Ryuichi murmured a soft apology while he unlocked his bedroom door.

The first thing he did when he entered his room was search for his cell phone. He checked his desk, his pockets in his discarded laundry, and eventually found it tangled in his blanket when he spread it out and heard it clatter to the floor. He flipped it open to see numerous missed calls, emails, and voicemails, and when he was about to listen to one of the voicemails, Mitsuru took his phone away and urged him to get to bed.

After she left so he could change into his pajamas, Ryuichi could hear her giving strict orders to everyone to not trouble him with questions about what happened, at least for the next few days. They directed their questions to her instead, but all she would say was that she didn't have all the details. Ryuichi almost wanted to go and answer their questions himself, but his body eventually gave out, and he collapsed onto his bed from exhaustion.

He woke up when Kikuno came in to check on him. She took his temperature, gave him cold medicine, and applied a cool gel compress that adhered itself to his forehead when he ended up with a mild fever. When he refused her offer of food and drink, she let him sleep for quite some time.

"Where's Mitsuru?" he vaguely remembered uttering during one of Kikuno's many visits.

"She's speaking with your family right now about the restaurant," she said.

He sat up. "I gotta go," he mumbled, but Kikuno stopped him. For a delicate-looking hand, she held on to his shoulder with surprising strength that kept him from moving any further.

"You know what I'm going to say," she told him with a smile.

Frowning, Ryuichi hung his head. "Yeah. 'You should rest or Ojou-sama will execute you'."

"Almost, but your wording captures the emotion very well."

He settled back down and asked about his motorcycle. It was still at his parents' place, and according to Kikuno, Mitsuru planned to ride it back to the dorm.

"I should be there," he muttered while he covered his face with his blanket.

"She'll talk to you about it later. Right now, she wishes you a hasty recovery. Don't forget you still have your college entrance exams coming up."

Even with the cold compress stuck on his forehead, he still felt too hot under the covers. If he stuck one foot out, he froze in an instant, despite the rest of him being covered by a thick blanket. It happened every time he was sick, and all he could do was choose to overheat instead of freeze.

Most of his dreams were full of fire. He could see the restaurant ablaze again, feeling the heat sting his face, blistering his skin. He would wake up for a few seconds, his heart pounding, feeling the dampness of his sweat collecting around his T-shirt collar while he tried to catch his breath. Confusion would always greet him when he opened his eyes and found himself staring up at his ceiling with no flames anywhere in sight. Without even realizing it, he would fall back asleep seconds later with the fiery dream repeating again.

He woke up to the familiar sound of a rumbling engine. What felt like mere seconds later, Mitsuru entered his room and dismissed Kikuno, thanking her for watching over Ryuichi.

"Whatever my family asked of you, I apologize for that," he told Mitsuru as she sat down at his desk chair.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she replied, crossing one leg over the other.

Mitsuru filled him in on everything she talked about with his family. According to her, they all told her everything the police and firefighters told them about how the fire was started, the unusual time frame, and their suspicions that the cultist who heckled their customers could be behind it. Ryuichi interjected by bringing up the possibility that Strega might have been the one to set fire to the restaurant, and Mitsuru didn't disagree.

"Your parents were concerned about your offer to sell your house to help cover the cost of rebuilding," Mitsuru said to him. "I will say that it's not going to be easy to find a buyer for your house, especially in this economy. The upgrades you made will drastically increase its value, making it even more difficult to sell, especially when you consider the average price for the houses in that neighborhood."

"Then I'll have to take whatever I can get and try to help my parents find a newer, cheaper location to put the restaurant," he decided.

"Ryuichi." She gave him a look of sympathy. "As much as possible, your family doesn't want you to give up the house."

"Well, that kind of limits their options." Ryuichi curled up on his right side, turning away from her. "Selling the house is the only option we have. I know it'll be hard for Dad and Shizue to coexist under one roof, but if I'm willing to sell my house for them, they could at least do that much for me."

"But why are you so insistent on selling your house?"

He remembered the devastated looks on his family's faces the previous night. "Because, we lost more than just a restaurant last night. The place was like a second home to us. It was my childhood and Shizue's, and the place that Mom and Dad started together and worked hard at building together. Even if it wasn't perfect and things fell apart after a couple of years, there was still a lot of good to come of it.

"My new house was never a home to me anyway, but that restaurant was basically my childhood home. I'm not losing much by selling the house, but my family lost nearly everything in that fire."

The chair creaked. Mitsuru's weight sank onto the mattress behind him. He tensed up when he felt her hand on his shoulder. As he released a long, worn out breath, he nearly choked on a sob.

"Your family won't like this, but I will help you find a real estate agent," she told him. "I would much rather that you kept the house, but if you feel so strongly about this, then I will support your decision."

Ryuichi reached across his chest to put his hand on top of hers. "Thank you. You don't have to tell Mom and Dad that you helped me," he said to her. "I'll just say that I thought the restaurant was more important."

"I would rather be honest with them than operate behind their backs." She flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "Since we're on the topic of honesty, may I ask you something at the risk of causing offense?"

"Do it."

Mitsuru sighed, indicating to him that it wasn't an easy question for her to ask. "Without the intent of sounding pretentious: Why won't your family let me pay to have the restaurant rebuilt?" she asked, sounding uneasy even with her disclaimer. "I'm more than happy to invest in the restoration of the restaurant, yet they refused."

Ryuichi rolled onto his back, feeling Mitsuru's hand slip off of his shoulder. She peered down at him as he looked up at her, and he could see the remorse, the frustration, and the apology in her anguished expression.

"You've already given us so much," he said, reaching for her hand again. His eyes refused to meet hers, ashamed that he and his family gave her more trouble again. "If we asked for more, I'd be afraid that you'd think we only like you for what you can give us."

"I've never felt that way with your family, and they've never given me any reason to feel that way."

With her other hand, she brushed his sweat-soaked bangs out of his eyes.

"We're not a very good business if we need your help all the time."

"Every business has investors, and you were all doing well until someone decided to burn it down. Think of it like you're starting over."

"'Starting over', huh?" Ryuichi tried to sniffle, but his nose was so stuffed up that it felt like his face was getting sucked inward. "Just do us a favor and _don't_ buy the house, will you?"

He felt her give his hand a light squeeze. "Ryuichi, could you tell me again why you bought the house in the first place?"

It took him a few moments to sift through his foggy mind. "I figured I'd want someplace to live after I graduated high school," he said slowly. "I knew I never wanted to go back to living with my family, so I wanted a place of my own."

"Were you still planning on living there even with your sister and niece?"

"They weren't part of the plan when I bought it, but I guess I'll never find out."

"Because you plan to sell it, or because of the Fall?"

"Neither. It's because you said I'm moving in with you, right?"

She chuckled, making him think that he had been mistaken.

"What's so funny?"

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking that it's interesting the way you're thinking ahead for the future and speaking as though the Fall won't happen," she said, stroking his arm.

He masked his sorrow with a tired smile. "Because we're gonna win."

He asked her for a tissue. When he tried to blow his nose as silently as possible, Mitsuru told him to not hold back, saying there was no need to trouble himself with etiquette for the moment. Even if he wanted to, his nose was too stuffed up to let air pass through. The best he could do was wipe his nose, and Mitsuru was ready with the waste basket to collect his spent tissues. With a muttered thanks, he ducked back under the covers, where he let out a miserable, congested groan.

"Would you care for some tea? Or something to eat?" Mitsuru offered.

Ryuichi pulled the covers down to spy her with his weary eyes. "Tea and instant noodles would be nice."

She returned some time later with ginger tea and two cups of instant noodles. Ryuichi was sitting up in bed, having failed to blow more snot out of his plugged up nose. He quickly tossed his tissues into the waste basket and eyed the two cups of instant noodles Mitsuru had on the tray.

"Um, I don't think I'll be able to eat them both," he said apologetically.

"One of them is mine," she said, smiling. "I've been wanting to try one of these since I always see everyone eating them."

Ryuichi rubbed his nose with another tissue. "But, you've already had instant noodles. That ramen I made before was instant noodles dressed up with extra toppings."

"I know, but I wanted to try them in their purest form."

He snickered. "'Purest'? It's instant noodles, not a virgin sacrifice."

Still, he watched her carefully as she slurped up her first taste of "pure" instant noodle goodness. She gave her brief but honest review that was surprisingly positive, and without feeling like she was scrounging up nice things to say.

"It's a simple flavor, one that satisfies one's craving for something salty," she remarked, smiling the whole way through. "But, it does leave me wishing that there was more."

Ryuichi could only stomach half of his noodles and some of the tea Mitsuru brought him. After their meal, she stayed with him for a little while to keep him company. She sat at the kotatsu studying while listening to her mp3 player, keeping one ear open for him. Every time he opened his eyes, he would hope to see her there, but simultaneously felt badly for troubling her again. She woke him up at one point, mopping up sweat from his face with a face towel dampened with warm water.

"You're going to need to change your shirt," she said. "It's soaked all the way through."

She brought him a clean T-shirt to change into. Ryuichi sat up and held the fresh shirt, hesitating.

"Actually, I think I wanna wash up a bit first," he murmured. "Could you step out for a few minutes?"

She nodded and left the room. After she closed the door behind her, he shed his sweat-soaked T-shirt, giving his scars a chance to breathe. He headed to the bathroom with a fresh washcloth to soak in some hot water, then scrubbed himself quickly to wash off his sweat. When he finally changed into the fresh T-shirt and clean boxer shorts, he called Mitsuru back into his room.

"Does it still makes you uncomfortable if I see your scars?" she asked as she approached the bedside.

He was sitting up in bed now, with his thick blanket covering him all the way up to his neck. "I just don't want you to start blaming yourself for them again," was his solemn answer.

The hurt was plain on her face. "If that's what you think I do when I see your scars, then how do you see them?"

"Me? I kind of see them as a number of things."

"Such as?"

He looked around his room, searching for an example. "Well, for me, they remind me that I have to get stronger," he figured. "They also remind me of what I'm fighting for and how lucky I am to be alive."

He smiled for her. "And how awesome my job is, I might add."

She didn't share his enthusiasm. "Are you sure it's not because you're the one who's ashamed of them? I understand that having a marred body is reason enough to not want anyone to see."

"No, I'm really okay with it." His smile lost its shine. "But, they do get me a lot of questions and stares. I showed my family the day I quit the restaurant, and as pissed as I was with them at the time, I got scared that they would blame you for them."

He saw his damp shirt still sitting on the corner of his bed and frowned. "But, I don't think that's the case," he said, bundling up the shirt in his hands. "They actually credit you with making me a better person."

He asked her to open up his hamper so he could toss the T-shirt in. Afterward, he laid back down on his bed, his body heavy from the brief exertion of bathing and tossing laundry. Mitsuru tucked in any openings in his blanket to block out the cold, but made sure to leave a small opening by his feet to keep him comfortably warm without overheating.

"I don't blame you for these scars," he reassured her. "I don't know how many times I need to say it until you believe me, but I'll keep saying it until you do."

"I believe you," she answered him, and began to stroke his hair lovingly. Her gentle touch was so soothing that Ryuichi quickly fell back to sleep. When he opened his eyes again, Mitsuru was gone.

By the next day, Mitsuru found a real estate agent to help him sell his house. She kept asking him if he was absolutely sure that he wanted to sell it, and while he always answered with a firm "Yes", he wished he didn't have to.

Ryuichi had to inform Shizue about the appraisal they had to do for the house. He learned from his sister that, as much as her roommate, Ayaka, was sorry for the loss of their restaurant, she was understandably unhappy about having to move out on such short notice. She was invited to move in with the Okazaki family until she could find her own place, but like Shizue, she seemed reluctant to do so.

After a few days of rest, all that was left of Ryuichi's illness was his runny nose and one stuffy nostril. He dressed up in his fleece pullover and a pair of sweatpants so he could study at his kotatsu, and when Mitsuru came by to study with him, he put on a face mask so he wouldn't get her sick.

"It really is a shame that you're selling your house," Mitsuru told him during a break in their studies. "Are you sure you want to give it up?"

He clenched his fist in his lap. "I'm sure," he told her. "Besides, I can always buy another one."

She looked to him with intrigue. "You'll buy another one? Even though you'll be living with me?"

"Why not?" He put his elbow on the table to rest his face against his fist. "I'll even give you your own room."

The elation on her face said it all. "You would let me have my own room?"

"Of course. You can even decorate however you please, but no cheating by having the maid staff do it for you."

He felt another tickle in his nose again. Ryuichi pulled down his facemask and managed to grab a tissue in time to sneeze in, feeling the squelchy snot soak into the thin paper. Mitsuru pushed the box of tissues closer to him, looking upon him with pity.

"Sorry," he mumbled, grabbing another tissue.

Without a word, Mitsuru removed the white scarf from around her neck—the same scarf she lent him just a few days ago—and got up to put it around his neck. She made sure to cover him where his fleece sweater's collar wouldn't reach.

"You have to keep warm," she told him while pouring him another cup of tea. "This past year hasn't been good for your health. I think this is the fourth time you've gotten sick since spring break."

"In my defense, one of those cases was food poisoning and the other was heat exhaustion," he said, following it up with a long sniffle.

"Don't forget that your heat exhaustion was accompanied by acute stress." She straightened up. "If you ask me, I think the stress from this past year alone is the real reason why you keep falling ill."

He nodded, pumping some hand sanitizer into his palm and vigorously rubbing his hands together. "Well, guess that explains why my immune system's shot."

Mitsuru sat back down at the kotatsu. "Just get better soon," she said to him. "We still have college entrance exams in less than two weeks."

He sniffled again, feeling gunk collected at the back of his throat. "If I didn't let almost losing an arm stop me from playing piano again, I'm pretty sure I can pass exams with a cold."

"It's good that you're confident, but try not to overdo it."

"Yes, Boss."

They returned to their studies. While Ryuichi was trying to recall such and such rebellion of some year or other, he noticed Mitsuru staring at him in earnest.

"Something wrong?"

She flinched. "Sorry. I just remembered a picture of a shinobi that I saw on TV the other day, and right now, with your mask and the scarf, you look a little bit like the character."

Hearing that actually made him cheer up a little. He put his hands together in a random hand signal and loudly said: "Extreme Study Mode Jutsu!" just as a confused Akihiko came in with his study materials.

Ryuichi limited how much he talked, not wanting to get the others sick even if he wore a mask. If he had questions about his studies, he hesitated to ask, whether or not Mitsuru was helping Akihiko at the moment. When his question couldn't wait, he wrote it down and slid it over to Mitsuru.

"We're not gonna get sick as long as you have that mask on," Akihiko grumbled when he read the note.

"That's what you think," Ryuichi murmured. "How else do you think I got this way?"

"By walking in the snow during the day and staying out all night without a jacket," Mitsuru pointed out.

Their dorm mates cautiously poked their faces into Ryuichi's open door during one of the seniors' study sessions. Now that it had been a few days since the restaurant fire and especially since Ryuichi's cold had improved, the others wanted to know how he was doing, how his family was taking the devastating blow, what caused the fire, and if they were planning to rebuild.

Anyone who could fit squished in at the kotatsu, and those who couldn't sat on Ryuichi's bed or his desk chair. Anyone lucky enough to get a seat at the kotatsu were almost forced out when Koromaru dove under the heated table. His tail kept slapping at their legs, and his face poked out the other side from under the blanket with his tongue hanging out. He looked to be the happiest dog in the world just then, and no one had the heart to shoo him away.

"That's right. I remember you mentioned something about having a house before," Yukari remarked after Ryuichi and Mitsuru explained the situation.

"It's just a small place, so it's really not that interesting," Ryuichi murmured bitterly into his face mask.

"It's actually quite nice, especially with all the upgrades he had done," Mitsuru told the others.

They all gasped.

"You've been there?"

"What's it like?"

"Where's it at?"

Mitsuru told them about the simplicity of the house, and went into detail about some of the additions, particularly the attached garage and the master suite. The more she spoke fondly of it, the more Ryuichi's heart hurt to have to sell it.

"When did you get to see it?"

"I wanna see, too!"

"So, you're really going to sell it, huh?" asked Ken. "That's too bad."

"I have to," Ryuichi said. "It's just as well, since I've never actually lived in it."

Fuuka hung her head. "I'm sorry, Senpai. If only I had stayed up a little longer, I could've searched for Strega and alerted everyone that they were behaving strangely."

"It's okay, Fuuka," Ryuichi reassured her. "But, does that mean you saw them that night while you were scanning?"

"I didn't, but I should've taken that to mean that they were up to something." She still appeared to be disappointed in herself for not doing more. Ryuichi deflated when he heard her answer, but he didn't blame her one bit.

"It's all right, Yamagishi," Mitsuru said. "You did what you could. For now, we have no evidence to prove that it was truly Strega who attacked."

"Come on, Mitsuru. Isn't it obvious?" Akihiko snarled. "Who else is conscious during the Dark Hour besides us and them?"

As the week continued, the days seemed to blur together in a mass of studying and accompanying Mitsuru to business meetings and social gatherings. When he wasn't bent over a table with his nose in his books, Ryuichi was standing around on guard detail. Every time he had to stand guard, his mind would always wander to his family, selling the house, and his smoldering hatred towards Strega. At least studying kept his mind preoccupied, especially with Mitsuru and Akihiko there with him.

When he could spare the time, Ryuichi visited his family to see how they were doing. It was the first time since the fire that he got to see them, and was amazed that they were keeping busy. Ayumi was making phone calls to inquire about renting spaces to set up their restaurant in case rebuilding was beyond their fiscal means. Toshio worked on new designs for smokers to replace the ones they lost. When Ryuichi showed up at their front door, his parents welcomed him with big hugs and pulled him in out of the cold.

"You guys are amazing," Ryuichi said when they showed him what they had been up to.

"We have to start rebuilding somehow," Ayumi told her son with determination in her eyes. "Sitting around crying about what we lost is fine for a day or two, but we can't stay like that forever."

"Even Shizue's doing her part," Toshio said with a grin. "She's out there job hunting as we speak."

Ryuichi was in shock. "She is?"

"She's gotta keep Megumi fed somehow!" Toshio said in his proud, ragged bark. He then pointed to the bags of groceries Ryuichi brought. "What're those?"

He held them up. "I thought I could make you guys some dinner," he offered.

For the sukiyaki he planned to cook, he made sure to buy extra meat, having learned from the time he cooked it for his dorm mates. Ryuichi ended up becoming a sous chef for his dad, who told him to prepare the vegetables while he mixed his own broth for the meal.

While they prepared dinner, Shizue returned from a day of job hunting. She was dressed up in a black blazer, white button-down blouse, and a black skirt that ended just above her knees. When she appeared in the living room, she had a big smile on her face.

"I got a job!" she announced to the whole house.

They all hurried to engulf her in a family hug, eagerly asking where.

"Chagall Cafe!" she exclaimed. "The owner's daughter said I looked like the musician who used to work there, and it turns out she knows Ryu-chan! She hired me on the spot!"

"Heeey! All right!"

"Congratulations, Shizue!"

Ryuichi nearly crushed his sister in his arms. "You did it! Congratulations!"

"Thanks to you, Little Bro!" she said hastily, still smiling broadly. "She said that, since I worked at the restaurant, she had a feeling that I had the experience she was looking for. She said I start training tomorrow!

"Oh, and Eshima-san says that she's sorry about the restaurant. She hopes that we're all okay and she's wondering if Ryu-chan will ever come back and play for them again."

"If I have time, sure," he agreed.

Ryuichi began to scour his parents' kitchen for anything he could make to celebrate his sister's success. The closest thing he found to being a dessert was a box of expired instant brownie mix, but he felt that his sister deserved better. He left his dad to finish cutting up the vegetables so he could make a quick dash to the local convenience store to pick up ingredients for a simple butter cake. Incredibly, his dad stuffed some cash into his hand before he left.

When the cake was in the oven, Ryuichi brought some tea over to his mother, who was still looking for more possible locations where they could open up a restaurant. She sat away from her laptop and set down the phone, taking a moment to breathe and thank her son for the tea.

"So, how've you been, Mom?" Ryuichi asked her quietly.

"I've been busy," she replied, and he realized just how tired she looked just then. "I've had to deal with the insurance, inform the workers about the situation, find a new place to rebuild, figure out which company we want to hire to rebuild the restaurant, find good prices on new equipment—"

Ryuichi stared unblinking at his mother. "O-Okay? Um, but, how are _you_ doing?" he tried asking. "Like, your feelings about all this."

Ayumi sighed again. "I feel terrible about all this, but I especially feel badly for everyone, especially your dad," she told him, finally reaching for her tea. "Things were finally turning around for him, and then this had to happen to him.

"And, not just him," she continued before pausing to sip some tea. "I feel so badly for the workers, since they were probably the most inconvenienced by all this. We apologized to them when we gave them their pay for the last few days before the fire, but they told us to call them when the new restaurant is built so they can come back and work for us again."

His mother sniffled, startling him. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Even after the way we treated them before, they're still so nice to us and want to help us in any way they can," she murmured through her tears. "They showed up at the restaurant the other day to help us clean up, and some of them brought food for everyone to share while we worked."

Ryuichi felt himself tear up a little, touched by the kindness of the restaurant staff. "They really did all that?"

"They really did!" Ayumi wiped more tears on her hands, and Ryuichi passed her a packet of tissues. "I feel like we owe it to them to rebuild and make the restaurant even better than before. They've been so supportive, and even your dad said he felt humbled by all their help."

She looked to her son, passing him back his packet of tissues. "So, you're absolutely sure about selling your house? It's not too late to take back your offer."

"I'm sure," he said without hesitation. "I never got to live in it, so it's not like I actually got to call it home or anything."

"Even still, you bought that house, and you renovated it to your liking, so it must have a special meaning to you."

It did, but he wasn't about to tell her about his original reason for buying it. "The restaurant was more of a home to me when I was growing up," he ended up telling her instead. "I would rather rebuild the restaurant than keep a house I never called home."

Ayumi patted his arm, and fresh tears sprouted from her eyes. "Thank you, Ryuichi," she sobbed. "I know we haven't been fair to you, but we really do appreciate all that you've done for us, especially for this past year alone. I'm just sorry that you have to sacrifice so much for us."

"I think you're giving me too much credit," he replied softly, feeling strangely guilty for making his mother feel that way. "We're family, and if I can help at all, I will."

He gave his mother a big hug. Once again, it looked to him like she had been holding back all her anguish and was only now letting it out in tiny spurts of tears. When Shizue came back downstairs with Megumi in a fresh diaper, Ayumi let go of her son to quickly wipe her tears and went to set the table.

They discussed their current situation over dinner, trying to come up with ideas to help Ayumi and Toshio have some kind of income until the restaurant was rebuilt. Ryuichi and Shizue took turns feeding Megumi, where they took a spoon of baby food and moved it around while making airplane noises, trying to entice her to eat. When neither of them could get her to even try a little bit, Toshio had them both sit down to try his luck.

"Shizue used to be a fussy eater, too," he recalled fondly as he held up the spoon. "But I'll show you how we got her to eat!"

He tried doing train noises, pretended to eat the food to try to make her jealous, and even did faces where he opened his face wide in the hopes that she might imitate him so he could trick her into eating. Megumi just sat there in her high chair, more interested in playing than eating anything. Ryuichi managed to snap a photo of his dad pretending to be a choo-choo train, where one arm was chugging along and the other was pulling on the whistle. In the end, Ayumi was the one to get Megumi to eat her food, doing the same thing Toshio did when he opened his mouth wide so she could imitate him.

"Now that's unfair," Toshio grumbled while his wife smiled with glee.

"You forget that I was the one who fed our children," she reminded him.

"Well, you made it look so easy I thought I could do it. I guess you know best!"

Ayumi's expression darkened and she dropped her voice low. "And don't you forget that," she said in a deadpan snark. Her husband quivered, but her children cheered her on and gave her high-fives.

The family went back to suggesting more ideas for work that they could do. Toshio figured he might have to go back to working at a restaurant, and Ayumi decided she would have to stay home to watch over Megumi while both her husband and daughter worked.

"What about a food truck?" Ryuichi suggested. "You guys already have a menu planned, and it'll be cheaper than renting a space to set up a whole new restaurant."

"That's a great idea!" Ayumi's face lit up. "Toshio, you'll be able to travel around and share your food with more people. Imagine how many customers you could get by doing that."

Shizue gasped. "And you can even do catering with the truck," she added. "Dad, you could work events! Festivals!"

Toshio didn't share their excitement. "You forget that Ryuichi will likely have to pay extra, along with everything he's giving from selling his house," he reminded them. "And what about the barbecue? How am I supposed to smoke barbecue while driving around?"

"Smoke it here and bring the cooked ones with you," Ayumi told him. "Or smoke it right in the truck."

" _In_ the truck?"

"What about on top of it?"

"Or under it?"

They discussed the possibility of getting a food truck, agreeing that it would be profitable over the next few months. When they got around to the cost of buying the truck itself, Ryuichi kept insisting that he wanted to buy it for them, calling it "a belated Christmas present" or "New Year's present" or even "a long overdue anniversary present" to make up for the past however many years.

"And we can modify it, too," Ryuichi kept telling them. "We can install smokers somewhere on the truck if it's too hard to come back and pick up more barbecue every time you run out."

"Son, you're already giving us so much," Toshio told him in a morose voice. "You don't have to keep giving. Save your money for yourself."

"It's okay, Dad," Ryuichi told him. "This is really important, and I wanna help you guys as much as I can."

They all helped to clean up after dinner and shared the butter cake that Ryuichi made to celebrate Shizue's success. Even though their spirits had perked up a little from all the little blessings they had received throughout the week, they all still carried some worry that things might not work out the way they hoped. There was still no guarantee that Ryuichi's house would sell, and that idea alone was all it took to dash their hopes of rebuilding the restaurant.

"We have to think positive," Ayumi urged her family, snapping them out of their fears for the moment. "Shizue, you cleaned the house, didn't you?"

"I did, yeah," she replied.

"Good! I'll come over to help you clean!"

"What? But, I just said I cleaned!"

"We have to make it look extra good for the appraisal!"

"But Mom—"

There was no changing their mother's mind when it came to any tasks she set her mind to, especially when her family was involved. Ryuichi could only hope that someone would want to pay at least full price for the house, for his family's sake.


	103. Chapter 103

**Chapter 103**

That Friday marked the first day of their final semester for the school year. Ryuichi couldn't believe that his final semester of high school was starting off plagued with so many worries, where he wished he could have had at least another week off to make up for the tumultuous break. Unfortunately, with college entrance exams looming, he knew that he would've ended up using that extra break to study instead of relaxing.

When Ryuichi got to his desk, he immediately pushed his hat back, put his head down, and closed his eyes. There was still a good ten minutes before the bell rang, and he intended to use that time wisely.

"School hasn't even begun and you're already asleep?" Mitsuru chuckled in front of him.

"I'll wake up when school actually starts," he murmured without lifting his head.

"All right. Good night."

"G'night."

He started to feel himself fade away. A dream began to manifest, where he saw his classroom and his classmates while they chatted all around him. And then, a presence drew near, one that he hoped would pass him by.

"Ryuichi-kun?"

He almost groaned, recognizing Shiori's voice immediately. "Hey, Shiori-san."

"I saw the news report about what happened to your family's restaurant. Are you and your family doing okay?" Shiori asked.

Ryuichi reluctantly sat up and stretched. "We're okay," he said quietly. "We're just slowly trying to rebuild right now. It's hard, but we're getting there."

He removed his fedora so she wouldn't feel like he was trying to avoid looking at her. "Anyway, how was your break?" he asked her with a tired smile.

He thought it was strange that Shiori was only asking about the restaurant now when it had burned down almost a week ago, but realized that she might have emailed or called him when he didn't have his phone. It was only when Mitsuru decided he had rested enough that she gave him back his phone, but he didn't bother to respond to any of the voicemails or emails. Instead, he deleted everything, as he saw no point in repeating the same explanation dozens of times, not especially when he was sick and already busy with his studies and getting the house ready to sell.

His ten precious minutes of naptime ended up being spent on conversations, which turned out to be kind of nice. His world had been closed off for the past two weeks with studies, Shadows, work, the house, and his family, and he barely had any time alone with Mitsuru for them to relax. As he chatted with Shiori, he could see it in her eyes that she wanted to ask about whether or not he told Mitsuru how he felt about her, the way her eyes would slide to Mitsuru's direction every now and then. If she did ask, he decided he would tell her that they agreed to stay friends.

Looking around the room, it seemed like a quarter of the class was missing. He overheard some of his classmates mention that some of them were out with the flu, if not struck down by Apathy Syndrome.

"And right before college entrance exams, too!"

"Bad time to get sick, huh?"

Class started up. The teacher acknowledged how empty the classroom felt before taking roll call and was answered by dull murmurs to indicate that they were present, but barely conscious. Once Ryuichi let the teacher know that he was there, he put his head down and slept.

The next day was the day that Ryuichi's house would officially be listed for sale. The real estate agent that Mitsuru got for him focused all her energy on Ryuichi's house, getting all the paperwork and the appraisal done within the week. He wished he could be there to see the house while potential buyers checked it out, but really he just wanted to critically judge everyone for wanting to buy it for lower than the asking price.

After school, Mitsuru had a strange request for him: She asked him to go with her to her home for tea.

"Uh, don't we have to study?" he asked her on their way to the shoe lockers.

"We've studied quite a bit, so I thought we could use a break today," she said. "And considering what today is, I thought you could use a distraction."

It didn't surprise him that she was aware that he would be obsessing over his house being put on the market. Ryuichi softly murmured his thanks to her before they separated to change their shoes.

It had been two months since he was last at the Kirijo mansion, but at least this time, it was for a pleasant visit. The moment they entered through the front doors, they were greeted by two rows of bowing maids.

"Welcome home, Ojou-sama," the maids all greeted Mitsuru. To Ryuichi they said, "Welcome, Ryuichi-san."

"Thank you," Mitsuru said to them all as the maids took their school bags and Ryuichi's hat.

"Ojou-sama, would you care for some caramel tea today?"

"I think lavender tea would be appropriate for today. We'll be taking it in the music room."

"Yes, Ojou-sama."

Ryuichi looked to her in amazement. "You not gonna have your favorite tea?"

She smiled. "I thought we could use something that can help alleviate stress," she said to him.

Mitsuru told him to meet her in the music room while she went upstairs for a little bit. Whenever the music room was involved, Ryuichi knew that he was supposed to sit down at the piano and start playing. The first song he played was a jazzy tune, written for a pair of lovers, one who took off in his plane and never stayed grounded for long, and the other who waited patiently for him, hoping he would one day come see her and not just her restaurant.

As he played, he looked up at the Kirijo family portrait hanging over the marble fireplace. He knew the portrait very well, having stared up at it many times during his visits to the mansion. It always amazed him to see the woman who looked almost exactly like Mitsuru, with the same wavy, wine red hair, auburn eyes, and creamy complexion, but the one distinguishing difference between her and her daughter was the beauty mark near the corner of the mother's lip. And standing next to her chair was a more youthful, stoic Takeharu before he wore an eye patch. Ryuichi thought he saw a shine in the man's gray eyes that was probably the closest thing he could ever identify as a smile on Takeharu's face.

He wondered how things would have turned out for Mitsuru's family, had her grandfather not been bent on bringing about the Fall. Looking at the portrait, he tried to imagine a Takeharu who was a warm, humorous man, remembering that he played that small prank on Junpei just hours before his death. And what of her mother? He only knew that she was of poor health and had never seen her in person before. He wondered how she was doing now, curious if she was in the mansion at that very moment.

"That's a new one," he heard Mitsuru say after he finished the song. "Where's it from?"

"One of my favorite movies," he replied, not yet starting on the next song. "It's a little weird, but I liked its charm. I can lend it to you one of these days, if you're interested."

"What is it about?"

He gave her a brief description of the feel-good movie, giving her a few basic details about the bounty hunter cursed to look like a pig, the beautiful restaurant owner, and their love that was never shown on screen. After agreeing that they would try to make time to watch it together, Mitsuru asked him to play another song.

Ryuichi played more relaxing tunes, feeling himself mellow out from all the stress he carried. He never allowed silence to break his chain of songs, letting one flow into another effortlessly. As he played, Mitsuru sat at the table, staring out the window at the sunny, winter afternoon, taking the occasional sip of her tea without touching the lemon cake. She looked to be as lost in the music as he was with a dreamy look on her face.

After playing for nearly half an hour, Mitsuru called him to the table to have some tea. A fresh pot was made for them, now that the old one had already gone tepid. Ryuichi poured Mitsuru a cup first before filling his own.

"Sorry. My intent wasn't to make you play for so long," she said to him.

"Guess I needed that more than I thought," he said, smiling. "It's nice to be able to play on a real piano again."

Mitsuru appeared to have relaxed when she heard his answer. "You looked really happy just now. I think I could have listened to you for hours and never grow tired of it."

Ryuichi cut a slice of lemon cake for her. "Then, I'll be happy to play for you anytime."

After their tea, Mitsuru brought him upstairs to the second floor to show him the room he would be moving into after they graduated. Ryuichi's mind blanked out, not having thought much about when he would move in with her. He nearly tripped on his own feet when she mentioned that his room was a few doors down from hers.

"Even though there are maids throughout the mansion, it's best to have you close by, should there be any trouble," she explained. "Since you are primarily a bodyguard, we want you to focus more on your combat training than doing household chores."

She handed him the key to his new room. Ryuichi stared at the silvery key in his palm, still in disbelief that she had not been joking about him moving in with her. When he opened the door, he gasped, forgetting to exhale.

In terms of space, the room was more like a nice apartment. It was actually two separate rooms, and the first room was about the size of his room at the dorm. It was left completely bare with, as Mitsuru's explanation went, "the intent that he would be able to customize it to his liking". He could already see his workout and training equipment filling half the room.

The actual bedroom itself was separated from the front room by another door. Unlike the front room, this room was already decorated, which Ryuichi didn't mind at all. The furniture was surprisingly modern, with a dark wood dresser, a matching heavy-looking dark wood desk with a high-backed chair on wheels, tall dark wood shelves, and a king-sized bed with blue sheets ready for him to use. The room was spacious enough to have its own little lounge area like what Mitsuru had in her room, with a hard sofa that he wasn't a fan of and a black coffee table with a glass tabletop, both facing the flat screen TV mounted on the wall. Underneath the TV was a wide TV stand where he could put all of his electronics.

On the wall behind the bed were two doors leading to the walk-in closet, washroom, and bathroom. He entered the door on the right, and immediately to his left was a straight walk through the walk-in closet that led to the other door. When he went straight ahead, he found the high-tech toilet with the bidet built into it and the sink on the tank, but if he used the other door or walked through the walk-in closet, he found the bathroom.

His favorite part without a doubt was the balcony. The moment he opened the French doors, a strong wind greeted him, almost pushing him back inside. With a little effort, he stepped out into the freezing winds, his hair flying all over the place as he leaned on the stone handrail. He was surprised that he could see above the thick forest that separated the mansion from the outer walls, in awe at the vast expanse of land the Kirijo family owned.

"Do you like it?" Mitsuru asked him when he came back inside. Her voice had become meek with uncertainty.

"When you said I was going to be living here, I was just expecting to get a simple room, like at the dorm," he uttered, still dumbstruck by the splendor of the new room. "I feel like I'm moving into a palace!"

She had an uneasy smile on her face. "Does that mean...?"

He still wasn't sure how he felt. "Is it really okay for me to live here?" he asked. "It's all so nice, and I love it, but, won't the maids think you're playing favorites?"

"To tell you the truth, the maid staff started preparing this room after I informed them that you would be moving in," she admitted, her cheeks turning rosy. "I didn't get to choose the room."

"Why would they do that? Unless—"

They exchanged panicked glances. Mitsuru touched her fingers to her lips.

"They know!" they both gasped.

"I-It's all right!" Mitsuru reassured him with a trembling voice. "Kikuno was the one who was in charge of preparing the room, and everyone seemed to help her without question."

Ryuichi wasn't as ready to accept that everything was fine. "I just don't want you getting into trouble," he told her. "If the whole maid staff knows—"

"I will have a talk with Kikuno later," Mitsuru said firmly.

There wasn't much they could do about whether or not the maids knew about them. While Mitsuru nervously paced the room, Ryuichi shut the French doors and closed the curtains.

"Then, should we go before anyone gets suspicious of us?" he asked uneasily.

"That might be best for now," she said, looking clearly concerned about their new situation.

Ryuichi felt terrible that her excitement to show him the room had been quashed by worry. "Hey," he said, holding her in a gentle embrace. "I'm sure Kikuno-san wouldn't have organized it this way if she didn't think it would put our relationship in jeopardy, so let's just have faith that she's got it all planned out for now."

Mitsuru relaxed into his embrace, soon returning it as she circled her arms around his back. "You're right. Kikuno has a penchant for always being several steps ahead, so you and I will just have to do our part and be careful."

"Yeah. And, before I forget: I'm going to enjoy living here."

She stiffened. "So, do you like your room?"

"I love it." He flashed her a reassuring grin. "The best part is that I don't have to walk up two flights of stairs just to get to yours."

"Just because we're on the same floor now doesn't mean that we can drop by each others' rooms anytime we like," she chuckled, looking more at ease. "But, I'm glad that you like it. It's a little small, but—"

"'Small'?" He made a show of wrinkling his nose and looking around. "This? It's huge!"

She chuckled again. "All right. We should go before they think we're doing something unscrupulous."

"What, like this?"

He kissed her. When they came away from each other, both of them were bright red, hot enough to almost create steam in the chilly air.

"Sorry. I haven't had much practice," he admitted.

"Neither have I, but I'll take that as a good sign," she replied, and led the way back out into the hallway.

They didn't tour the mansion just yet, as Mitsuru was concerned that they might look too close if they did. Instead, they returned to the dorm to resume their studies, only to find everyone downstairs in the lounge, passing around a magazine that left them shaking their heads.

"Have you seen this before, Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked her, holding the magazine out to her.

She took it. Ryuichi peered over her shoulder, recognizing Takaya and the strange symbol next to him as the same one that's been spray painted all over Iwatodai and Port Island—The same one that Sakai and his friends tagged all over Gekkoukan High.

"'If you believe, you will be saved'," Mitsuru read aloud.

"There are cultists all over the city who think that Nyx is coming to bring salvation," Fuuka explained.

Ryuichi finally came to understand that the symbol he was staring at were the letters N-Y-X overlapping one another. He wrinkled his nose at Takaya's smug face next to the article, feeling a silent wrath broiling within him.

Minato looked to Mitsuru. "We were heckled by cultists on our way back from Hagakure," he told her. "They're getting more violent."

"They didn't hurt you guys, did they?" Ryuichi asked through a clenched jaw.

"We're fine," Yukari piped up. "They just were just kinda pushy about getting us to believe in Nyx bringing about salvation, or something."

Fuuka pointed to a spot in the article. "They warned the public about 'those who are opposed to Nyx'."

Ryuichi skimmed the part she showed them. "They want them to attack us?" he growled.

"We will have to fly under the radar for now," Mitsuru told them all. "If you see these cultists, do not engage them, and if you can, just avoid them."

While the discussion about the cultists carried on, Ryuichi received a phone call from the real estate agent. He retreated to his room to take the call, where he learned that there were a number of people who came to see the house, but none had made an offer yet.

"The problem is that the house is priced a little high for that neighborhood," he was told. "But, it's only the first day, so you might get an offer soon."

"I hope so," Ryuichi sighed. "All right, thank you for all your hard work."

The worries were piling back up again. Ryuichi could feel the cold, burning sensation in his chest again as he became overwhelmed. He told himself to breathe while his hands and feet ran cold.

"Ryuichi?" Mitsuru called through his door. "Would you like to study as a group tonight? Akihiko wants to join us again."

No, not now! "Y-Yeah," he answered, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Just give me a minute to get everything ready."

"All right. We'll get our books and be right back."

He still wasn't ready by the time he opened his door to the others, but he managed to keep smiling and acted like everything was okay. He struggled to focus on his studies, feeling like he had somehow left his body and was looking at things from someone else's view. As far as he could tell, nobody knew about the anxiety brewing within him. It was all he needed to just get through the evening, until someone announced that they wanted to go to Tartarus. All he could do was go with them.


	104. Chapter 104

**Chapter 104**

During the final week before their college entrance exams, Mitsuru informed Ryuichi that he would not be accompanying her for work so that he could focus on his studies. To maximize his study time, Ryuichi also informed his family that he would be busy studying and wouldn't be able to visit at all that week. They were understanding of his situation and wished him luck on his exams, and Ryuichi had to ask them to repeat that just so he knew he heard them right the first time.

Everyone in SEES was also supportive of the seniors, where they didn't push for them to go to Tartarus with them. Akihiko was always up for fighting Shadows, and after spending so much time sitting at a kotatsu all afternoon and evening, Ryuichi and Mitsuru would often find themselves going with them.

With Minato's shoulder mostly healed, he resumed his usual duties of leading a team into Tartarus. At times, they had Ryuichi be the leader so he could get used to guiding a team in combat. They all climbed higher and higher up the tower, learning from the stronger Shadows, learning how to combine one another's skills for maximum strength and defense. They found more useful items the more they climbed, taking care to save some of the most potent recovery items and powerful Gems and Magatamas for their final battle.

On the nights they didn't go to Tartarus, Ryuichi would often find himself fending off an anxiety attack. His thoughts kept replaying his fears in his head, injecting terror deep into his mind.

 _—you will fail—_

 _—the house won't sell—_

 _—they will die—_

 _—you don't deserve her—_

 _—Nyx will prevail—_

 _—the Fall is inevitable—_

All his worries were crushing him, but he kept doing everything he could to remind himself that none of it was true. There were times when he would forget to breathe deeply, only remembering to do so when the worst of his anxiety had finally passed. Most nights, he found himself lying in bed, trying to figure out if any of his worries were even real, often doubting that he was actually suffering. He was always left feeling disappointed in himself for being so helpless over something he thought he should have better control over. When sleep wouldn't come, he would get out of bed to try to study some more.

"Are you even allowing yourself to get any sleep?" Mitsuru asked Ryuichi on Wednesday morning on their way to school.

Ryuichi's head fell back as he let out a big yawn. "I pulled an all-nighter last night," he partially lied, knowing just how obvious the dark circles under his eyes were.

"Studying is fine, but rest is crucial for your health and for retaining everything you've studied."

"I'll take a nap at lunch, then."

When he noticed that she was trying to get a good look at his face, Ryuichi dipped his head lower, seeing nothing but sidewalk, Nyx flyers, and a few Nyx symbols spray painted on the concrete. He felt himself get sleepier as the sunlight soaked into his dark uniform, warming and soothing him as his eyes began to close.

Ryuichi's whole body jerked to the right. When he looked up, he saw that Mitsuru had pulled him out of the way of an oncoming lamppost.

"Maybe you should look ahead instead of down at your feet," Mitsuru suggested.

"Yeah, sorry," he yawned. "Forgot that streetlamps attack when you're not looking."

He didn't even make it to the first bell before falling asleep. During roll call, his homeroom teacher called his name several times before he finally woke up in a panic. He bowed and apologized over and over again while she scolded him in front of the class, and when he was allowed to sit back down, his adrenaline kept him awake long enough to see the start of first period before he passed out again.

"Okay, everyone! Partner up and have a conversation using today's lesson!" their English teacher announced at some point.

"Ryuichi, wake up," he barely heard Mitsuru whisper to him.

"In English!" their teacher said loudly over all the conversations. "English only!"

Ryuichi had vague memories of engaging in conversation with Mitsuru in English, but by the end of class, Mitsuru informed him that he did very well.

"You really don't remember having that lengthy conversation with the teacher?" she asked in amazement.

His pupils dilated. "Please tell me I didn't say anything too embarrassing."

Before she could answer, he stopped her, too afraid to know what he might have said. His fear didn't linger for too long, and soon sleep reclaimed him yet again just as history class got started.

By lunchtime, Ryuichi was much more awake and alert. He went with Mitsuru to pick up some things to eat at the little store downstairs, but she was quickly swept up by the fencing team, who was looking to spend a little time with their now retired captain. Mitsuru looked to Ryuichi in apology, but he just smiled, waved, and mouth "bye-bye" to her while the team dragged her away.

Once he had his food, he snuck upstairs to the rooftop. He took care to step over the little "No Access" sign without letting his foot hit the chain. The best part was that he had the place all to himself, and he gladly dumped his goodies on one of the benches farther away from the door.

The rooftop was, as expected, gusty, and the sunny winter day had a chill that nipped at him through his numerous layers of clothes. He warmed up by eating his instant noodles first, then attacked his yakisoba sandwich, his curry bread, and sipped his juice between bites, eating everything as fast as he could while they were still warm. When he was full, he was ready to take a proper nap and almost didn't care if he slept through his last few classes.

He wasn't sleepy anymore. Tired, sure, but all his naps throughout the morning made it impossible for him to sleep now. He ended up lying on his back, staring up at the silk lining of his fedora, his mind racing with all the historical dates, math equations, English grammar, Japanese literature, and everything else that he had been studying for as long as he could remember.

Before long, he took notice of how calm he was. He felt fine, and didn't feel anxious at all throughout the morning. He began to doubt the fears he had been feeling over the past week or so, thinking that he might have been overreacting, or that he was just letting his worries for his college entrance exams get out of hand. Yes, he knew he was under a lot of pressure, but he still felt like his stress was nothing compared to anything that Mitsuru or his family was going through.

Ryuichi took out his cell phone, wondering if he should email Eshima to ask her more about anxiety. He thought about how busy she must be, and that she had probably already taught him just about everything he needed to know about it. He didn't want to bother her, especially since he felt fine right then. With a sigh, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and spent the rest of his lunch break with his eyes closed, getting none of the sleep he wanted.

After school, Mitsuru urged him to return home and catch up on some sleep before diving into his studies again. She had business to take care of, but said that she would return to the dorm as soon as possible so they could study some more. That afternoon, it was just Ryuichi and Akihiko studying at his kotatsu, though Ryuichi ended up being more of a tutor rather than the two pooling their knowledge together.

When dinnertime drew near, Ryuichi decided to order some pizza so he wouldn't have to leave the dorm. He offered to order one for Akihiko, who naturally customized his pizza to be covered in every kind of meat the pizza place had to offer. Ryuichi kept Mitsuru in mind when he ordered his, splitting his pizza into two to get different flavors for each half. He figured Mitsuru might want some when she came home from work.

"Mind if I use your weights?" Akihiko asked. He set his pencil down as he stood with a groan.

"Just make sure you wipe them off when you're done," Ryuichi said, pointing to the container of disinfectant wipes he kept near his weights.

Akihiko eagerly picked up the dumbbells on the floor, giving them a few test curls before asking if he could add a little more weight to them. With Ryuichi's permission, he added a few more kilograms to each, and when he was satisfied, began working with them.

Ryuichi sat away from his kotatsu and stretched, feeling his spine pop. His laptop was still open, showing the receipt for their pizzas and the expected time of arrival. Closing it, he considered lying down on his bed for a few minutes, only to find that he was too lazy to get up from his spot.

"Hey, Ryuichi? Can I ask you something?"

He ended up lying down on the floor instead. "What's up?"

"Well, you're good at talking to girls, right? How do you do it?"

Now this was something he hadn't expected out of Akihiko. "Um, I just do?"

"Yeah, but how?"

"How should I know?"

Ryuichi watched as Akihiko alternated pumping his arms, grunting with every rep. "Well, I guess it helped that I grew up with a sister who had a lot of friends who were girls," he figured. He laced his fingers together to rest his hands under his head.

Akihiko squatted to set the weights back down on the floor. "I had a sister, too," he told him. "Miki. The only thing is, I guess I didn't see her as a girl. She was just my sister."

That gave Ryuichi an idea. "What if you just see girls the same way?"

The boxer grimaced, looking to Ryuichi in disgust. "You want me to ask out girls while thinking of them as my sister?"

"Whoa! Hell, no! That's definitely _not_ what I meant!"

Ryuichi sat up, shaking his head so vigorously he thought his face would fly off. "What I meant was: Try talking to them like you used to with your sister. Just be chill with them. You can practice that with your fans when they come looking for you."

He didn't look convinced. With a grunt, he picked both dumbbells off the floor again to do more reps.

"I'm not into those girls, though," he grumbled.

"Why not?"

"They're just, I don't know. They're too much."

"Oh, like how they're always going 'Akihiko-kun!' or "Akihiko-senpai! I wanna have your baby!' and stuff like that?"

Ryuichi's imitation of the girls' shrill cries made Akihiko cringe. He even batted his eyelashes for extra damage. Akihiko shuddered, cutting his set of reps short to set the weights down again.

"It's a lot more annoying than you think," he told Ryuichi mournfully.

"I wouldn't know," Ryuichi said with a shrug. "I never had fans."

"Are you kidding? You had a lot of fans. They were just scared to get near you because Mitsuru was always there."

"For real?" Realization dawned on Ryuichi. "Are you saying that Mitsuru cost me my fans?"

"Not on purpose, though. I think that was when everyone thought you guys were dating. You were basically off limits."

Ryuichi felt himself die a little inside. "But, what about Mitsuru's fans? How come they had no problems fawning over her with me around?"

"Dunno." Akihiko took up the weights again, but started raising his arms out sideways this time. "Maybe because you're not scary like Mitsuru."

He took a breath to retort, but came up empty. "I'll give you that, but better not let her catch you saying that."

"Fine with me. Just don't tell her I said anything."

"If she found out I agreed with you, she'd execute me, too."

All Ryuichi could do was rest his face against his fist while idly tapping his eraser on his notes. "I still can't believe I had fans I didn't even know about and I couldn't even enjoy it. They probably don't like me anymore since I quit kendo."

"To be fair, you had to take care of your family," Akihiko reminded him. "And if you ask me, I think you're lucky that your fans were scared of angering Mitsuru if they got too close to you. I couldn't even walk to the water fountain without getting chased."

After hearing that, Ryuichi didn't feel so bad about not being mobbed by fans. Just hearing that he had fans at all was enough for him, and after seeing what both Mitsuru and Akihiko went through dealing with theirs, he was grateful to Mitsuru for her unintentional protection.

Still, he had to hide the fact from Akihiko that he and Mitsuru were dating. He at least had to pretend that he was unhappy about Mitsuru scaring his fans away, especially since he was supposed to be single and interested in finding a girlfriend.

"Gee. Thanks, Mitsuru," he grunted instead, bolstering his feigned disappointment with a scowl.

Ryuichi sat up higher when another idea struck him. "Hey! What if you got your own Mitsuru?" he suggested. "That way, she'll ward off your unwanted fans because they'll be too scared of her!"

"No, thanks." Akihiko's face soured. "Besides, if she followed me everywhere, everyone'll think we're dating like what happened to you two. No girl would want to talk to me."

"I guess you're right," Ryuichi said with a sigh. "Man, how can she both attract and repel girls at the same time?"

"It's some kind of gift, that's for sure." Akihiko paused to adjust his grip on the dumbbells.

"What's a gift?"

Ice shot up Ryuichi's spine at the sound of Mitsuru's voice. She took off her boots by the door, then settled at the kotatsu and began to unpack her school bag. Akihiko quickly turned his focus back to his exercises, now raising the dumbbells faster than was advisable. He appeared to be flooded with perspiration now that Mitsuru was there.

"What were you two talking about just now?" Mitsuru asked them both. She looked to Ryuichi, who now hid his face behind his study guide.

"Um, w-we were just talking about, um, how to talk to girls," Ryuichi answered, unable to lie to her. He saw Akihiko stiffen up.

Mitsuru raised her eyebrows, more from intrigue than anything else. "Talking to girls?" she asked. "What about it?"

Akihiko shot a warning glare at Ryuichi. Unlike Mitsuru's frigid glares, he felt no threat from him. "Well, um, we realized that, even though we have fans who are interested in us because we're captains of our sports teams, we don't really know how to talk to them," Ryuichi said slowly, setting his book down on the kotatsu. "But, you don't seem to have any trouble talking to your fans, do you?"

She blinked. "I don't have any fans."

"Chyeah, right." Akihiko set the weights down with a grunt. With Ryuichi vigorously pointing at the box of disinfecting wipes, he eventually got the hint and started wiping down the dumbbells. "And what do you call those girls who give you all that chocolate on Valentine's Day?"

"They are merely classmates swept up in the spirit of the holiday who simply want to give sweets," she answered him.

"Are you sure? Some of those chocolates were pretty elaborate for being given on a whim," Ryuichi reasoned as he scratched his jaw. "Checkered cookies, chocolates with different fillings, chocolates shaped like flowers, and I think one girl even made you a cake."

"You make them sound like they're admirers more than anything," Mitsuru said with a sigh.

"Oh, you had those, too." Akihiko planted himself at the kotatsu across from Ryuichi. "Remember all those love letters you used to find in your shoe locker?"

"If I recall, a few of those even came from guys," Ryuichi added, and the two boys snorted and snickered. They both choked when Mitsuru cast her frigid glare on them both.

"You two are exaggerating." She was clearly irritated with them now, her arms crossed over her chest like she was trying to contain her annoyance.

"Are you kidding? I remember you pulled out a dozen love letters one time!" Akihiko's outburst made Ryuichi's jaw hit the table. "Don't tell me all those admirers were just declaring their undying friendship to you."

"Oh, they wanted to be more than just friends," Ryuichi snickered, barely able to contain his giggles. "They wanted to be mega best friends!"

The guys cracked up, leaving Mitsuru to hang her head and groan.

"What does any of this have to do with talking to girls?" she asked in exasperation.

Ryuichi looked from Mitsuru's annoyed expression to Akihiko's begging frown. He knew right away that he had to be the one to speak up.

"Well, I was just thinking that I have no idea how to talk to girls," Ryuichi told Mitsuru, his words slow and labored.

Her look of intrigue returned, with her brows high and eyes bright with curiosity. "You?" she uttered, confused.

He nodded, spotting Akihiko's appreciative look. "Well, I mean, it's one thing to talk to girls like normal, but, if I'm interested in one, I don't really know how to handle that. I guess I can catch a girl's interest if I cook for her, but I won't actually get to know her if she's too busy stuffing her face, right?"

The bewilderment on Mitsuru's face didn't linger. Her gaze slid over to Akihiko, who refuse to meet her eyes. She turned back to Ryuichi with a look of understanding.

"If you want to strike up a conversation with a girl, try to find a common interest to talk about," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi. "I would even recommend that you start off by becoming friends with her first. That way you can get to know each other casually."

Ryuichi's eye twitched. It was obvious to him that she was basing her reasoning on their own firsthand experience with their relationship, and he just hoped that Akihiko didn't pick up on it. Astonishingly, Akihiko quickly took notes on her advice, repeating them to himself as he scribbled them down.

"S-So, how do you know what kind of topics to talk about?" a flustered Akihiko asked her. Ryuichi gasped, coughing when he choked on his saliva.

"For example, if she's in your class, and you were just given a pop quiz, you can start a conversation about that," Mitsuru suggested. "You can ask her about one of the questions you had trouble with."

"And, that'll actually help?"

"I think it's a safe way to start. Though, it doesn't guarantee that she will be interested in you."

"It doesn't?" Hope drained from Akihiko's face. "Then, what's the point?"

"To establish interest, I think," Ryuichi said to him, still coughing. "So at least next time, if you see each other again, she might be more inclined to talk to you."

Ryuichi smirked. "And if all else fails, tell her those three magic words that are practically guaranteed to get any girl."

Akihiko gasped. "And those are?"

Mitsuru glowered at him. "Ryuichi..."

He fought hard not to giggle. As he said those magic words, he held up three fingers one at a time:

"I. Brought. Food."

He snorted when he saw Akihiko eagerly write those words down in his notes while Mitsuru palmed her face, shaking her head.

While Akihiko asked if he could use variants of those three words ("Wanna get food?", "Let's get food", etc.), their pizzas arrived. The trio of seniors agreed to take a break from their studies so they could eat, and strangely enough, Akihiko was the last to touch his pizza so he could finish taking notes. Ryuichi shared his pizza with Mitsuru, who ventured to try a slice of Akihiko's with the thick layer of greasy meats on top. For some reason, they carried on with their discussion of how to talk to girls, and Ryuichi even brought up how to be a perfect gentleman. Akihiko continued to take notes between bites of pizza.

"We should go to Tartarus tonight to get a little exercise," Akihiko suggested after a time. "Can't have a healthy mind without a healthy body."

"Normally I would agree, but with exams on Saturday, I think it might be best if we avoid injury for now," Mitsuru replied.

Ryuichi started to feel a few prickles of panic on his skin, but he knew that she was right. "Y-Yeah. I don't want to end up stuck in the hospital until after exams," Ryuichi murmured uneasily. "Besides, I really need to focus on studying."

Akihiko eyed him in confusion. "But you always score in the top ten, though. Why are you so worried about how you're going to do on your exams?"

"I'm not taking any chances." Ryuichi paused to sip some of his TaP soda. "But on Friday, I'm definitely not going study at all."

It was Mitsuru's turn to look surprised. "You're not?"

"Nope!" Ryuichi reached for another slice of pizza. "I know that if I overload the night before, I'm only going to screw myself, so I'm gonna take it easy. No studies, no house stuff, no nothing. Except, if you need me to accompany you somewhere for work, I'll definitely go."

"I intend to stay home and study that day, but perhaps I might do the same as you and rest," Mitsuru said to him.

"Sounds like a good idea," Akihiko agreed. "And here I thought you were just going to keep pushing yourself too hard again."

As confident as he sounded, Ryuichi was slowly turning into a total emotional wreck. There were only a few days left until their college entrance exams, and about two weeks left before their battle against Nyx, and he wasn't sure if he could handle all his other stressors on top of everything. During the day, he would be distracted with school, work, and his studies, but once he was by himself at night, his anxiety started stabbing him with its electrified needles directly into his nerves, supercharging his fears to the point where he was almost hyperventilating.

In the past few days, all the adrenaline pumping through him from his anxiety was put to good use whenever they took a trip into Tartarus, where he was much faster and stronger and constantly working on overdrive. He felt fine after expelling all that pent up energy, but his worries would kick up again when he went to bed afterward.

That night, he regretted his decision to not go to Tartarus for the next few days. His anxiety started kicking in again, stockpiling shots of adrenaline into him, filling him with energy he wished he could expel through battle. He tried getting rid of some of his energy by working out, spending nearly the entire Dark Hour doing so. He didn't go to bed until after everyone else had returned from Tartarus.

Over the next two nights, Ryuichi would suffer from panic attacks in his dreams whenever he tried to sleep. He would wake up soaked in his own sweat, petrified by terror that gripped him so tightly that all he could do was lie completely still in bed, too afraid to move. No matter how stifling hot he became under the covers, he refused to move at all, save for breathing and letting his eyes dart around.

"Another all-nighter?" Mitsuru asked him on Friday morning. "Ryuichi, just because you're giving yourself today off doesn't mean you should push yourself beyond your limits."

"Sorry," he murmured, and said nothing more after that.

He didn't want her to worry about him. He feared that he would be deemed unfit to work as her bodyguard, that he would be terminated over something he thought he could control if only he tried a little harder. He was certain that he would feel better once exams were done and over with, but as the day came closer, he wasn't even sure if he could go through with it.


	105. Chapter 105

**Chapter 105**

"You guys are gonna do great!"

"Kick some ass, Senpai!"

"Good luck!"

"You've got nothing to worry about!"

"You've got this!"

"Woof! Woof!"

The three seniors gathered at the dorm's front doors, surrounded by the other SEES members eager to wish them well on their college entrance exams. Ryuichi managed to flash everyone a tired smile, hiding his nerves by laughing along with some of their jokes and thanking them for their encouragements. He spoke with false confidence, telling everyone that they were, indeed, going to kick ass.

"It'll be a snooze fest for you, Mitsuru-senpai!" Yukari cheered her on.

"Good luck, Sanada-san!" Ken told Akihiko.

"You've worked really hard, so I know you'll do well, Ryuichi-senpai," Fuuka reassured him.

"We should go before it gets too crowded," Akihiko said to the others, and the three seniors left while their friends called out more encouragements after them.

The trio went on foot to the train station to begin the long commute to the test site. All around them, people in suits and students in uniforms went on their way to work and school as usual that Saturday morning. Joining their ranks were college hopefuls out of uniform, many of who held up tiny flashcards to their sleep-deprived faces. If it weren't for the flash cards, Ryuichi might have thought they were a slightly more active version of the Lost.

The Lost were all over the city now. Like the numerous cultist flyers and Nyx symbols all over town, the Lost littered the streets and often went ignored and avoided. They were simply swept up in the crowds in passing, and when someone bumped one, the stream of pedestrians simply flowed around them. No one bothered to help.

"Were you able to get any sleep last night?" Mitsuru asked Ryuichi as they continued on to the train station.

"Not really," he sighed. "I think it's because I took so many naps yesterday."

"You had us a little worried there," Akihiko told him. "Junpei kept trying to get someone to go in and poke you with a stick to see if you were still alive."

Ryuichi chuckled. "So, who was the brave soul who checked?"

The other two exchanged glances.

"Nobody," they answered in unison.

"You didn't check?" Ryuichi squawked in alarm. "What if I died?"

"We all knew you were tired, so we didn't want to bother you," Akihiko insisted.

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru, whose eyebrows were knitted together in apology.

"I sent you an email yesterday, but I suppose you slept through your phone's notification," Mitsuru said to him.

Ryuichi's shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Well, at least one of you tried," he murmured. "Thanks for letting me rest a little too well, guys."

"But you still look tired," Mitsuru pointed out. All he could do was shrug and dismiss her observation.

He wasn't so tired that he wasn't alert. On a packed train, Ryuichi noticed a young man who kept eyeing Mitsuru's backside. Ryuichi glowered at the guy, putting to work his unblinking eyes ringed with dark circles. The guy went to peek at Mitsuru again and flinched when he saw Ryuichi's deranged glare. They locked eyes while passengers got off at their stop, and just before the train doors shut, the offender fled.

"Damn. You're even wearing pants today," Ryuichi muttered to Mitsuru.

At first, she stared hard at him, like she was trying to make sense of his bizarre statement. After the train started moving, it finally seemed to click in her mind what had just happened.

"Good work, Ryuichi," she whispered. "I didn't even notice this time."

He started to grunt in reply, but quickly regretted saying anything at all. He realized too late that the shock of potentially getting groped might have an impact on her exams.

It took them a few train transfers and another forty-five minutes of walking before they reached the test site. Already, high school seniors and people who failed the exams at least once before were lined up at the front gates, slowly filtering through with their exam bids and IDs in hand to be checked. Ryuichi had a moment of panic that he might not be on the roster, but when he was waved through, he calmed down a little.

"My room's down that way," Akihiko told the two once they were inside the building. "I'll see you guys later. Good luck."

"Good luck to you, too," Mitsuru said. "You've done well with your studies, so I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Ryuichi put on a tired grin. "We can't lose," he added, and the others nodded in agreement.

They split off. Ryuichi walked Mitsuru to her test room first, where they stood just outside the door to talk for a bit.

"You've done well up to this point, Ryuichi," Mitsuru reassured him. "You've always scored above a ninety on the practice quizzes, you're almost fluent in English, and you're even capable of tutoring others to help them with their studies. You're more than ready, Ryuichi. You just need to believe in yourself more."

Ryuichi's smile faded off of his face. "You could tell, huh?"

"Of course I can." She looked upon him with determination in her eyes. "And it looks to me like it's not just exams that are giving you grief."

He shook his head in shame. "I'll feel better once exams are over," he said, keeping his voice low so the people passing by wouldn't hear.

Mitsuru drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You might feel better afterward, but clearly you're still inundated with more than just exams," she told him. "I know this past year has been exceptionally difficult for you, particularly these past few weeks, but I want you to know that if there's anything you need help with, anything that's bothering you, you can always come talk to me about it."

Mitsuru gripped his hand, taking care to hide them between their bags and thick jackets. Ryuichi gasped at her bold move, and only after he squeezed back did she let go.

"I'm here for you," she whispered, sending a rippling shudder coursing through him. "You were always here for me, so let me be here for you, too."

He swallowed hard, nodding once as he shakily met her eyes. "Y-Yeah," he agreed. "Thanks, Mitsuru."

They couldn't show any more affection than that. All they could do was wish each other good luck and go their separate ways. Ryuichi watched as Mitsuru took her seat, making mental notes of the exits, the windows, ways to seal the doors, and if anyone around her looked like trouble. When he decided she was safe, he trudged down the hall to his classroom.

As he took his seat, he noticed a lot of people frantically doing some last-minute cramming before the exams. He thought about doing the same, but he ended up setting his bag down on his desk and resting his head on top of it. As he let out a long, weary sigh, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

 _"After tomorrow's exams, let's go somewhere together,"_ Mitsuru's email said.

Ryuichi managed a tiny smile. _"We might have to bring Akihiko with us."_

 _"I saw some of his admirers in the hallway earlier. He might be preoccupied with them."_

 _"I hope he brought his running shoes."_

After closing out their conversation, Ryuichi saw that he had other messages, as well. His parents and sister each sent him an email to wish him luck, and Shizue even made one to look like it came from Megumi. He received messages from everyone in SEES, the staff from his dad's restaurant, Eshima, some of the guys on the kendo team who hadn't given up on him yet, Shiori, Kikuno, and even some of the Kirijo maid staff. He had no idea that so many people were cheering him on, especially when he had been absent or didn't treat them well. He rapidly blinked back his tears, touched by how much they cared about him. In the few minutes he had left, he sent everyone replies to thank them for their encouragements and wished good luck to those also taking their exams.

"Everyone, please take your seats," the proctor announced after some time.

This was it. The room became so silent that Ryuichi could almost hear the blood coursing throughout his body. Everyone listened as the proctor gave an explanation of the English exam, spending an entire half hour showing them how to operate the listening device. When the instructions were done and there were no questions asked, it was time to start the exam.

"Begin!"

Pages flipped and fluttered as students opened their test booklets. Audio devices clicked while others were still putting on their headphones. After skimming the first page of his booklet, Ryuichi put on his headphones, took a deep breath, and pressed play.

...

The next day, after the final grueling set of exams, everyone filed out of the test rooms and flooded the hallways. Many of them wore grave expressions or agonized smiles, and there were some who had looks of blissful relief while others had their faces scrunched up, almost in tears. Ryuichi dragged his feet out the door wearing a weary but relieved expression on his face that was outshined by Mitsuru's hopeful one waiting just outside.

"So, how do you think you did?" Mitsuru asked.

He had to pause to process how he felt. As numb as he was, it was a welcoming sensation after spending the past few weeks with his nerves sizzling with anxiety.

"Would I sound too cocky if I said I felt pretty comfortable both days?" he asked in a weak voice.

She beamed. "If you're that confident, then it's possible that you might have overdone your studies. But for now, let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Yeah, sure." He let out a yawn and stretched. "So, how about you? Think you scored higher than me?"

"It's possible," Mitsuru chuckled, and the two joined the flow of college hopefuls on their way out. "If you did score higher than me, then that would be something worth sharing with everyone."

"No thanks," he yawned. "I don't want any of that attention on me, and I don't want your fans hunting me down with torches and pitch forks."

They had just come out of the building when they spotted Akihiko fleeing the site, pursued by a gaggle of girls from their school squealing his name. Ryuichi noticed that Akihiko had wised up from yesterday and wore his running shoes this time.

"I hope we won't have to worry about you being chased off like that," Mitsuru teased.

"Nah, I never had that kind of fan following."

"You didn't?"

"Nope." He scratched his head. "Actually, according to Akihiko, a lot of people believed those rumors about you and me dating and thought I was off-limits. But, I guess that didn't stop your fans from giving you gifts, huh?"

On the way back to the train station, they discussed what they should do with their day of freedom to celebrate the end of exams. Mitsuru insisted that it was his turn to choose.

"Where to go," Ryuichi murmured to himself. "Are you hungry? I think there's an all-you-can-eat yakiniku place here. You cook the meat right at your table and you get different sauces you can use."

Mitsuru delighted in the idea. Ryuichi couldn't quite recall the location of the restaurant, but after asking around a bit, they were directed to the place. Within the hour, they were seated at one of the booths with a little grill built into the table, surrounded by various cuts of meats and sauces.

They compared answers while the grill heated up. The first few questions Ryuichi asked about, Mitsuru's answers matched his. For every answer that matched, he gave a little fist pump under the table. When their answers started to disagree, he automatically decided that his were incorrect.

"You can't assume that all of your answers are wrong," Mitsuru pointed out while they began placing cuts of meat onto the grill. "I may have gotten some wrong and your answers might be right."

He gave her a sour smile. "Nice try. Your credibility is based off of your exam track record, and your number one streak has yet to be broken."

She started to protest, but stopped. Even she couldn't deny her consistency with her exam scores.

"So, how do you feel now?" she asked him instead. "You seem a lot calmer compared to this past week."

Ryuichi rearranged some of the meat to fit more on the grill. "I'm a lot better now, I guess."

"That's good. So, did you want to talk about what was causing you so much grief?"

"If it's all right with you, I'd rather enjoy our time together and not talk about that stuff right now," he replied with a smile. "We can always talk about that later."

Mitsuru didn't push him to talk about it, and he was grateful that she let him be for now. They focused their attention on the meat grilling in front of them instead, discussing the different sauces supplied to them. They added some thick pieces of green onions to the grill along with the meat, watching as they all developed a light char around the edges.

When the first few morsels of meat finished cooking, they each took a piece and dipped them into some sauce. Ryuichi took out his cell phone to snap a photo of Mitsuru eating hers first, and she covered her mouth with her free hand as she let out a satisfied hum.

"C'est magnifique." She gestured for Ryuichi to try his piece now. "And this sauce completes the whole experience. Here, try some."

Ryuichi almost moaned when he tasted the savory-sweet combination, along with the tenderness of the juicy meat and the light char around the edges to add just the right touch of bitterness to balance everything. They quickly placed more meat on the grill, eager to try different cuts and more of the sauces.

"What would you like to do after this?" Mitsuru asked him halfway through their meal.

Ryuichi had to hold his mouth open and breathe through it just to cool down the hot piece of meat he held in his teeth. Mitsuru took advantage of his vulnerable state and snapped a picture of him on her cell phone, smiling as she showed it to him.

"I'n gonna geck u fer gack!" he joked, sounding like his tongue was too fat for his mouth with the hunk of meat still in the way.

"So, what shall we do after this?" she asked again, putting away her phone.

Ryuichi leaned with his elbow on the table, avoiding a stray sauce droplet while rapidly chewing through his food, swallowing it all in one go.

"You really wanna know what I wanna do?"

"I do."

He smiled down at the grill. "I just wanna relax somewhere with you," he told her honestly. "Just the two of us, where we don't have to worry about people seeing us holding hands and stuff."

Judging by the smile on Mitsuru's face, she wanted to do the same thing. "That might be a little difficult today, as everyone is going to want to know how we did on our exams," she said. "However, I think we should have a little more freedom on Friday, if you're up for it."

"That's fine. I just want to be able to do more than just stand around you or study with you."

He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "This is going to sound weird, but, in a way, I miss you," he murmured over the sizzling meats.

She gave him a sympathetic look. "I've missed you, too," she admitted, blushing. "It's strange that we spend so much time together, and yet it feels like I don't get to see you often."

"Because we've always got people around us, or we're busy doing other stuff even though we're in the same room," he sighed. "But, moments like these where we can just be together are the best."

"I agree. I hope we can spend more time together like this more often."

Mitsuru took some meat off the grill when Ryuichi's cell phone went off.

"It's Kanno-san," he said when he saw the real estate agent's number. "She might have another offer."

"Hopefully it's a good one this time," she replied, and motioned for him to go and take the call.

He stepped out of the restaurant for a bit. When he heard the amount the buyer offered on his house, his vision blacked out for a second.

"Someone actually offered full price?"

"They were reluctant at first, but they really liked the house and wanted to make sure it was theirs," Kanno chirped happily. "So, Okazaki-san? Will you take their offer?"

He choked back his answer and quickly glanced through the restaurant window to see Mitsuru flipping over some of the meat on the grill. From what he could recall, he didn't see her take out her phone at all while they were together, except for one brief moment to check the time.

"Yeah! Slap that sold sign on!" he finally told the real estate agent. "Thank you, Kanno-san! I don't know what you did to persuade them to go for it, but you are truly the best!"

After being reassured that she was going to start on the paperwork right away, Ryuichi went back inside to tell Mitsuru the good news.

"They offered to pay asking price?" she asked in amazement.

"Uh-huh!" He buzzed with so much excitement right then. "So of course, I had to take it. That was the best I could hope for, and someone actually went for it!"

"C'est magnifique! Ryuichi, you should tell your family right away."

"What if we told them in person?" he suggested. "They'll want to hear about how your exams went, too!"

They agreed to go see Ryuichi's family to tell them the good news, but not until after they enjoyed their outing. They stuffed themselves with more cuts of meat, sauces, grilled onions, and rice, talking animatedly all the while. They were so full from their meal that they both waddled out of the restaurant, groaning and laughing when they saw how silly they looked with their bulging stomachs. Walking back to the train station helped them digest a little, but on the ride back to Iwatodai, Ryuichi fell asleep with his head on Mitsuru's shoulder.

Before heading to the dorm, they stopped by a bakery to select one of the more decadent chocolate cakes topped with berries, slices of peaches, and thin ribbons of white chocolate. They crossed their fingers that none of their dorm mates were home yet, and when they saw the empty lounge, they wasted no time changing into their leather jackets and helmets to drive over to Ryuichi's family's house.

His parents welcomed Mitsuru first with open arms, immediately firing off questions of how her exams went. Shizue was at work, and Megumi was in the crook of Toshio's arm while his other one pulled Mitsuru into a hug.

"I feel confident in my answers, but one can never be too sure," she humbly told them while she exchanged her boots for some slippers.

"We've heard all about you and your unbreakable streak at number one," Toshio said with a proud grin. "You're in for sure!"

"I'm positive you passed with one of the highest scores, if not the highest," Ayumi told her, brimming with joy.

They all turned to Ryuichi next as Toshio asked: "How about you, son? How did you do?"

A nervous chuckle bubbled out of Ryuichi. "Well, it was really weird that I felt comfortable during the exams."

His mother flung her arms around him. "I knew you could do it!"

"We have another smarty-pants in the family!" Toshio barked, patting his son hard on the back.

Ryuichi nearly dropped the cake until Mitsuru rescued it. Ayumi rushed around all smiles as she went to make tea and get saucers and forks for the cake. Ryuichi helped his mother out in the kitchen while Toshio and Mitsuru talked in the living room with little Megumi suckling on her bottle of warm breast milk.

"So, do you think you made it into Kawaguchi?" Ayumi asked Ryuichi while they prepared the tea.

"I really hope so," he replied. "I'd hate to waste all that time Mitsuru spent tutoring me."

"If it's Mitsuru-san, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," his mother said confidently as if Mitsuru was her own daughter. "She told us that you made it to number eight on your finals all by yourself, so with her helping you, I wouldn't be surprised if you were a shoo-in!"

She leaned into him. "So, did you take her out on a date yet?"

"Seriously, Mom? We _just_ had exams!"

"Well, have you?"

He grimaced. "Well, not a date, but after today's exams, we ate at a yakiniku place—I paid, so don't worry about that."

"And?" Her eyes shone with curiosity.

He shrugged. "We ate, compared answers, and decided to come here to say hi."

His mother muttered darkly under her breath, clearly disappointed that he didn't come home already engaged to Mitsuru. He rolled his eyes as he brought the tea over to the living room, pouring everyone a cup while Ayumi cut the cake. She had her warm smile back on her face as she served their honored guest.

"Mitsuru-san was showing me some pictures of her lunch date with Ryuichi," Toshio told Ayumi.

"It's not a date," Ryuichi groaned, but Mitsuru was amused all the same.

"It certainly looks like we are, doesn't it?" Mitsuru asked as she showed Ayumi the pictures on her cell phone. "I can honestly say that he was a perfect gentleman."

"What are you doing?" he mouthed at her, but all she did was smile.

For now, they let his parents bask in the glorious illusion that was their "budding romance". Toshio and Ayumi seemed to enjoy playing the little angels of love who tried to bring the two together, giving Ryuichi the idea that he didn't mind playing along as the reluctant son for the time being. Hopefully someday they could tell his parents properly about them, but he hoped that they wouldn't be too mad that they had to keep their relationship from them for so long.

Megumi started to get fussy in her grandfather's arms. Ryuichi took her to check her diaper, finding that it was definitely soggy. He took her upstairs to Shizue's room to change, having to sidestep around the many boxes that his sister still hadn't unpacked yet.

After changing Megumi's diaper, Ryuichi brought her back downstairs where he overheard his parents having an interesting conversation with Mitsuru in hushed voices.

"—we know you need a good bodyguard and that he's good at his job, but wouldn't it be better to have someone more experienced?" asked Toshio.

"We're actually worried about the both of you, since your safety and his both rely on his skills," he heard his mother tell Mitsuru.

"Can't he at least wear protective gear, or something?"

"Before my father made the decision to hire your son, I tried to convince Ryuichi not to take the job," Mitsuru admitted to them both. "I also would rather that he lived a quieter life, one without him putting himself in danger for my sake, but he was determined, and nothing I said or did would sway his resolve."

"Then fire him, if you're so worried about him," he heard Toshio say.

Ryuichi paused just outside the living room, feeling a little betrayed that none of them wanted him to continue as a bodyguard. He understood where they were all coming from with their reasons, and as much as he wanted to interject, he stayed hidden to hear more.

"Other than for his safety, I have no reason to fire him," was Mitsuru's answer. "I discussed this matter with him a while back, and at the time, he told me that, if he couldn't work for me, he would find work as a bodyguard elsewhere. As long as he works for me, I'm having him work with a team to maximize his safety as well as mine."

"And why didn't he work with a team before?" Ayumi asked accusingly. "And what about those scars? How can he be good at his job if he was hurt so many times—"

"Oh! I forgot to mention to you guys," Ryuichi announced loudly as he entered the room. Everyone looked to him, his parents glaring at him for interrupting their conversation. He ignored their furious looks to tell them: "Kanno-san called with an offer on the house."

Toshio and Ayumi held their angry stares while Mitsuru calmly sipped her tea.

Ryuichi grinned. "They offered to pay asking price."

They said nothing. Gradually, their stony expressions cracked, and his parents exploded in celebration, startling poor Megumi who began to scream from fright. Ryuichi tended to her while his parents hugged each other, Ayumi almost in tears while Toshio's ran freely down his face. Mitsuru just sat quietly, sipping her tea before setting her cup down on the table. She smiled while Toshio and Ayumi pulled them both into hugs, careful to not squish Megumi in Ryuichi's arms.

"And we thought you were crazy for not taking those other offers," Ayumi said as she dabbed a tissue at her joyful tears.

"Those were too low!" Toshio hastily rubbed his tears onto his sleeve. "At least someone knows the value of a good house when he sees it! All those upgrades—How could they _not_ pay the full price? It's their loss!"

"Kanno-san said the buyer really liked the place, so I guess full price was fine with them," Ryuichi said while trying to calm Megumi down.

"At least now you'll be able to rebuild the restaurant," Mitsuru reminded them, making Toshio tear up again with elation.

"And we should be able to buy the equipment, too!" Ayumi exclaimed as she hugged her sobbing husband.

Toshio gave his wife a hug, then pulled Ryuichi and Megumi in, too. "Thank you, son," he uttered tearfully. His words came out raspy through his sobs, but seeing how happy he was almost made Ryuichi cry, too.

His father rubbed away more tears and let go of his family. He then lumbered over to Mitsuru, who gasped when he engulfed her with a big hug.

"And thank you, too!" he sobbed into her hair.

Ryuichi saw Mitsuru go rigid, likely stunned from being hugged without any mental preparation. As she tentatively returned his hug, Megumi's screams rattled Ryuichi's ears.

"Uh, I better take care of this," Ryuichi said to his mother.

He brought Megumi back upstairs to Shizue's room, taking a seat on her bed while his tears started to flow at last. All the anguish, all the stress, all the fears, the anxiety—all of it escaped him as he pressed his handkerchief to his eyes, sobbing quietly to himself.

"Well, Megs, we did it," he said to her once he was able to speak. She easily drowned him out with her cries. "We sold the house. We'll be able to rebuild the restaurant."

He put on a weak, wistful smile. "Just think, Megs: All this good is finally happening, and in about two weeks, Nyx is coming to try to take it all away. I just hope we're strong enough to stop her."

He planted kisses on Megumi's mochi cheeks, making kissy noises and cooing at her. He apologized to her for all the noise from their celebration earlier, and she gradually started to quiet down.

When his niece stopped crying, Ryuichi brought her back downstairs again. Mitsuru and his parents were discussing what they needed to begin rebuilding, from a new building design to the equipment they planned to use. Ryuichi sat down next to Mitsuru while they talked and felt himself begin to nod off. He flinched awake when he felt Megumi slip away from him, but found that his mother was trying to take her from him. He thanked her and stayed awake for a few minutes after that, but sleep took hold of him again shortly after.

Their conversation reached him in his dreams as soft murmurs in a static background. Nothing really made any sense, where he was left just stationary in a spot while everything just happened around him. He wasn't sure for how long he had been asleep, not even aware that the conversation had long since changed to a different topic.

When everyone sounded like they were getting up and moving around, Ryuichi woke up with a sharp intake of air. He slowly blinked and saw his parents take the dishes to the kitchen.

"If you're still too tired, I can drive," Mitsuru offered as he stood.

He yawned. "Yeah, could you?"

They all headed to the genkan. Ayumi got their jackets from the closet while they put on their boots and shoes.

"Thank you again for all your help, both of you," Ayumi said to them.

"Yes, thank you," Toshio piped up, cradling Megumi in his arms. "We can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us."

"You both have done so much for me, as well," Mitsuru told them. "Forgive me for sounding forward, but you feel like a second set of parents to me, and I've come to cherish that about you."

Ayumi hugged her again, and Mitsuru returned it in kind. "Thank makes me so happy to hear you say!" she exclaimed.

More hugs. They exchanged wishes for a successful rebuild and for passed exams, and the younger pair left on Ryuichi's motorcycle with Mitsuru driving and Ryuichi riding in back. The chilling winds kept Ryuichi shivering, preventing him from nodding off during the ride home. When they reached a stoplight, he started drifting off until Mitsuru's voice roused him from another brief nap.

"You heard everything your parents and I were talking about, didn't you?" she called back to him.

"Most of it, yeah," he said over the engine. "I know you're all worried about me, and I totally get it."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I still want to be your bodyguard, of course." He loosened his hold around her middle. "For your sake and mine, I know I have to get stronger, but I'm also glad that I can work with the maid staff to ensure our safety."

Mitsuru nodded, but said nothing. Ryuichi grimaced when a thought crossed his mind, knowing that if he didn't ask it now, he would be too afraid to try again later.

"Would you rather have someone else as your bodyguard?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice steady as his confidence waned. "I mean, Kikuno-san's probably more suited for the job, so—"

Mitsuru grabbed his wrist and squeezed. "Ever since you protected me at Naganaki Shrine that night in middle school, I've always felt safe with you," she told him. "As much as I don't want to endanger you for my sake, I also know that I'm safest with you."

Her words warmed him up. Smiling, Ryuichi leaned forward slightly.

"Is that also because it's easier to keep an eye on me if we stick together?" he teased.

The light turned green. Mitsuru answered him by shooting the motorcycle forward. Ryuichi flung his arms around her to keep from falling off, which he liked to think was her intent all along.

Back at the dorm, everyone had already returned home and was waiting in the lounge to ask them how their exams were. After giving them the same answers they gave Ryuichi's parents, their dorm mates expressed their hopes that they all passed.

"Hey, where did you guys go after exams?" Akihiko asked them.

"We went to lunch at a yakiniku restaurant to celebrate," Mitsuru replied.

Akihiko looked like she had just punched him in the stomach. "Without me?"

Ryuichi gave him an apologetic look. "Well, you were getting hounded by your fans," he explained, though he was still glad he got some time alone with Mitsuru. "It looked like they were catching up, too."

"That's because some of them are on the track team," Akihiko moaned.

As if on cue, Junpei slinked up to the sorrowful senior. "Hey, how about we all celebrate with dinner?" he suggested with a suspicious twinkle in his eyes. "Anyone up for something tasty?"

Ryuichi seized the opportunity before Junpei could. "If Junpei's paying, then I'll have to go with sushi," he said, exaggerating his words while hiding his mischievous grin behind his hand.

"Whaaat? Wait, I never said—"

Yukari patted Junpei's shoulder. "That's nice of you to offer," she said teasingly. "In that case, I think I'll have—"

"Don't even think about it!"

The others jumped in and began placing their orders.

"Ooh, I want some—"

"Sea urchin!"

"I'll take—"

"Put me down for—"

"—freshwater eel for me—"

"Wait just a second! I'm not paying for anything!"

While everyone told Junpei what they wanted to eat, Ryuichi slipped away to his room, where he kicked off his shoes and collapsed face-down onto his bed. Despite all the noise his dorm mates were making in the lounge, Ryuichi's head was surprisingly quiet, almost completely burnt out from the past few weeks.

With exams done and the house sold, his mind was finally at ease. Looking back, he thought it was strange that he was more terrified of such normal things like whether or not his house would sell or that he could fail his exams, especially in comparison to something as gargantuan as fighting Nyx by the end of the month.

But, after seeing the joy on his parents' faces earlier, his fears didn't hurt as much anymore. He still felt a few twinges of panic at the thought of not getting into Kawaguchi University, but Mitsuru's support helped him see a more positive outlook, that maybe he did do well enough to pass. And even if he didn't, he at least still had a job working as her bodyguard. He could take the exams again next year, so long as they defeated Nyx and prevented the Fall.

Ryuichi rolled onto his side. He managed to smile again, thinking that the future might not be as scary as he initially thought.

"Hey! How about we go to Tartarus tonight?" he heard Akihiko ask everyone.

"While we're at it, why don't we try taking on Death head-on?" Minato suggested, and the others began chattering excitedly.

"If we can beat Death, then we can beat Nyx!" Fuuka cheered.

"We'll show Nyx not to mess with us!" Yukari exclaimed, and the others let out a collective shout.

Ryuichi raised his fist in solidarity with his teammates before putting his arm around his second pillow for another nap before their battle.


	106. Chapter 106

**Chapter 106**

The Adamah Block looked to have been made from pure, white crystal, and was what they believed to be the topmost block of Tartarus. The Shadows there proved to be more powerful than ever before, where it wasn't enough to just strike their weaknesses to take them down. They had spent the past few weeks learning how to combat their new enemies, experimenting with new strategies while they continued to climb to the top.

That night, the SEES team decided to put their strengths and abilities to the test against Death. For the sake of safety, they determined that they should stay on the lower floors of Tartarus, so as not to get ambushed or overwhelmed by the stronger Shadows up in the Adamah Block. They all made sure that each person had at least one Traesto Gem for a fast getaway and plenty of healing items.

Down in Tartarus' lobby, Minato paced in front of his team, meeting each of their eyes to decide who he wanted to bring into battle with him. He would sometimes pause in front of someone to get a good look at them, his stare piercing deep into their eyes. All of them stood tall with stern looks on their faces, eager to be chosen. Even Junpei wasn't bouncing around as usual, and was as silent and serious as everyone else.

"Mitsuru-senpai, Ryuichi-senpai, and..."

They held their breaths. Junpei pulled his shoulders back and thrust his chest out. Akihiko's hard stare searched for Minato's eyes beneath his thick blue bangs as their leader passed him by. Next to him, Ken tried standing up as tall as he could, using his spear to try to pull himself higher. Aigis stood completely still and rigid, with the soft _whir_ of her eyes moving to track their leader. Next to her, Yukari gripped her bow so tightly she didn't realize that she was pulling on it and bending it towards the floor. At the end of the line, Koromaru straightened up, panting with his knife in his jaws.

Minato stopped. "Aigis."

The others groaned. Aigis nodded.

"Understood," she said dutifully.

Those who weren't chosen split off to sulk. Akihiko muttered his hope to face Nyx since he was missing out on fighting Death. Junpei hadn't given up yet on joining the battle, nudging Minato with his elbow and encouraging him to give him a call if Death became too much for them to handle on their own. When Junpei started pecking at Minato's head with the bill of his cap, Yukari dragged him away, allowing Minato to discuss strategy with his team.

"We already know that Death is stronger than anything else we've ever fought before, so the best we can do is attack from a distance," Minato advised them all.

Ryuichi looked at the swords that he, Mitsuru, and Minato carried. "Well, we're off to a good start so far," he remarked with sarcasm. "Personas all the way, then."

"That's right," their leader confirmed. "So Ryuichi-senpai, Aigis: if you're going to use physical skills, make sure to recover when you start to feel faint. Ryuichi-senpai, you'll be on healing duty tonight, and both of you are in charge of casting buffers."

Ryuichi turned to Aigis. "We'll split it, so I'll cover group healings and increase defense, and you can raise everyone's attack and speed."

Aigis nodded. "I can also heal individuals, so if only one person needs healing, you don't have to waste your energy healing everyone."

"Good," Minato said to her, then looked to everyone. "Magic conservation should be a priority in this fight, so as much as possible, don't cast unless it's absolutely necessary."

He turned to Mitsuru next. "Based on Fuuka's scans, Death is resistant to everything except almighty spells. We'll need you to use Ice Break to weaken Death's ice resistance. Since you're our strongest elemental user, I want you to charge up your Bufudyne spells before casting. It's going to drain your energy rapidly, so make each shot count."

"Very well." Mitsuru brandished her blade and saluted him. As she lowered her blade, she said to him: "And what of defense? Shall I also create protective barriers?"

"Save your energy for Death," their leader replied. "We can use Gems and Magatamas for that."

Akihiko stepped forward. "Can't you bring one more person with you guys?" he asked Minato.

"It's hard enough leading three people," Ryuichi said for their leader. "Any more, and we risk losing track of everyone."

"Furthermore, the hallways are too narrow for larger groups," Mitsuru added. "We risk getting hit in the crossfire."

"Tell me about it," Yukari sighed. "I still have that scar from Junpei."

"I-It was an accident!" Junpei yelped.

When Minato gave his final decision to take only three people with him, the team rode the teleporter up to the Yabbashah Block, the section of Tartarus that looked like someone had mashed together electric teal chunks of staircases to form the walls. An earthy yellow path was set into the floor, running through the long hallways and rooms. Just like all the other blocks in Tartarus, there was blood splashed on the walls and floors at random intervals.

The weak Shadows there fled in terror when they arrived. They were so panicked that some of them just tumbled in circles around the SEES team. Ryuichi almost pitied them as they cleared the floor of the Shadows, each one needing only one blow from their weapons. After splitting up to search for items, they regrouped in the middle of one of the hallways.

"And now we wait," Minato told the others.

They headed into one of the rooms with a raised platform and two doors. There, Ryuichi started to feel the hairs on his body prickle with nerves. He expelled his nervousness by practicing holstering and unholstering his Evoker, then did the same with sheathing and unsheathing his swords. He listened in to Mitsuru and Minato discussing strategy, the two gesturing to the doors, making note of the layout of the floor, and listing off everyone's skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Aigis stood on the platform in the rear corner, constantly glancing down both hallways in search of the Reaper.

Time passed. Still no Reaper. Ryuichi started doing some light exercises to keep his muscles warmed up for battle. He did a few backflips down one of the halls, surprising himself that he could still do them.

"I forgot that you could do that," Mitsuru said to him as he returned to the room.

"I never really get a chance to use them," he told her with a grin. "When they taught me how to do it during training, I kept practicing it until I got it down."

"Because you thought it would be useful?"

"Nope! Because I thought it was pretty cool."

Fuuka giggled. "That sounds like something Junpei-kun or Akihiko-senpai would say," she said directly into their minds, making the others chuckle.

Just as Ryuichi was about to reply, Fuuka's sharp gasp silenced him.

"He's there!" she shouted. "I sense Death! Everyone, get ready!"

Ryuichi and Aigis began casting enhancements on their team. Mitsuru muttered to herself the order of the spells she had to cast, so as not to charge the wrong one.

"Everyone, get to the top of the platform!" Minato ordered, and they all hurried up the stairs to take their positions. He then threw some Mabufu Gems to create a low ice wall around the platform for cover.

"Remember: ranged attacks only!" Minato told them all.

The rattling chains drifted closer from the left hall. Ryuichi swallowed hard when he heard the rustle of the Reaper's tattered long coat, envisioning the Shadow lazily swirling back and forth in the air. Cold sweat collected on his brow, demanding that he wipe it off. When he did, the long barrel of one of Death's revolvers appeared in the doorway, followed by a thin arm, the bloodied sack over its face, the chains crisscrossing across its chest—

"Fire!"

They all struck first. Death shuddered from Ice Break, and Aigis released a hailstorm of bullets that ripped through its chest. Ice bombarded the Reaper, Heimdall unleashed a flurry of slashes with Vorpal Blade, and Minato's Skadi sealed the Shadow in a tower of ice.

No one moved. They all stared at the Reaper on display in its icy prison. None of them lowered their weapons just yet.

"It can't be that easy," Ryuichi said in disbelief.

 _Crack!_ The ice shattered, and Death fired his revolvers at them. Aigis and Ryuichi both shoved their charges to the ground as stone, dust, and ice sprayed everywhere. The sound of glass shattering became static in Ryuichi's ears as they all frantically summoned their Personas to attack.

More ice bombarded the Reaper. He staggered, but continued towards the stairs. He fired a round from his revolver into the ceiling, and Ryuichi felt himself grow strangely vulnerable.

"Be careful! Your defense has been lowered!" Fuuka shouted at them all.

Ryuichi raised everyone's defense again just as Death came up the left staircase. The team fled down the stairs on the right, heading for the second doorway. Lightning bolts struck the ground, shattering the floor around the team. When Death reached the platform, Mitsuru put up two more ice walls to trap it.

"Ryuichi-senpai! Garudyne!" Minato bellowed on their way out.

He obeyed. They all braced themselves against the wall outside the room as Heimdall blasted his horn. A powerful vortex lifted all the ice chunks in the room, sending it swirling in a deadly tornado. Death calmly floated down the stairs, the wind and ice tearing and hammering at him. He just kept on drifting through the storm.

"Next room!" Minato shouted, and the four hurried down the hall.

Like before, they stood at the top of the platform and set up protective ice walls. They rapidly chomped on Snuff and Chewing Souls to keep their energy up and took the short time they had to strategize.

"He's strong," Aigis noted while the others caught their breath. "Our attacks don't appear to be doing much damage."

"Not to mention he attacks fast, too," Ryuichi added, wincing.

Mitsuru appeared to be deep in thought. "That spell you used," she said to Minato, "Death was immobilized for several seconds because you froze it. We might be able to use it to our advantage."

"The only problem is, that spell takes a lot to cast," Minato told her. "I can't use it too often."

"Then we'll reserve it for when we need to make our escape."

"He's almost there!" Fuuka warned them.

Everyone snapped back into gear. More enhancements were cast, and Evokers remained pressed against their heads.

The moment the glint of Death's revolver appeared, Ryuichi got blasted off his feet from a fiery explosion. Panicked and stunned, he automatically started rolling on the ground to smother the flames while the others repaid the Reaper with ice and bullets. Ice bludgeoned Death as a powerful gale threatened to blast the team off the platform. Lightning crackled and thundered, barely missing Aigis. Wincing from his burns, Ryuichi dulled his pain with Mediarahan on them all before sending Heimdall to attack with Vorpal Blade again.

A lightning bolt stabbed Mitsuru. She staggered but stayed on her feet, firing her Evoker again. Artemisia thrust three coffin-sized blocks of ice at Death. They smashed into his chest, halting his advance. The team ran down the staircase opposite Death when a shot rang out. Aigis pitched forward, hitting every step with her face on the way down.

"Oh, no! Aigis!" Fuuka cried.

The armor on her back had a web of cracks from a bullet. Her face twisted up as she propped up on her elbows.

"Keep running!" she urged them. Minato and Ryuichi helped her up, and they all fled together.

This time, they ran to a room at the end of the hall. Mitsuru and Minato put up a wall of ice at the door to hold off the Reaper while Ryuichi inspected his burns and the damage on Aigis.

"Yamagishi, is there anything more you can tell us about Death?" Mitsuru asked while she and Minato built up more defenses.

"I'm sorry, but there's really nothing else," Fuuka replied mournfully. "He's resistant against everything and immune to light and dark spells. The only thing he doesn't have a resistance to are almighty spells."

"Almighty spells," Ryuichi repeated to himself. "Minato, don't you have something like that?"

"I do, but all I'd be doing is wasting my strength," he answered in a grave voice. "It doesn't do enough damage to justify the energy cost."

Aigis looked to their leader while bits of her armor flaked off of her back. "Minato-san, our best chance is for you to use that ice spell," she said to him. "If you can trap it, everyone else can strike safely."

"But the problem is that he needs to conserve his energy," Mitsuru reminded them all. "Additionally, we cannot strike as long as Death is protected within the confines of the ice. We have to wait until it breaks out before we attack."

"I should be fine if I save my strongest spells for the very end," Minato decided. "I'll use physical attacks for now, and I can use Morning Star or Black Viper to finish—"

"He's almost there!" Fuuka warned them, and everyone took their positions again.

Death pounded on the thick ice with the butts of his guns, uttering a low, guttural moan. Each blow left a crack that spread further and further across the barricade. They all watched with fingers twitching on their Evokers, waiting for the right time to attack.

The ice began to break. Shards and chunks fell away. The Reaper fired multiple rounds, sending everyone running and diving out of the way. Heimdall took two bullets for Ryuichi who dropped to his knees, barely able to gasp from the pain. He was unharmed, but his stomach felt like it had been ripped apart. He cast Mediarahan just as Minato was launched into the air with Garudyne. Aigis leaped up to catch him, and on the descent, Death slammed them both down into the ground with lightning.

Death turned to Mitsuru next. Ryuichi bolted for her, tackling her to the ground as Death cast Agidyne. Ryuichi landed hard on top of her, bracing himself for the broiling flames. Nothing came.

"Huh?" He bumped his head against something hard and cold. "Ice?"

"Did it get you?" Mitsuru asked him. Her Evoker was still up by her head.

Ryuichi tried to get up. They were sealed in a coffin of ice, safe from the fiery blast. He summoned Heimdall, who picked up their icy prison and smashed it over Death's head. Ryuichi yanked Mitsuru to her feet and both bolted from the room.

"Wait! You passed the others!" Fuuka shouted as they sprinted down the hall.

The two skidded across the floor and ran back the way they came, darting down another hallway. They found their friends in a room, Minato covered with cuts and the cracks in Aigis' armor becoming gaping holes that exposed metal, wires, and ammunition.

Everyone stuffed more Souls candies into their mouths and didn't bother to wait for Death anymore. They all poked their heads into the hallway and fired off several rounds, hurling elements, firing bullets, tossing Gems and Magatamas—anything that would slow their nemesis down. The Reaper slogged forward, firing his own shots at them, smashing the walls with ice, attempting to reduce the team to ashes with Maragidyne, slashing them with wind, and paralyzing them with lightning. He reduced their defense, their speed, their strength, forcing them to waste more energy by just recasting their enhancements.

Minato switched his Persona to Helel just as a light sigil appeared beneath him. When the Hamaon spell was nullified, he switched Personas again, this time to Alilat. A great stone Persona with a female figure carved into it appeared before the team and sent Death's bullets reflecting back at him.

Mitsuru clutched her chest without warning. Seeing this, Ryuichi shot a cyclone down the hall before rushing to her side.

"You okay?" He quickly looked her over. "I don't see any injuries."

"He drained my energy," she snarled, glaring at their enemy as she angrily tore the wrappings off some Chewing Soul candies.

Death's advance pushed them back further into the room. Aigis sent Pallas Athena to charge at him. Artemisia and Heimdall followed, and Minato summoned Chi You. His half-man, half-bull war deity Persona struck with Primal Force, stabbing the Reaper through the gut with his sword. Death whipped his chains at them and caught Chi You around the neck. The other Personas hurried to free him, but Death conjured up a maelstrom of lightning bolts that lashed out in every direction.

All their Personas were struck by the lightning. Ryuichi and Aigis were both felled when their Personas disappeared, neither of them able to stand. A warm light bathed Ryuichi, and soon he regained enough control over his body to get to one knee. He healed everyone, and as he straightened up, he felt a sharp pain on his hip, just above his pocket. He dropped to one knee again, pressing a hand to his wound.

Mitsuru grabbed him by his harness and hauled him back behind a wall of ice with the others. Just as they made it to safety, the ice wall shattered from the Reaper's Myriad Arrows. For one agonizing second, their bodies were shredded from Death's barrage of arrows until Heimdall appeared and shielded them all with his vast armored body. Their blood soaked their torn clothes, but they all kept hurling spells and attacks at Death as they made their escape. Minato cast Niflheim again and froze Death long enough for them to run around it and make their escape.

They came to another room in the middle of a hallway, one without a platform, nor any other way to escape. Mitsuru had Ryuichi lean against the wall to rest while he cast Mediarahan on everyone. Their pain subsided, but their injuries remained, and no one could stand up straight.

Mitsuru searched Ryuichi for injuries. "Were you shot?" she demanded with a cracking voice. "Where did it hit you?"

He pushed aside his blazer to show the injury on his hip. "Just a graze," he told her, wincing.

Mitsuru stared at the wound with cold fury on her face. Ryuichi let his blazer fall back over his injury so she wouldn't have to see it anymore.

"Death is stronger than we anticipated," Fuuka said to them all. "It might be best if you retreat for now and come up with a new strategy for another day."

Minato quickly chewed through some Chewing Souls. "Not this time," he told her once his mouth was clear. "We need to defeat Death here and now."

Ryuichi stepped away from the wall, favoring his injured side. "We can do it," he said to everyone. "It looked like we hurt him back there. We just need to throw everything we have at him."

"And what about you?" Mitsuru asked through a clenched jaw. "You're barely able to stand. Can you still fight?"

"Of course I can," he said indignantly, and with a great effort, straightened up to prove it.

"Nyx is going to be a lot worse than this," Minato reminded everyone. "We won't have the luxury to run from her, so we have to treat this battle like we're facing her."

Aigis' eyes flashed with determination. "We still have time to come up with a new strategy before Death finds us again," she told the others. "However, if we can't beat him here, we should consider retreating."

Mitsuru still had fury plain on her face, but her expression soon softened. "Very well, then," she reluctantly agreed. "We'll fight until we can't fight any longer, and then we'll retreat. But if we can't defeat Death now, then what hopes do we have in defeating Nyx?"

When they agreed to keep fighting, Minato sent Skadi to build a thick tower of ice in the doorway. Mitsuru filled in any openings with more ice, bolstering the barricade as much as possible. Minato then switched his Persona to Satan so that every few seconds, he recovered his strength and energy in tiny increments. To help his recovery along, Minato ate some Soul candies, and Ryuichi and Mitsuru did the same. Aigis consumed her own fuel to replenish her energy.

"What's the plan now?" Ryuichi asked Minato.

"Inventory check," he said, and everyone searched their pockets. They were running out of Souls candies, had a few Gems and Magatamas, Patra and Me Petra Gems, medicines for ailments, and a few other healing items, but only enough for one more skirmish.

"I've got an idea," Minato said, and swapped Satan for Asura to cast Tetrakarn on everyone.

"I thought that spell uses too much energy," Mitsuru pointed out.

"Asura has an ability that halves the cost of spells," Minato explained, switching back to Satan to recover again. "Unfortunately, Alilat doesn't have that ability, so it'll be too costly casting Makarakarn on us."

"At least you'll have some protection," they all heard Fuuka say. "But don't forget: Tetrakarn only reflects physical attacks once per cast, so be careful."

"This wouldn't be so bad if we could get close enough to hit it," Ryuichi said with a sigh. "Our weapons are useless in this battle."

Minato looked to Aigis. "What's the status on your ammunition?"

Aigis checked her inventory. "My ammunition is at approximately twenty-five percent," she reported.

Ryuichi stared at the guns in her fingertips, thinking about how much easier the fight might have been if they all came armed with anti-Shadow guns like Aigis. If only...

"I can also use Orgia Mode," Aigis told them.

"It's too risky, Aigis," Mitsuru said to her. "If we don't defeat it by the time you go into cool down, you'll be left vulnerable to attack."

 _Boom._ Death knocked on the ice. Everyone flinched when they saw him on the other side of the thick, clear ice barricade. He fired a few rounds into to the ice, cracking it.

"We need a strategy," Minato urged his team. "Any ideas?"

No one spoke up. Mitsuru held her arm, her eyes shifting back and forth as if searching for an answer. The ground and walls trembled each time the Reaper pounded on the ice.

"All we can do is unload on it," Ryuichi spoke up. Everyone looked to him now. "We'll get him in this room and throw everything we have at him, all at once."

Mitsuru looked around the large room. "There's only one exit, so if we want to escape, we'll have to sneak past Death."

"That should be doable," Minato said. His expression changed as his stare hardened. "Mitsuru-senpai, can you still make ice? Lots of it?"

"I can, but what good will that do?"

He gestured to Ryuichi. "We can combine it with Ryuichi-senpai's tornado. We'll do what we did before, but bigger."

Aigis checked the compartments in her legs. "I have some incendiaries that we can use," she said. "Will those work?"

"Perfect." Minato switched his Personas again. "I'll supply the lightning. We'll make a maelstrom over Death so he can't even move."

"I see." A tiny curl appeared on Mitsuru's lips. "Any spells that miss the target are given another chance to strike, so nothing goes to waste."

Ryuichi grinned. "And if you can make those ice chunks kinda craggy, that would be even better."

"Get ready, everyone!' Fuuka cried out. "He's almost through!"

"Everyone, spread out!" Minato ordered.

Aigis took the left wall closest to the door, and Minato stood a ways behind her near the farthest corner. Ryuichi stood near the middle of the room, and in the corner towards the right, Mitsuru began planting basketball-sized chunks of ice all over the place. As the ice barricade crumbled, all Ryuichi could think was that he could use the extra debris for his tornado.

Fuuka gasped. "He's casting Agidyne! Look out!"

Ice, flames, and mist exploded into the room. Half a second later, Heimdall rushed Death. He swirled around him, delivering rapid slashes with his sword. Pallas Athena skewered Death's chest with her spear. The Shadow staggered, roaring in agony as a lightning bolt stabbed him from overhead.

He raised a revolver to the air, his one beady eye glowering at the team as he summoned two blinding orbs of white light that spiraled to the floor. With Fuuka screaming for them to run, Ryuichi dashed over and covered Mitsuru just as the lights struck the ground. Everyone was slammed into the walls, their bodies battered and bludgeoned from the blow. Ryuichi blinked, lying on his back with the familiar bitter taste of a Revival Bead in his mouth.

"You're not done yet!" Mitsuru snarled, healing him.

He sprang to his feet and cast Mediarahan on everyone when he was struck down by lightning. He dropped to all fours, shaking furiously as his body refused to obey his urgent plea to get back up. Fuuka shouted something in his head, but he couldn't make sense of it. Through blurred vision, he saw Death drift towards them.

"R-Run," he urged Mitsuru.

She grabbed him by his harness and aimed her Evoker at his head.

"Launch us out the door," she ordered, and pulled the trigger twice.

A powerful cyclone sent them arcing high over Death's head. He fired two rounds at them, and his bullets reflected back at him from Tetrakarn's protection. As they fell, another cyclone caught them just inside the room, cushioning their fall just before dropping them to the ground. Minato and Aigis were already outside the doorway, bracing themselves against the outer wall as the two hurried to join them.

"Now!" Minato yelled, and Ryuichi conjured up his tornado while everyone loaded in their spells and explosives. All the ice Mitsuru made was swept up in the vortex as the four clung to the outside of the door. They tossed in elemental Gems and Magatamas, many of them exploding on impact. Death's guttural roar was lost to the howling winds.

"Keep going! He's losing strength!"

Encouraged by Fuuka's confirmation, they kept firing off everything they had. Ryuichi dared to take a peek, seeing a thick column of smoke spinning, twisting, whipping Death around the room. He spotted Death's arm sticking out, watched him get battered by ice chunks and slammed into the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Aigis' grenades and Fire Magatamas exploded often, hurling Death out of the cyclone. He was quickly sucked back into the vortex as more smoke and mist engulfed the Shadow.

Minato switched Personas. He summoned Satan, who hurled fiery meteors into the chaos. He switched to Helel next, and a great, silver cloud appeared over the tornado and slammed holy light down onto the Reaper with the force of a miniature nuclear blast. Dust and bits of concrete blew everywhere as the maelstrom continued.

"Did we get him?" Minato hollered over the thunderous noise.

"I don't know!" Ryuichi shouted back.

"What?"

Ryuichi shook his head. "I can't see him anymore!"

"Did we defeat him?" Aigis called over to them from the rear.

"I hope so!" Mitsuru grabbed Ryuichi's harness to keep him from getting pulled into the squall.

Ryuichi looked to see Minato eating more candies. Any wrappers he had were sucked into the room while he dug into his pocket for more.

No one cast spells or threw items anymore. Ryuichi was shaking, feeling the pain from his injuries begin to resurface. He forced down a Snuff Soul, counting only three more and one Chewing Soul left in his pouch. As the winds died down, Minato asked for everyone's remaining Soul candies.

Mitsuru dared to check the room. "He's still alive!" she shouted to them.

"He's using Megidolaon!" Fuuka warned. "Everyone, get out there!"

They bolted down the hallway, Ryuichi and Mitsuru going left and Aigis and Minato dashing right. Ryuichi thrust Mitsuru ahead of him just as twin orbs of light shot out of the room and struck the opposing wall. At the last second, Ryuichi summoned Heimdall right behind him when the blast hurled them forward.

Ryuichi slammed into Mitsuru and held onto her, seeing blurs of electric teal walls that faded to black. They hit the ground hard and kept tumbling until they came to a stop in a dusty heap, facing back towards the way they came.

Through excruciating pain and blurry vision, Ryuichi watched Minato stagger to his feet further down the hallway, hunched over and breathing hard. Aigis lay prostrate in front of their leader, unmoving. When the Reaper appeared in the hallway, Minato slowly raised his Evoker to his head, staring down Death in the face. He fired a single round that jerked him to the side, and two Personas appeared—one an angel and the other an abomination—fusing their powers together to engulf Death in a devastating storm of blinding, sizzling light. The Reaper convulsed and let out a raw, guttural scream as the light rent him apart.

Ryuichi held Mitsuru tight, shielding her with his arms before everything went dark again. He could still hear Death's screams, felt the ground trembling, sensed the air shatter and become dust. And then there was no pain, no thought, nothing. All was quiet.

He was soon roused by a bitter taste in his mouth. His spine bent at a painful angle as a voice filled his ears with inaudible murmurs. There was desperation in the tone, and something shook him, awakening his body to the aches and stings from the injuries he had sustained. When he couldn't bear it anymore, he uttered a low groan.

"You're all right!" he heard Mitsuru gasp.

His eyes opened just enough to see her relieved face hovering over him. She was holding him, gently pushing his bangs out of his eyes before cupping his face in her hand. She then lowered him to the floor to let him rest his head in her lap.

"A-Are you okay?" he murmured to her.

She let out a dry chuckle. "I'm fine. I should be asking you that."

"You just said I'm all right, so—"

"Shhh. The others will be here soon, so just rest for now."

Somehow, he knew that they had defeated Death. When Mitsuru confirmed that they had won, Ryuichi rested a little easier. Everything still hurt, but when Mitsuru began to stroke his hair, her delicate touch seemed to dull the pain. He closed his eyes and heard Minato and Aigis speaking softly from the other end of the hall. They had all survived.

"Hey! You're not dead!"

"Cut it out, Junpei!"

"They're over here! Hurry!"

He felt Mitsuru lift his head again. He had no strength to even try to sit up, and as she wriggled her knees out from under him, her hands slipped. He banged his head on the floor with a _thud._

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Ryuichi let out another low groan, feeling like the room was spinning.

"I'm sorry!" Mitsuru kept saying, her hands hovering over him like she was going to pick him up again. "I was just trying to—I didn't want the others to think—"

He put on a disgruntled frown. "I can't even be mad," he murmured to her. "You're too damn cute sometimes."

He drew satisfaction from her blushing face just then. When Akihiko, Ken, and Fuuka came by, Mitsuru still had her head down, hiding her flushed face behind her bangs. Ken healed them both, and Akihiko helped Ryuichi to his feet. Fuuka and Ken started to help Mitsuru up, but she stumbled as soon as she put weight on her foot.

"I think I sprained my ankle," she said, wincing.

Ryuichi got under her arm to support her weight. "I gotcha," he said, feeling her grasp at his harness. "Anything else hurt?"

She sighed. "Only everything."

The others offered to support Mitsuru in Ryuichi's stead, but he declined, saying that it was his duty to get her to safety.

"Are you guys going to be okay walking home?" Ken asked them.

Ryuichi simpered at Mitsuru. "Shall I call Kikuno-san to send a car?"

She dug a Traesto Gem from her pocket. "You read my mind," she said, and teleported them back down to the lobby.


	107. Chapter 107

**Chapter 107**

Despite getting completely thrashed by Death, Ryuichi was surprised to see that most of his injuries were small burns or shallow cuts. The worst of his injuries was the graze on his hip, where just moving slightly would zap him with a stinging twinge. Heimdall and the protective spells they used had taken the brunt of the damage for him.

Early that Monday morning, Kikuno helped him change his bandages. His wounds looked worse than they actually were, so Kikuno didn't push him to go to school that day. He was all too happy to roll over in bed to fall back asleep, but Mitsuru came in shortly after to make sure that he wouldn't miss a day of school.

"Nope."

"And why not?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

He heard her let out an irascible sigh. "Our injuries are superficial compared to what Aigis suffered," Mitsuru told him. "And from what Kikuno told me earlier, you were moving around just fine, and so I see no reason for us to miss school today."

Ryuichi hid his face beneath his pillow and groaned. "I've known you for years, knew how important a good education is to you and that nothing—not even a beating from Death himself—would keep you from going to school," he muttered. "I should've known what I was getting into, but I still fell for you anyway."

"Then you should know by now that it's best for you to get up."

"Yeah, I know what's best for me, but that doesn't mean I wanna do it."

Cold air washed over his bandaged back when she started tugging on his blanket.

"You don't want to do that," he warned, pulling his blanket back. "I'm not wearing pants."

Mitsuru immediately let go and let out another frustrated sigh. "Why must you be so difficult?"

Ryuichi rolled onto his back to see her readjust her crutches. "Why don't you want to get some rest?"

Mitsuru's face tensed up. "As I said before, my injuries are minimal. Now, get dressed. Kikuno brought breakfast for us."

With another weary groan, Ryuichi sat up and stared at Mitsuru with a frown.

"There better be waffles," he murmured, and shooed her away so he could get ready for school.

They ate breakfast earlier than usual, likely due to Kikuno wanting to give Mitsuru extra time to get to school on her injured ankle. None of the other SEES members were downstairs yet except for Koromaru, who happily feasted on the dog food Kikuno brought for him.

All throughout breakfast, Ryuichi and Kikuno kept asking Mitsuru if she was really okay to be going to school despite her injuries. She kept insisting that the worst of her wounds was her sprained ankle, which wouldn't hinder her ability to learn in any way. She then turned the question on Ryuichi, asking if his injuries were aggravating him at all. He hated to admit it, but he told her that aside from a few cuts, burns, and scrapes, he was generally okay.

"Then I see no problem as to why you need to take a day off from school," Mitsuru said with a tone of finality.

Ryuichi had his elbow on the table and rested his face against his knuckles. "Okay, I'm well enough to go, sure, but I'm trying to say that between the two of us, you're the one who could use a day off to recuperate."

Kikuno set a fresh plate of waffles down between them. "Ryuichi-san and I are concerned that you haven't had much time to rest as of late," she said to Mitsuru. "You've just had your college entrance exams and endured a fierce battle, and on top of that, you also have work, social events, and school. Taking a day off today to allow your body and mind to rest would be wise."

Mitsuru shook her head. "I'm not so tired that I need to interrupt my education for a day. As I said numerous times before, the worst of my injuries is a mere sprain, and that is easily alleviated by the use of these crutches."

Ryuichi leaned in towards Kikuno. "She doesn't remember how uncomfy crutches are, does she?" he whispered.

"I'm afraid she doesn't care about that," the maid whispered back. "Just keep an eye on her today."

He held back a sigh. "Yeah. Sure."

Nothing they said convinced her to take a day off. After breakfast, Ryuichi took Mitsuru's bag to carry for her while she hobbled around on her crutches. She asked him again if he also needed crutches since he had a slight limp, but he kept telling her that he was fine while getting the front door for her.

Injury or not, the woman still wore her high-heeled boots and somehow remained poised while using crutches. Ryuichi didn't question why she chose to wear the boot over her elastic bandages, as he was already concerned that he had put her in a foul mood for insisting that she stay home for the day to recover. When she had to stop a few times to readjust her crutches, Ryuichi asked her if she wanted to add some padding to make them a little more comfortable.

"Honestly, you worry too much, both you and Kikuno," Mitsuru murmured disapprovingly during their slow, steady trudge to the train station.

"Now you know how I feel," Ryuichi teased.

Her lip curled into a sour scowl. "A sprained ankle is nothing compared to the life-threatening injuries you've sustained in the past."

"Okay, got it. Sorry."

They continued onward without exchanging any words. Ryuichi tried to distract himself by taking notice of the dense, fluffy clouds overhead, watching as they blocked out the sun and cast the city in a cold shadow. He shivered from the lack of warmth as he thought back to just about an hour ago, trying to figure out if he was really looking for an excuse to skip school or if Mitsuru was truly that concerned about their education.

"Ryuichi."

He looked up. Mitsuru was gone. When he turned around, he saw that she had stopped a few paces behind him and went back for her.

"Everything okay?" he asked her softly.

She exhaled audibly through her nostrils. Her expression no longer held contempt, but what appeared to be guilt.

"I apologize for dragging you out of bed so rudely this morning," she said, surprising him. "And also if my stubbornness is causing you to worry about me."

Ryuichi tilted his head, a little stunned by her apology. "Um, so, does that mean you want to go back to the dorm?" he asked with an uneasy smile.

"I'm afraid not."

Any hope he had of getting her home died away. The clouds passed by, and sunlight brightened the city once more.

"As I've said many times before, the only troublesome injury I've sustained is my sprained ankle, and so I am perfectly fine with attending school today," she said to him.

He nodded, his smile fading away into a frown.

"However, I may have been too pushy this time." Mitsuru looked him up and down. "You have your own difficulty walking, don't you? It's not too late; I can call Kikuno to bring you your crutches."

"I'm fine," he reassured her. "In fact: Look what I can do!"

He started doing a little gig for her, kicking up his feet despite the painful sting on his hip.

"Stop that. You're only aggravating your wounds," she ordered.

He pressed a hand to his hip and grinned. "Worth it."

Mitsuru led the way to the train station again as a group of students passed them by. "There's actually another reason why I've been so insistent about going to school today," she said as she hobbled along.

"Yeah? And that is?"

It look to him like it was something that was troubling her, the way she pushed herself to trudge a little faster after the cluster of people gathered at the crosswalk.

"My grandmother is coming over for a visit," she finally said, slowing her pace. "I was concerned that she would think the severity of my injuries prevented me from attending school. It might lead her to think that you hadn't done your job of protecting me well enough."

Ryuichi nearly swore. "But, uh, surely she'd understand that with your busy schedule, you would need to skip a day to recuperate, right?"

"Except she would see the state of my ankle and want to know how and why I was injured. Furthermore, she requested that you accompany me to see her."

Ryuichi's heart pounded in his throat. "M-Me? Why?"

Mitsuru's somber expression didn't change. "She wants to meet the man responsible for my safety to see if he is truly up to the task of being my bodyguard."

The high, squeaky noise he let out made the other pedestrians look his way. A cold sweat coated his skin as he eyed Mitsuru's ankle, taking no comfort in the fact that it was the only injury of hers that he could see.

"T-Today?"

"Yes, today."

"Yeah, but _why_ today?"

The crosswalk light changed, and the crowd surged forward without them.

"Come along now, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said as she gingerly stepped off the curb.

He hung his head all the way to the station. All he could think about was how Mitsuru's grandmother was going to see her busted ankle, hoping she wouldn't be able to make out some of the bandages she wore under her clothes.

Of all the times he protected Mitsuru successfully, it had to be the one time right after defeating their toughest enemy yet that Mitsuru's grandmother chose to evaluate how well he was doing his job. He knew that even the tiniest scratch on his charge would most likely be enough to deem him unfit to be her bodyguard. There wouldn't be any consideration for how powerful a monster Death had been, where a small mar on Mitsuru's body was counted as a failure because Mitsuru was still injured in the fight.

He could hear Ikeda in his mind, remembering that night back in early November so vividly that he flinched when he imagined getting struck by the ashtray. He had to keep adjusting their school bags in his hands to wipe his sweaty palms on his pants. His breath quickened. Panic rattled him. He was fired, and that thought alone followed him all the way to school.

Ryuichi heard nothing of his morning lessons, but he managed to take notes without fully absorbing the significance of the lectures. During English class, he was called on to read a passage aloud, but none of the words had any meaning to him. He couldn't even bother to speak beyond a monotone as he read from the book, and it was clear that his teacher was disappointed in his unusual lack of enthusiasm. Ryuichi didn't care about the inflection in his voice, too busy thinking that this was how he was going to spend his last few hours of employment before his meeting with Mitsuru's grandmother.

"You're worrying too much," Mitsuru said to him during lunch.

They were alone in the Student Council Room eating instant noodles, yakisoba bread, ham sandwiches, and juice. Ryuichi was still sulking over the thought of having to face Mitsuru's grandmother, never having fully recovered from the news.

"No matter what she thinks, I'm not going to fire you," Mitsuru reassured him. "My injuries could have been far worse had you not been there."

"And she knows about Shadows and everything?"

"As far as I know, she doesn't."

"Oh, well, great. Now she'll think that I just let people attack you, or that I pushed you in front of a speeding car."

"Not quite. I believe she is aware that there are cultists around the city, so we can just say that we were attacked by them."

She came up with a narration for them to tell her grandmother about what happened when the "cultists" struck. Ryuichi thought she blew it a little out of proportion when she wanted to say that he took on a dozen cultists at once on his own and came out victorious. She tweaked the story a little to cut the number of assailants down to six and added that she helped in the fight, which she seemed to like more than he did.

"Except, my grandmother might not approve of you relying on me to aid in our survival," she told him.

"Well, she's gotta know how badass her granddaughter is beyond her grades," he said with a soft grin that didn't stay for long. "But, I see your point. But! I find it hard to believe that I could take on all those guys by myself and still look this good, so I'd rather that we keep the part where you helped."

They decided to keep the story simple: Ryuichi and Mitsuru were walking past half a dozen cultists preaching their beliefs. When they refused to listen, the cultists grew violent and attacked them. Ryuichi had to fight them off, and when one cultist pulled out a knife, Mitsuru kicked it out of his hand, her foot landing awkwardly and resulting in her sprained ankle.

Mitsuru reasoned that most of their injuries were hidden beneath their clothes anyway, so her grandmother shouldn't be able to judge Ryuichi too harshly if she didn't know about the extra cuts, burns, and bruises they sustained. Hearing her say that helped Ryuichi calm down a bit, especially when he noticed that he couldn't see any bandages through Mitsuru's sleeves.

The last two class periods flew by. When school let out for the day, Ryuichi silently begged Mitsuru to hobble a little slower on her crutches on their way downstairs to the shoe lockers. He helped her change from her school boots to her regular pair when a trio of girls approached to ask Mitsuru about her injury.

"Kirijo-senpai?" one of the girls asked. "What happened?"

Mitsuru looked over to the girl who spoke. "Oh, Mori. It's nothing. It's just a sprain."

Ryuichi barely finished changing Mitsuru's boots when the girls started peppering her with questions about her ankle. While Ryuichi put away Mitsuru's school boots and went to change his shoes, Mitsuru told them the fake story they made up during lunch about getting attacked by cultists.

"They attacked you?"

"Scary!"

Ryuichi smirked, thinking about how they might react if they found out the truth behind Mitsuru's sprain. Mitsuru had to keep reassuring the girls that she was perfectly fine and that Ryuichi had done a remarkable job protecting her. The girls praised him, but praised Mitsuru even more for coming to his rescue.

Looking out the front doors, Ryuichi spotted the awaiting car just outside the school gates. He shut his shoe locker and returned to Mitsuru, collecting their bags.

"Car's here," he said to her. He turned to the girls. "Sorry, but we'll be going now."

"Take good care of her, Okazaki-senpai!"

"Kirijo-senpai, please be more careful!"

Halfway down the courtyard, Mitsuru had to stop to rest a little. She apologized for making Ryuichi wait, but he kept insisting for her to take all the time she needed.

"I can't believe they bought that story you made up," he said to her, noticing that the girls were still watching them from inside the school. The timid-looking one in particular kept her gaze fixed on Mitsuru.

"If they believed it, then perhaps my grandmother will, too," Mitsuru replied, appearing pleased with the results.

During the ride to the Kirijo mansion, Ryuichi became anxious again. It wasn't just Mitsuru's grandmother that he was meeting, but the matriarch of the Nanjo Group. He had never met her personally, but he had heard about her many times before. If she was as critical a judge as he imagined her to be, then he hoped that Mitsuru would be able to argue with her why she wasn't going to fire him without making it sound like she had other reasons to keep him around.

What should have been a long drive felt like it lasted only mere moments. Before Ryuichi knew it, they were pulling into the gates and getting sucked under the dark canopy of the dense forest within the Kirijo walls. About a minute later, Ryuichi was getting the car door for Mitsuru. He offered her his hand to help her out of the car, and as she balanced on her one good foot, she gave his hand a firm squeeze before taking her crutches from him.

"Welcome home, Ojou-sama," Kikuno and several other maids greeted her when they entered the mansion.

"Thank you. Has my grandmother arrived yet?" she asked. Ryuichi stood behind her, holding both their school bags.  
"Not yet, but it seems that she will be here soon."

Ryuichi was hoping to just let the old woman stab him with her judgment the moment they arrived. Now he had to wait for his impending doom without knowing when his demise would be, knowing only that it was very, very soon.

"Very well. This way, Ryuichi."

"Yes, Ojou-sama," Ryuichi said dutifully. The maids took his hat and their school bags before he followed Mitsuru to the music room.

Kikuno and a few other maids had Mitsuru sit on the couch and propped up her injured ankle atop a velvet pillow. They carefully removed her boot and rewrapped the bandages, then held a bag of ice to her sprain. Other maids touched up her hair and makeup. They all looked like the pit crew for a race car, the way they swarmed Mitsuru and worked quickly.

With nothing else to do, Ryuichi sat down at the piano to play some relaxing tunes. It was all he could do to try to offset his nerves by forcing himself to be gentle and calm. His nerves threatened to erupt out of him, prompting him to switch to the more upbeat third movement of one of his favorite video game villain's theme song. The melody screamed of madness and chaos, with a sense of maniacal laughter beneath the surface. The complicated piece forced him to focus hard on the music, helping him block out his fears.

"I wasn't expecting such fanfare for my arrival."

Ryuichi shot off the piano bench in a panic. He quickly turned and bowed to the elderly woman in the doorway, who was dressed in a powder blue kimono adorned with shimmery, lilac cranes. Poised and slender like her granddaughter, her round face had a few wrinkles to indicate her age, and she wore her graying hair pinned back in a tight bun.

"Good afternoon, Nanjo-sama," Ryuichi said in a calm voice to her. The rest of him struggled to not tremble before her.

Mitsuru also stood from the couch, balanced on one foot. "Grandmother," she said with a smile. "You're looking well."

Sei Nanjo looked to her granddaughter, her smile dimming by a small fraction. "I wish I could say the same for you," she said to her as she eyed her bandaged ankle. "But, it is good to see you."

They were taken to a different room, one that had two sofas and two armchairs surrounding a coffee table. The curtains were drawn from the windows to show the garden just outside, with bare trees and a koi pond for their viewing pleasure. Ryuichi marveled at the koi pond, wondering if the fish were okay in the winter chill. Most of them were longer than his forearm, and some were as thick as his bicep. His favorite feature of the pond had to be the little waterfall, if not the little bamboo thingy that went _doink_ after it dumped out its water.

Sei took the seat on the sofa furthest from the door. Mitsuru sat down across from her on the second sofa, and Ryuichi sat down next to Mitsuru. The maids brought them tea and various snacks of rice crackers, finger sandwiches, lemon bars, a light coffee cake, and some strawberry daifuku.

"So tell me, Mitsuru, how did you come to injure your ankle?" Sei asked her straight away.

Mitsuru told her the story that she and Ryuichi had constructed about the cultists. Ryuichi kept quiet, nervously nibbling on a sandwich and sipping tea as he listened on. Throughout the story, Sei kept her eyes trained on her granddaughter, as if examining her for any lies or truths that went unsaid. From what Ryuichi could see for himself, Mitsuru was perfectly calm and delivered her story with a steady voice. She only glanced up at her grandmother occasionally, mostly looking elsewhere. Her delivery felt so authentic that Ryuichi almost bought it.

"So, Okazaki wasn't able to fight them all off and you had to come to his aid?" Sei concluded before sipping more tea. "It sounds to me like you might have to find a more skilled bodyguard after all."

Ryuichi bowed his head. "My apologies, Nanjo-sama. I wasn't strong enough."

"My sincerest apologies, Grandmother, but I have to respectfully disagree," Mitsuru said boldly.

Sei looked up at her granddaughter in amusement. "Is that so?"

"Indeed." Mitsuru set her plate of cake down on the table. "Ryuichi could have been easily overpowered by the men who attacked us, but he did not let that happen. As I said before, after I kicked the man, Ryuichi subdued him within seconds. None of the others came anywhere near that close to me, and my injury was from my own folly."

Her grandmother quietly smiled to herself as she sipped her tea. "You defend him so passionately," she remarked. "It's almost as if you value his job more than your safety."

Ryuichi swallowed at the lump growing in his throat, but it wouldn't go away. Next to him, Mitsuru played the stoic game as she lowered her teacup from her lips.

"I _am_ protective of him and his job," Mitsuru agreed with her. "Just a few months ago, the Board of Directors fired him, not because he was deserving of it, but because they feared that he was too young and too inexperienced to be up to the task.

"But I believe in him. And now that I've decided to become the new president of the Kirijo Group, the same thing is happening to me: I am being dismissed by our affiliates simply due to my age, my inexperience, and my sex."

"And does that mean you would risk your safety just so he can prove himself?"

Mitsuru flashed her an almost haughty smile. "My life would be in far greater danger had I let anyone else be my bodyguard," she told her grandmother. "My father saw potential in him, and I have seen what he is capable of firsthand. I would hate to think of what might have happened, had Ryuichi not been there last night."

Ryuichi was in awe at how effortlessly Mitsuru argued while still remaining cordial to her grandmother. She kept praising him for his skills, but Ryuichi wasn't sure if those were part of the lie. Neither Mitsuru nor Sei backed down, and both were so serene throughout their dispute. They continued to enjoy their tea and snacks peacefully, whereas Ryuichi couldn't stomach anything anymore.

"And what do you have to say about all this, Okazaki?"

Ryuichi should have jumped at Sei's question, but his body was so delayed that he needed to take a few extra seconds to process what he had just been asked.

"I appreciate that Ojou-sama values my skills so highly, but even I have to admit that I don't think I will be enough to protect her," he said to Mitsuru's grandmother. "At the same time, I want to keep getting stronger to ensure her safety, but I'm also considering teaching her some basic self-defense moves to use in the event that she might have to defend herself."

Sei quietly cut a small piece from her slice of cake, her smiling countenance never wavering.

"Okazaki, what is your job title?"

He blinked. "I am Ojou-sama's bodyguard."

"And what do you do as such?"

"Ensure her safety."

"And having her learn to defend herself puts you where?"

Swallowing hard, Ryuichi paused to think for a moment. "Well, I would still be her bodyguard, regardless of whether or not she knew how to defend herself," he said slowly. "If she at least has a few basic self-defense moves she could employ as a last line of defense, I see no harm in her having that knowledge."

Sei stared at him with an intensity he once thought came purely from the Kirijo side, having seen both Mitsuru and Takeharu use it before. Ryuichi found that he couldn't return her gaze, no matter how much he forced himself. He was completely petrified by her stare, and out of his peripherals, he could see that Mitsuru's eyes were fixed on him, as well. What she was thinking, however, he wasn't sure.

"Do you think that is appropriate, Okazaki? Do you find it acceptable for your charge to have to defend herself, when it is your job to protect her?"

Ryuichi shook off the frost on his skin that the Nanjo matriarch's petrifying stare cast on him. "I believe that teaching Ojou-sama ways to defend herself _is_ doing my job of protecting her," he said honestly. "If the goal is to ensure her safety, then I believe it's wise to equip her with the skills she would need, should all other defenses fail."

"If all other defenses did fail, then what is the point of having a bodyguard at all?" Sei shot at him with a smile over her teacup.

"I would be one of many lines of defense," he replied, taking notice that he still held half a sandwich in his hand. He palmed it, hiding it from view. "I've learned that I am not alone in my job, that I can rely on others who are also tasked with protecting Ojou-sama."

Sei lowered her teacup from her lips and set it down on the table. "You speak from experience, it seems. You must be referring to the time Yusei Miyashiro's men attacked you, correct?"

He flinched. It was a moment in his life that he hadn't expected her to know about.

But the Nanjo matriarch wasn't finished. "While it was fortunate that Mitsuru's maid was there to pick her up from the train station, Mitsuru was still left vulnerable to attack during that brief period of time," she said to him, her words like a guillotine dropping on his neck.

Sei's auburn eyes pierced through Ryuichi. "Now, please explain to me how you can still call yourself a bodyguard when you abandoned your charge during such a critical time."

He didn't have an answer. There was nothing he could say without exposing the truth behind what happened between them.

"That was my fault, Grandmother."

Ryuichi shakily looked to Mitsuru, astounded by how calm she was considering the topic at hand.

A maid poured Sei more tea. "Is that so?" Sei asked, her intense stare getting replaced by haughty laughter in her eyes.

"Yes. When Miyashiro's men attacked Ryuichi, I selfishly fled," Mitsuru explained. "I regret leaving him to face those men by himself, especially since he was still recovering from his injuries at the time."

"I see." Sei gratefully accepted her refilled teacup from the maid. "Now, for what reason did those men attack Okazaki?" she asked, the smile never leaving her eyes. "Could it be that Okazaki instigated the assault?"

Ryuichi ground his fist into his thigh. "W-Well, um, you see..."

Miyashiro's smug face flashed in his mind. Instantly, Ryuichi felt his rage broiling when he remembered the way Miyashiro disrespected the deceased Takeharu Kirijo and humiliated Mitsuru. No matter what that man did, Ryuichi knew it wasn't enough to justify him grabbing the bastard.

"Last December, Mitsuru received a formal complaint from Yusei Miyashiro, saying that someone claiming to be her bodyguard attacked him," Sei told him. "His men support his claim, saying that you grabbed Miyashiro first."

There was nothing Ryuichi could say to refute the facts. He hung his head in defeat, ready to accept his punishment.

"At the time, Ryuichi wasn't employed as my bodyguard," Mitsuru said, speaking for him. "He had been fired without my consultation the month prior to that incident. As he was also recovering from an injury, he wasn't able to serve as my bodyguard during that time.

"However, when that incident occurred, Ryuichi was acting on my behalf as my friend," she continued. "Miyashiro said some things that Ryuichi perceived as a threat at the time. He was only trying to protect me, so I will take responsibility for his actions."

"No." Ryuichi turned to Mitsuru. "I acted irresponsibly."

"Not in the least. And as I said before, you were acting on my behalf as my friend, not as my bodyguard—"

"—I shouldn't have been so aggressive, though—"

"—you were provoked—"

Sei's chuckles made them both stop. "Oh, my!" she said with delight. "You two are so passionate, trying to protect each other!"

Ryuichi started to panic again, not knowing what to do. He cast a furtive glance at Mitsuru, whose expression somehow remained stoic.

"Tell me, Mitsuru—Do you regret what Okazaki did for you on that day?"

"Not in the least," she said flat out. "It's because he acted so brashly that I am able to lead the Kirijo Group as the new president."

Ryuichi looked from Mitsuru to Sei and back again, unsure if the Nanjo matriarch was appreciative of what he had done. He nervously nibbled on the sandwich he had been holding, wanting some tea to keep his other hand busy but too afraid to reach for his cup.

"And thank goodness he did," Sei said after a time. "I couldn't stand that man or his grandfather."

He nearly dropped his sandwich. Had he heard her right?

Sei shook her head. "Honestly, Mitsuru, I don't know what your board members were thinking, choosing such a man. Your father would never have allowed such a marriage."

Mitsuru sat up higher in her chair. "Grandmother?"

Sei sipped her tea slowly, as though savoring her granddaughter's shock. "Miyashiro wouldn't stop bullying your poor mother, so I had to intervene and stand in her place. I kept telling him that I know everything that goes on with my granddaughter and that she didn't have a bodyguard named 'Otsuka' working for her. He was livid, of course, but even if he were to pursue the matter, I believe we can still argue that in all technicality, he struck Okazaki first."

The older woman smiled again, warmer this time. "I think things worked out for the best, don't you think?" she asked her. "The Board would never have listened to you in the first place, had you said from the start that you wanted to lead the Kirijo Group as the new president. I have no doubts that they were tired of Miyashiro, too."

She looked to Ryuichi now, making him flinch. "And as for you, Okazaki—Thank you for being so supportive of Mitsuru. Not many men are patient enough to deal with the women of the Kirijo Group, nor the Nanjo Group. You'll be dealing with a double dose!"

She was still chuckling while Ryuichi's mind fizzled out. Nothing made sense anymore, but as far as he could tell, Sei's smile was actually full of kindness and appreciation.

"I-I'm not fired?" he uttered feebly.

The old woman's laughter seemed to startle even Mitsuru. "No, not at all!" she replied jovially. "If I so much as suggested that, I doubt that Mitsuru would allow it. She's quite protective of you, after all."

She looked to her granddaughter now. "Mitsuru, you had better keep this one. Not only does he seem to be a good bodyguard, his reactions are amusing to watch."

Ryuichi's face soured, making Sei chuckle some more. Next to him, Mitsuru shook her head.

"I had no intention of getting rid of him," she said confidently.

"Good." Sei peered down at Ryuichi's empty teacup. "Okazaki, would you care for some more tea?"

Her kind offer injected more freezing fear into his spine. "Ah, thank you, but no," he answered, flustered.

"It's just as well. Now, if you would excuse us, I would like to do a little catching up with my granddaughter," she said to him. "Thank you for a most entertaining and informative afternoon, Okazaki."

Ryuichi shakily got to his feet, wincing slightly from the injury on his hip. He bowed to both women, thanked them for the tea, and shakily left the room. When he shut the door behind him, he leaned on it and released a sigh that did little to ease his nerves.

"I take it the talk went well?" Kikuno asked him, making him jump. It was as if she had been standing there, waiting for him the entire time.

"Well, I survived, I guess," he murmured as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "But, I can't tell if she wanted to fire me or dig up some dirt on me."

"I think she wanted to know if you were a suitable match for Ojou-sama."

He straightened up. "'Match'?"

"She _is_ her grandmother, and so she would hope that Ojou-sama got along well with her bodyguard."

He made a face. "Is that really all you meant?"

Kikuno started on her way down the corridor. "It is possible that she knows," she whispered to him. "If that is so, then let us hope that she speaks nothing of it to anyone."

Ryuichi felt himself sink into the floor. "Hey, Kikuno-san? How long have you known?"

"I've known even before Ojou-sama knew."

"How is that even possible?"

She beamed, but said nothing more about it. The look she gave him told him to keep following her, and he silently fell in line behind her on their way upstairs.

"So, did you manage to find out who burned down the restaurant?" he asked her when they were safe in his new bedroom.

Kikuno poured him some tea. "We did find something," she said, handing him the cup.

Ryuichi sat down on the couch, feeling the tension in his shoulders build with anticipation. "And?"

She offered him some strawberry daifuku and some sandwiches, but he waved them off.

"A while back, Ojou-sama had us investigate Strega," she began. "It was only recently that we linked them to a website where they could be hired to commit atrocities. And on that website, we uncovered a list of anonymous requests, and there was one request for your family's restaurant to be burned down for a very large sum of money."

Ryuichi's heart raced. He gripped his teacup tightly.

"So, who did it?" he demanded. "It's Miyashiro, isn't it?"

She looked to him in apology. "I'm sorry, but all the records were deleted before we could investigate further."

"Who else could it be?" He raised his voice now, spilling hot tea on his hand. "Who else has that kind of money laying around?"

"Ryuichi-san, please calm down." Kikuno took the teacup from him and began wiping his hand clean. "I'm sorry. We're doing everything we can, but for now, we have no concrete evidence as to who hired Strega to burn down your family's restaurant."

He leaned back on the couch, covering his eyes with his hand in frustration. "Who else, then?" he muttered. "Who else is there?"

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi-san. I do not know."

His body burned like a roaring furnace. Somehow, he contained his rage, sitting quietly as he seethed in his silent fury and frustration.

It had to be Miyashiro. No one else had any reason to burn down the restaurant, and he doubted that some cultist had the funds to pay Strega such a hefty sum. He couldn't even imagine his old bullies doing something so heinous, even knowing that Sakai could afford it.

Ryuichi clenched his fist, hating the fact that they didn't have any evidence of Miyashiro's crime. But most of all, he feared for his family, not knowing if they would be targeted next.

"Again, I apologize for our failure to procure that information," Kikuno said to him. "We will continue to investigate the situation, but is there anything else I can do to make up for it?"

He leaned back on the sofa, thinking. "No, it's fine," he murmured. "Right now, I'm worried that my family might be targeted next. Just because he only targeted the restaurant doesn't mean my family's safe."

A thought struck him. "What'll happen when the restaurant's rebuilt?" he realized aloud. "Is he going to burn that down, too?"

Kikuno finished wiping his hand and started cleaning up the tea that spilled on the rug. "Ryuichi-san, I understand that you are upset, and rightly so. However—"

He wasn't listening. Ryuichi got up to pace the room, still deep in thought.

"If they attacked during the Dark Hour, then my family can't do anything about it," he muttered to himself. "Will I have to stand guard outside the house? Or maybe I can install turrets—"

"Turrets?"

He thought more on it. "But, Miyashiro will definitely have people who can hack the turrets. Might even turn them on my family. But, what if we armed them with guns—"

"Guns!"

Kikuno's outburst and her look of consternation brought him out of his thoughts. Even he realized how insane he sounded right then.

"Okay, no guns for my family," he sighed, but remembered that there was something else he would need them for.

He looked back to Kikuno. "Question: Does the Kirijo Group have any anti-Shadow guns? You know, like what Aigis has."

The confusion was plain on her face. He grew impatient that she wasn't keeping up with his thought process.

"Ryuichi-san, your question for firearms and our discussion—It's not exactly something—"

"It's not for my family," he told her bluntly. "I know, it's dumb to think I should give them guns, but this is for something different."

She had him sit back down, pushing a fresh cup of tea into his numbed hands. He remembered to breathe, taking all the time he needed to calm himself so he could explain what he was getting at.

"During our battle with Death last night, none of us could get close enough to attack it with our weapons," he told her, keeping his eyes fixed on his teacup. "The only one who could attack was Aigis. If Yukari was with us, she could have also attacked, but the entire time, we relied heavily on our Personas. Our equipment was just dead weight."

His eyes lost focus, recalling their battle vividly as if he was fighting Death again. "If our battle against Nyx is going to be the same way, I think that it might be best to have some kind of long-range firepower. That's why I brought up the guns."

Kikuno nodded. "I understand. However, the timing of our conversation earlier and your request is a little..."

His shoulders deflated. "Got it," was all he could say, and Kikuno apologized once more before leaving him alone.

For a long while, Ryuichi stayed on the couch, his thoughts racing so fast he just wanted to shut down his brain for a little while. The tea grew cold, his snacks staled, and his body grew heavy with the mental and physical strain from the past few days.

He laid down on the couch, one hand behind his head, the other on his stomach. His weary eyes watched as the ceiling fuzzed over him, the static in his vision turning into a horrific nightmare where he struggled to keep his family safe from Shadows. He could see Miyashiro giving orders to the Shadows, sending them to attack the new restaurant before turning on Ryuichi's family.

He was roused from his slumber when the door opened. Blinking, he heard the clunky sound of Mitsuru's crutches as she came up to the couch.

"We need to talk," she said, to which Ryuichi understood as "Kikuno told me everything".

She sat down and let him rest his head in her lap. As he explained everything he and Kikuno discussed, Mitsuru stroked his hair, her gentle caresses calming him down. His voice was reduced from nearly yelling to a firm tone, and gradually his anger reduced to a simmer.

"I swear, I'm not going to go looking for whoever burned down the restaurant to gun them down," he told her. "I was only going to use it for our battle against Nyx. I do want to make sure my family's safe, but since they set the restaurant on fire during the Dark Hour, I don't know how else to protect them."

She continued to gently comb her fingers through his hair. "I can arrange to have guards surround your family's home," she told him. "They don't have the potential, but we developed a special type of ring that allows those without the potential to remain active during the Dark Hour."

He held his hands over his stomach and sighed. "No, it's okay," he sighed. "You've done more than enough already."

He looked away from her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wreck your day like this."

"You didn't ruin my day at all," she told him. "If anything, Kikuno apologized to me earlier for upsetting you. She regrets not being able to learn more about who hired Strega to set fire to your family's restaurant."

"It's not her fault." He reached up to take her other hand. "But enough about that. How did your talk with your grandma go?"

"She said that I should hire another bodyguard to protect you while you protect me," she happily reported. "She also prefers you over Miyashiro-san."

Ryuichi made a face at her. "That's a really crappy comparison, if you ask me."

She broke into a smile. "She realized the same thing after she said that."

"At least she realized it." He closed his eyes as he relaxed from her gentle touch. "I guess it's pointless to ask if she knows, huh?"

"She never said it directly, but I have no doubts she knows. Still, we should continue to act as though we're nothing more than good friends."

"You're kind of failing that."

"How so?"

He opened his eyes again. "You've been petting me for a while now. That's not normal friend behavior."

She frowned. "And neither is this," she said, gesturing to his head in her lap.

"You're the one who offered, remember?"

She blushed, taking both her hands away.

Ryuichi smiled up at her. "I like it," he told her shyly. "It feels nice when you do that, and I feel a lot better now."

Mitsuru tentatively began to stroke his hair again. "I'm actually surprised at how soft your hair is," she admitted. "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

"The kind that's on sale with both shampoo and conditioner mixed together."

"Really? That's it?"

"That's it." He felt himself relax again. "Well, that and you're petting all natural Japanese silk."

For Mitsuru's sake, he temporarily suspended his concerns about Miyashiro, Strega, his family, the restaurant, and their battle against Nyx. His mind was clearer now, making him wonder if it truly was Miyashiro who hired Strega. As Mitsuru continued to run her fingers through his hair, he felt his thoughts melt away until he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Mitsuru's grandmother didn't stay for dinner, allowing the two of them to enjoy their meal together. Ryuichi noticed right away that the dishes were suited to his tastes: a thick and creamy vegetable soup, salad with feta cheese and apples, warm bread rolls with thick pads of butter, beef tartare crostini, succulent medallions of filet mignon in a red wine sauce, roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus spears, garlic butter mushrooms, and for dessert, baumkuchen freshly baked right in the Kirijo kitchen.

"It seems that Kikuno is trying to make things up to you," Mitsuru whispered to Ryuichi as he pulled her chair out for her.

"She doesn't have to do that," he murmured back. "Besides, she already said she'd keep investigating the situation."

Dinner proved to be a little less enjoyable when Kikuno began to teach him proper dining etiquette. Ryuichi had to sit high and rigid in his seat, constantly having to adjust his napkin in his lap. Every time he tried to take a bite of food, there was always something wrong.

"The salad fork is the outermost one."

"Not that one. You want the soup spoon."

"Try not to slurp."

"Take smaller bites."

"Elbows off the table."

"Don't slouch."

"Sip. Don't gulp."

"Please refrain from taking more than you can chew."

Ryuichi nearly threw his spoon. "Is this training for a Kirijo staff member, or to become a Kirijo?"

"When you become part of the staff, you are a representative of the Kirijo Group, and therefore must always put your best foot forward," Kikuno explained to him. "The image you project is a reflection on Ojou-sama, even when dining."

He stared at the two buttered halves of his dinner roll, ready to just shove both into his face and chew with his mouth wide open. From across the table, Mitsuru watched him in earnest. He couldn't disappoint her now, could he?

He went back to his filet mignon, holding his fork in his left hand and the knife in his right. He placed the tip of the knife on the steak, then looked up at Kikuno, who shook her head. Sighing, he moved the knife over, poised to cut a smaller piece. When Kikuno shook her head again, he angled the knife so that the piece was shorter. She nodded. He finally got a chance to eat the small morsel of steak, feeling like he had accomplished something.

Everything was ruined when he speared a large chunk of roasted potato and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Fowwy," he apologized with a full mouth. Both women sighed disapprovingly.

It took him longer than usual, but Ryuichi ate everything he was given. The maids packed up some extra slices of baumkuchen and gave it to them to take back to the dorm. Two boxes of tree cake sat between Ryuichi and Mitsuru in the back seat of the car, squished in with their school bags and Mitsuru's crutches.

"Did they pick this cake specifically so that we could share it with our dorm mates?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru on their way home.

"I imagine so," Mitsuru replied. "Or perhaps they feel badly for not finding out who hired Strega and are using it as a small way to apologize."

"Well, you know what they say: Cake heals all wounds."

Mitsuru kept asking him if he was all right during the ride back. He kept reassuring her that he was fine, even when his anger was still smoldering within him the more she kept reminding him about it. Even when they were already home, she sent him emails just to check up on how he was doing. They ended up talking late into the night on their cell phones until the Dark Hour cut them off. Ryuichi took that time to bath and get ready for bed, and was already falling asleep when Mitsuru called him again the moment the Dark Hour ended.

"Go to sleep, Mitsuru."

Her sigh kicked up static. "All right. Good night," she said reluctantly.

"Good night," he returned, kinder this time, and smirked as he added "Ojou-sama" at the end.

"You're terrible."

"Love you, too."

Another sigh. He could hear her fumble for the words, eventually saying a hurried "Good night" instead. She hung up before he could respond.

"I made her mad again, didn't I?" he groaned, and flipped open his phone once more to call and apologize to Mitsuru right away.


	108. Chapter 108

**Chapter 108**

Ryuichi was given permission by the CEO herself to train with the guns he requested for their battle against Nyx. After school the next day, he went to the Kirijo Group security training facilities, where he was met by one of the maid staff members who called herself Momoe. She showed him an array of guns for him to sample, telling him the attributes of each weapon before demonstrating how to use them. On top of all the guns presented to him, he was strongly urged to use a protective vest for the battle.

"Do I have to?" he asked with a frown. "I always feel too bulky when I wear those."

"We can find you a slimmer one," Momoe said to him. "Or if you would prefer, you could shed a few of your extra layers."

"But I need the pockets so I can carry more stuff."

"We can add pockets to the vest."

There was no getting out of it. As much as he hated having to wear the vest, he reluctantly agreed to it.

Since Mitsuru had been adamant about Ryuichi recovering from his injuries, he wasn't allowed to begin field training with his new weapons. Instead, Momoe took him to the shooting range within the facility so he could test the guns out and decide which ones he wanted to bring into battle.

The first bunch he eliminated without even testing were the handguns, out of concern that he could easily confuse it for his Evoker. He instead focused on the guns with stopping power and rapid-fire capabilities. He chose a shotgun for its strength, trying slugs, birdshot, and buckshot. The power and spread of buckshot got his attention, thinking that it would be ideal against large groups of Shadows big and small.

The automatic rifle was the weapon he thought would be best against the Shadows, especially after seeing Aigis in action. With just a single squeeze of the trigger, he could fire a spray of bullets and stop Shadows before they could reach him or his teammates. He tested a few of the rifles available to him and chose one with a slightly stronger recoil and used magazines holding thirty rounds each.

Lastly, he was fitted for a tactical vest. He tried the slimmer version first, unhappy that it lacked pockets and felt like it offered little protection. He tried a chunkier type, liking the amount of pockets but hating how the extra weight added a lot of drag. He tried moving around in it, doing some slow punches to feel how the armor worked with his body, but he could tell right away that in the long run, the extra weight was going to drain his stamina faster than without it.

Even still, he chose one of the bulkier vests with extra pockets for additional magazines, Gems, Magatamas, and Soul candies, and a place for his knife. Momoe was able to fit some slightly lighter plates to balance protection with mobility and began making adjustments to make it fit him better. She offered to add some slots on the back for his swords, explaining that the harness he usually used might not fit over the vest.

"Wait, that's still going to create a problem," Ryuichi realized. "If I wear my swords on my back, how will the shoulder strap for my rifle fit?"

She showed him how the strap would still fit over his shoulder, but that it would simply rest over the slots where his swords would go. She held the strap in place so he could see what it felt like. When he was satisfied, he let her continue to make adjustments.

The next day, while Mitsuru was away at another meeting, Ryuichi went back to the facility to start training with the new guns.

"Under Ojou-sama's orders, I cannot allow you to go through the obstacle course just yet," Momoe said to him.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Ryuichi replied with a shrug. "Hey, then is it okay if you teach me how to disassemble the guns and put them back together again?"

She took him to a small room with just a table in the middle and spread out a white cloth over it. There, Momoe showed him how to take apart the automatic rifle first, having him do it under her directions. She then had him put it back together, then had him repeat the process a few times under her watch. It took him a number of tries and a few hints from Momoe to accomplish the task, but eventually, he was able to figure out what to do on his own after some long pauses.

They went through the same process with the shotgun After he became a little more familiar with the anatomy of the guns, Momoe took him back to the shooting range again. When they finished shooting, she showed him how to clean the guns properly.

That day, he was given permission to take the guns home. As promised, Momoe prepared the extra slots on the vest for his swords, and even added a place for his shotgun. He wasn't allowed to take any ammo with him for safety reasons, but Momoe gave him empty shells and magazines so he could practice reloading.

At home, he got to work taking the guns apart and putting them back together, just like before. He familiarized himself with the vest, filling the pockets with healing items, Gems and Magatamas, empty magazines, and empty shells. With everything in place, he practiced taking magazines out of his pockets and reloading the automatic rifle.

At first, he had trouble fitting the magazine where it needed to go. Slowly, he grew more familiar with how to load it, where he could look at himself in the mirror and see how almost effortless the motions appeared. After a time, he could reload without looking at all.

The shotgun shells gave him a few extra problems in comparison. Even when he had them all facing the same way in his pouch, he had trouble digging them out and making them face the right way before loading. He didn't like how long it took him to reload, making him question if it was worth the extra power. When he tried loading the shells quickly, he fumbled and dropped them. It was clear to him that if he panicked during battle and made the same mistakes, he could end up dead.

"Senpai? You in there?"

Ryuichi quickly stored the guns back into their cases and took off his tactical vest. "Just a moment he called back to Yukari. When everything was tucked under his bed, he went to open his door. "What's up?"

She frowned, looking concerned. "Well, you've been pretty quiet these past few days," she said to him. "I know Mitsuru-senpai said you've been preparing for our fight with Nyx, but I was wondering if everything's okay."

He left the door open to let her in. He then offered her his desk chair while he sat down on his bed.

"Just a lot that's been going on," he told her. "We finally found a buyer for the house, so now my family's getting ready to rebuild the restaurant."

"That's great news!"

"It sure is," he said, grinning. "But yeah, after college entrance exams, fighting Death, and training for Nyx, I'm just a little burnt out."

He explained all his thoughts about their upcoming battle and what he learned after they fought Death. He told her how much worse he imagined their fight against Nyx could be in comparison, sharing his concerns and the solutions he came up with. He then told her that he had gotten permission to use anti-Shadow firearms to give them a little extra help for their battle.

"Guns?" Yukari popped off the chair and backed away, staring at the case poking out from beneath Ryuichi's bed.

"Think of it like Aigis' weapons," he said, fearing that she might think the worst of him. "They're tools to help us fight Nyx and Shadows. I'm training with them right now, but I don't have live ammo for them. They're all blanks."

She still appeared afraid of the weapons. "So, are we all getting guns?"

"No. I had to get special permission from Mitsuru for these, and I've been receiving training on how to use them."

"That's good to hear." Yukari exhaled slowly, touching a hand to her chest. "Do the others know?"

Ryuichi nudged the case deeper under his bed with his heel. "Not yet, so, uh, don't tell them, okay? They might want one, too."

"Oh, no way. It's already dangerous enough as is. Imagine the crossfire."

They both shuddered just thinking about it.

"Well, I'm glad you're doing okay," Yukari said on her way out. "Don't work too hard, Senpai!"

Ryuichi chuckled. "I'll try not to," he said, seeing her to the door. "Thanks for checking on me."

When Yukari left, Ryuichi's cell phone rang. He stared at Shizue's name on the little screen in front, instantly thinking that something had happened again.

"Ryu-chan? I think I have to find a new place," were the first words his sister said to him.

"Did you and Dad get into another fight again?" he asked, trying not to grumble.

"Not exactly a fight, per se."

Ryuichi went to get comfy on his bed. "Okay. Spill."

He could almost picture his sister nodding. "Right. So, remember how Dad can be kind of a workaholic?" Shizue asked. "Well, since he hasn't been able to work for a few weeks now, he's getting kinda antsy. He knows that the paperwork for your house is still being finalized, but he can't wait to rebuild."

Ryuichi blew hot air out of his nostrils. "I see. Yeah, it's only been a few days after all, so he just has to be a little patient."

"I know, but you know Dad: He just wants to get cooking already."

Rolling his eyes, Ryuichi put her on speaker so he could leave his phone on his pillow next to his head. "So, I'm guessing that Mom's handling everything that doesn't have to do with cooking?"

"She's got everything pretty much set to go. She just needs to wait for the money from the house before she starts making some phone calls."

"And the smokers? Did Dad finish making them?"

"So far, all he's done is design them." She went quiet for a few seconds. "Sorry. Thought I heard Dad just now.

"Anyway, like with Mom, he has to wait for the money from the house before he can even go out and buy the materials and start building."

"Right, right." Ryuichi glanced at the clock. "So basically, Dad's getting jittery because he has nothing to do?"

"Yeah, and it's starting to show. He's actually been doing pretty well so far, but he's definitely getting pretty grumpy, and not in a cute way. He gets irritated at any little thing that happens now, but at least he's not as vocal about it."

She let out a sigh. "Mom's also getting stressed out because of Dad. She's frustrated that she can't do anything until everything's been finalized with the house, but she's also annoyed that Dad's been complaining about not being able to work when he could have helped her with all the non-cooking stuff.

"Now, back to what I was saying before: I have a feeling that things could get kind of ugly during the rebuilding process, so I'm thinking that it might not be a good idea for us to stay here while that's happening."

"And why's that?" He started getting irritated at his family's lack of cooperation.

"Well, back when the restaurant was first being converted from the gas station, Dad had a tendency to change a lot of Mom's ideas after they had already finalized everything, and things got pretty ugly then. You were probably too young to remember, but they would argue about it a lot."

Ryuichi vaguely remembered a few late nights when he would wake up to his parents yelling downstairs. "You can remember what they argued about back then?"

"I was just a kid at the time, so I didn't understand what they argued about," Shizue replied. "But a few minutes ago, Mom and Dad had a heated discussion about the restaurant and Dad walked out to cool off. Mom told me just now that the same thing happened all the time with the first restaurant."

Hearing about how the restaurant was a constant source of discord for his family made Ryuichi's heart heavy. He could tell that it wasn't going to be a good environment for anyone to live in, even if only for a short while. Telling them to just live with it would only meant he was forcing them to get along when they were already trying their best.

"So, I'm guessing you and Ayaka-san are planning to move out together?" he asked her, his irritation ebbing away.

"If we can. We're trying to find a place that isn't too far from Ayaka's work, but all the places we can afford only have one bedroom."

"Then, why not just get two separate apartments?"

"I can't afford an apartment on my own, and with the city going to hell, neither of us feel safe living alone."

Part of Ryuichi wondered if his family's personalities were just too abrasive to live together in peace. Another part of him thought they were all just trying to find any excuse to pass off their frustrations instead of just flat out saying that they couldn't stand one another. But then again, if they admitted that openly, that would only spark even more issues for his family.

Ryuichi agreed to help his sister find a new apartment. He realized that he couldn't blame his family for their behaviors, especially since they were in a difficult situation. Even the way his sister described things just then, it seemed like they were all trying to coexist peacefully, but the pressure to do so in such a trying time was just too much for them.

That evening, Mitsuru stopped by his room while he was searching online for a new place for his sister and roommate. She was off her crutches now, pausing behind him to glance at his laptop.

"Apartment listings?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah." He had his jaw resting against his fist. "Things aren't working out at Casa de Okazaki, so I'm trying to help my sister and Ayaka-san find a new place they can afford."

She went to take a seat on his bed. "So, what's the problem this time?"

"Dad's having trouble coping with not having work—specifically, the kind of work where he's cooking food for people. He's getting pretty aggravated, and it's starting to take its toll on everyone else. Plus, there's speculation that Mom and Dad are going to clash once they start officially rebuilding the restaurant."

He let out a sigh. "At least, that's what Shizue told me," he said, clicking on another listing. "It's weird, though: The way she talked was different from before. She was a lot calmer, and she wasn't slamming Dad."

"It sounds like she's changed for the better."

"Right?"

He read the brief description of the latest listing and clicked out in disappointment. "It's just as Shizue said: the only places they can afford are single-room apartments. They want to share a place for financial and safety reasons, but all the bigger places are too expensive."

Mitsuru leaned over to try to see the laptop screen again. "That's wise of them, but..."

"But?"

Mitsuru settled back down, grasping the blanket on either side of her. "Have you found anything like what they're looking for?"

He kept scrolling down the page in search of something. "Everything's too small but affordable, or perfect but too expensive, or in a bad area."

He clicked on a listing. Two bedrooms, a living room, and affordable? He squinted at the screen when he saw the reason why: It was four train stops away. Disappointed yet again, he exhaled sharply through his nostrils and clicked back to the listings page.

"What was wrong with that one?"

"Commute's too far," he grunted, continuing his search.

The bed groaned under Mitsuru's shifting weight. "Ryuichi?"

"Mm?"

"I have a confession to make."

Alarmed, Ryuichi pushed himself away from the desk to look to Mitsuru. He feared the worst when he saw the unease on her face, the apology in her eyes, and how she kept her head slightly bent downward. Her arms were crossed in front of her, as if she was squeezing the truth out of herself.

She raised her face and locked eyes with him. "I was the one who bought your house," she confessed.

Ryuichi mouthed an awestruck "Wow" as he slumped back in his chair. He swiveled back towards his desk, stunned from the revelation.

Mitsuru tilted her head, wearing a cautious expression. "Ryuichi?"

He needed another moment to breathe. "And you were so cool about it on Sunday, too," he muttered. "Should've known..."

She slowly unfolded her arms. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously.

He brought his hands up to rest against his upper lip, putting his elbows on the armrests of his chair. Tiny embers of irritation began to crackle within his chest.

"I told you not to buy it," he said softly to her. "You promised you wouldn't."

"I promised nothing." Mitsuru extended herself higher in her seat. "You only asked me not to buy it, but I never agreed to it."

Ryuichi thought back to that day, his memories muddled in a feverish fog with a mess of choppy events he could barely recall. Looking back, he couldn't remember her ever agreeing not to buy the house.

Frustrated, all he could do was shake his head. "Wouldn't the Board of Directors disapprove of that kind of spending?" he asked, his throat tightening. "Wouldn't they question why you bought a house out of the blue?"

Mitsuru's lip curled into a tiny, smug grin. "You have nothing to worry about," she reassured him. "I just felt terrible that, not only did your family lose the restaurant, you were losing your house. Your sister, her daughter, and her roommate were also losing their home, as well."

He clenched his fist. "Why didn't you tell me you were gonna buy it?"

"If I did that, would you have approved of it?"

"I guess not, huh?"

He released his breath slowly, still trying to process what Mitsuru had done. Her smile slid off her face the longer he said nothing.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it first," she said to him. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm just at a loss right now," he murmured, dropping his arms to grip the armrests. "This is something none of us can ever repay you for."

"I didn't do it with the expectation of repayment," Mitsuru said, squeezing her arms around her chest again. "I did it because I wanted to help you and your family. I offered to make an investment to help rebuild the restaurant, saying that my father would have done the same, but they all refused. Buying the house was the only way I could help."

"Of course they refused!" He sat up high in his chair, scowling at her. "This isn't something small like 'I'll buy lunch this time' or 'you can pay for the next movie' or anything like that! This is rebuilding a frigging restaurant! You bought a frigging house! I get that you care about us, and I really appreciate that you wanna help, but you can't keep buying stuff like this for us! You just can't!"

Mitsuru's eyes flinched. "I'm sorry I kept this from you, Ryuichi, but please understand that I did it to help you and your family," she said in a firm voice. "I know what that house means to you, and I felt badly that you've had to surrender it twice now. This was the only way I could help."

Anguish appeared in her forlorn expression. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I acted selfishly, more than I should have. But please understand that I was only thinking of you and your family."

Guilt ripped through Ryuichi's stomach. He knew that Mitsuru was sincere about wanting to help, that she cared deeply for all of them. Her pained expression and her guilt crushed him, making him regret raising his voice at her. He got up from the chair and hugged her, feeling her bring her arms up around his back in return. His anger melted from her touch.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he sighed into her hair. "You were only trying to help, and I get that. It was a huge help, and you've made everyone happy."

"And you?" she asked. "Are you happy?"

Ryuichi loosened his embrace enough to sit down next to her, sliding his hands along her arms until her hands were in his. He couldn't meet her eyes.

"Well, I'm happy for my family, and I'm grateful that you helped, but—"

When he saw the dismay on Mitsuru's face, he put his arms around her in another hug.

"Thank you," he said, breathless. "So, do I get a tour of your new house?"

Mitsuru returned his hug. "I believe I mentioned before that I have Friday off. Shall I give you the grand tour then?"

"Yeah. Maybe we can do dinner and a movie, too."

"That sounds like a good idea."

They made plans for Friday, agreeing to bring some movies to watch. They weren't sure what to eat for dinner with their movie, figuring they would wait and see what they craved then.

Ryuichi kept thanking Mitsuru for buying his house, hugging her all the while. He couldn't detach himself from her for too long, but she didn't seem to mind.

"But don't do it again, okay?" he told her, hugging her again. "Seriously, don't. We appreciate it, but we've caused you enough trouble already."

Mitsuru rested her chin on his shoulder. "I can't promise that," she answered him. "I care too much about you and your family to simply abandon all of you at your behest."

He hugged her tighter. "I guess you have a point," he reluctantly agreed. When he pulled away again, he grasped her hand in his. She in turn rested her head on his shoulder.

At least the house went to someone he knew and trusted, Ryuichi thought. He began to feel relieved, comforted that Mitsuru cared so much about them.

"So, now that you own it, what are you gonna do with it?" he asked her about the house.

His gentle breath ruffled her bangs. "I was thinking of letting your sister and roommate rent it out for the same amount you charged them before," she said, squeezing his hand. "Of course, the master suite would be off limits to them."

"Are you going to decorate it?"

"Decorate? But it's your room."

"It's not my house anymore," he reminded her. "It's yours now. That means you get free reign over whatever you want to do with it."

She gave his hand another squeeze. "And, you're not angry anymore that I bought it?"

He breathed out any lingering irritation he had from before. "No, not anymore," he said. "I'm confused, yeah, but definitely not mad."

He pressed his jaw to the top of her head. "Do you like the house?" he asked. "It's nothing compared to yours, so it's really not all that great—"

"I love it," Mitsuru replied, and he could hear the smile in her tone. "When you first brought me to see it, I was astounded at how comfortable it was. I felt right at home, even though it was my first time there."

"Then, I couldn't have hoped for a better person to own it."

"I wasn't about to let just anyone buy it, and below asking price, no less."

Ryuichi found himself chuckling. "By the way, _you're_ going to have to be the one to tell my family about what you did."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you!"

Mitsuru sat away from him and beamed. "All right, but not until _after_ we've had our fun this Friday."

She couldn't linger in his room for too long. After another hug and a quick smooch, Mitsuru went on her way before their dorm mates' imaginations had a chance to run wild.

They received another surprise the next day. At lunchtime, Mitsuru received a phone call while she and Ryuichi were in line to buy food. She left to answer it, but didn't return by the time Ryuichi made it to the counter. He ended up buying whatever items she said she wanted along with his own selections, then brought everything upstairs to the Student Council Room where they agreed to eat. She was already there, seated at her rightful place at the front of the room. There was a bewildered look on her face, her eyes blank and dazed.

"Did something happen?" Ryuichi asked as he set down the number of plastic-wrapped goodies in front of her.

Mitsuru crossed one leg over the other, deep in thought. "That was the hospital that called," she said, keeping her voice low. "The doctor just informed me that he suspects that Chidori could wake up any day now."

"She what?"

Ryuichi dropped all his purchases on the table. A can of juice rolled away, but he caught it before it could fall over the edge.

"Wait, how can he tell?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she replied, shaking her head. "But he said it could be any day now."

Mitsuru kept her arms crossed in front of her while Ryuichi set out the food before them. By the time he unwrapped his yakisoba bread, she still hadn't moved.

"You're looking a little concerned there," he said to her. "Care to share?"

She let out a sigh. I've been thinking about Chidori transmogrifying," she said, still staring through the table. "As you already know, someone who doesn't have the potential has no recollection of the Dark Hour. However, since Chidori has been transmogrifying, it's possible that she no longer has any memories of the Dark Hour whatsoever."

Ryuichi took a moment to chew through his food. "So, she doesn't remember having a Persona, or being part of Strega?"

"I don't think so, no. However..."

Mitsuru slowly released a sigh. "However, there are other memories she might have forgotten, those that might not be tied entirely to the Dark Hour."

He knew she meant right away, and his heart hurt for the guy. "So, she might not remember Junpei?" he woefully asked.

"It's possible." She grasped her elbow. "But that brings us to a new issue to take care of."

Ryuichi nodded. "So, how do we break the news to Junpei?"

"We will have to inform him carefully," she told him. "I was thinking that, since Arisato is good friends with him, he might be the right person for the task."

"Good call."

Ryuichi started to blink back a few tears. "Man, Junpei is gonna flip when Minato tells him the news."

Mitsuru began to unwrap the ham sandwich. "Don't forget that we have to keep a close eye on Iori," she reminded him. "We still don't know what Chidori's revival means for him, if she is taking life from him or not."

"I know, I know." Ryuichi grinned as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm just really happy for Junpei."

She smiled softly at him. "You must really be happy for him if it's affecting you that much," she said, and offered him her packet of tissues.

He nodded, choking on a sob. "They might have a chance to finally be together!"

He had to push the words out through his tightened throat, and all Mitsuru could do was pat his arm and offer him more tissues.

After school that day, they headed to Minato's classroom. He was thankfully still there, but Ryuichi tensed up when he saw Junpei and Yukari with him. The whole classroom quieted down as soon as the two seniors entered the room and approached Minato.

"I'm sorry to ask so suddenly, but can you come with us?" Mitsuru said to their leader. "There's something we need to discuss."

"Uh, you want all of us, or just him?" Junpei asked.

Mitsuru looked to him and answered "Just him for now" in a firm tone.

She turned back to Minato. "Come with us to the Student Council Room."

Obediently, Minato followed the two seniors out of the room without a word. When Ryuichi turned to close the classroom door, he saw the curious looks on Yukari's and Junpei's faces as they exchanged glances.

When he caught up to Mitsuru and Minato, he found them already in the Student Council Room, Mitsuru wearing a grim look on her face. She looked up when Ryuichi arrived, and said nothing until he closed the door behind him.

"There's something you have to know," she said to Minato. "Do you remember the girl named Chidori, who was with Strega?"

"Yeah. What about?" he asked in his bored drone.

"I don't mean to alarm you, but—"

She hesitated, appearing to be struggling to find the right words. "The fact is, there's a chance she may wake up today."

Minato took a step back.

"I know what you're going to say, and yes, we did see her die in front of our eyes," Mitsuru said before he could utter anything. "However, her body began to undergo transmogrification a few days after the incident. For the past few weeks, she has been in a state that is neither living nor dead."

Minato needed a moment to find his voice. "How did this happen?"

Mitsuru lowered her face. "I don't know," she replied. "It may be related to her Persona's abilities, but that's mere speculation."

She looked to him now, her expression even more grave than before. "But what I wanted to talk to you about is your opinion on how to break the news to Iori," she said softly. "You see, she's probably—"

A shrill ring cut her off. Mitsuru took out her cell phone to answer the call.

"Mitsuru here," she said, pausing. Surprise crossed her face. "I see. Yes, I understand."

As she pocketed her cell phone, Mitsuru turned back to Minato, her eyes flickering to Ryuichi behind him. "That was the hospital," she told them. "They say she's just awakened."

Hearing her say that felt like the wind had been knocked out of Ryuichi's lungs. He just stood there, staring at Mitsuru, who somehow didn't appear as shocked about the news as the two boys.

"It's unbelievable," she marveled. "But even though we had confirmed her death, it seems that Chidori has come back to life—"

The door flung open and Iori ran inside, startling them all.

"Iori?" gasped Mitsuru.

"D-Did I hear that right?" Junpei panted. "Chidori is...?"

His eyes were bugging out. He shook his head, his hand clenched in a tight fist.

"I-Is this a joke?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Some kind of trick?"

"No," Mitsuru answered, and Junpei hid his eyes beneath the bill of his cap. "It's not a joke, or a trick. She is currently recovering in the same hospital as before."

She took a step towards the anguished teen. "But, Iori, she probably—"

He exhaled. "Chidori," he murmured. "Chidori's alive?"

He fled the room, and someone yelped just outside the door.

"Uh, hey, Junpei! What about your cleanup duty?" Yukari called after him. "Geez, what's gotten into him?"

Mitsuru let out a relieved sigh. "Well, I guess it's a moot point now," she said to Minato and Ryuichi.

"Maybe it's best that he found out this way," Ryuichi figured. "So, should we go after him?"

She nodded. "I think that's best," she agreed, and turned to Minato. "Could I ask you to come along?"

They rounded up the others and explained the situation on the way to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. No one could believe that Chidori had come back to life, but for their friend, they could only hope for the best.

"Huh? Junpei?"

He turned when he heard Yukari's voice. They found him standing just outside of Chidori's room, trembling all over.

Yukari was the first to approach him. "You took off that fast, and you still haven't gone inside?"

Junpei couldn't even look at anyone, turning back to the door. "Well, I-I mean, it's kinda..."

Fuuka smiled for him. "We'll wait outside. It wouldn't be good for all of us to storm in," she said, patting his arm.

"I agree," Mitsuru said. "Iori?"

Just as they prepared to enter the room, Ryuichi patted Junpei on the back. "Good luck," he said to him with a grin.

"Try to be cool, will you?" Yukari teased, and Junpei flashed her a weak smile.

Koromaru wagged his tail, and Aigis gave him a thumbs up.

"You've got this!" Ken encouraged him.

Akihiko clapped Junpei on his shoulder. "Take care of her," he said, smiling.

Minato nodded to Junpei. "Go get 'er," he told him.

The doctor met them at the door. Ryuichi stayed outside with the others while Junpei, Mitsuru, and the doctor entered the room. The door was left ajar, allowing the others to peek inside and hear what was going on.

Ryuichi gasped when he saw Chidori sitting up in bed with confusion on her face as she eyed Mitsuru and Junpei standing before her. The doctor had gone to the far side of the bed, standing next to the bedside table with a vase full of flowers on top.

Junpei stood in silent awe as he beheld the living Chidori. Ryuichi felt a tear roll down his face and drop on top of Fuuka's head just below him.

"Huh?" Chidori's voice had been light and surprised when she saw her visitors. There was none of the harshness they knew from before.

"Her damaged endocrine system and other internal organs have completely healed," the doctor told Mitsuru and Junpei. "She's still weak, but there's no more danger of her dying in two years."

Mitsuru looked to Junpei, who was still staring hard at Chidori.

"Is it really you, Chidori?" he uttered. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

She tilted her head at him. "Dreaming?"

Junpei slowly approached the bedside but kept his distance. Sniffling, he rubbed his tears on his sleeve.

"It's true," he realized in a trembling voice. "It _is_ you. Chidori..."

The girl on the bed eyed him carefully. "Who are you?" she asked him.

Junpei gasped. "Huh? What?"

"No," Yukari gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. The others gasped and winced along with her.

Mitsuru shook her head. "I thought as much," she murmured. "Transmogrification is the proof that one lacks 'potential'. I suspected that this might be the case."

The doctor approached Chidori and gestured to the others. "This is Mitsuru-san and Junpei-kun. They were your friends last year," he explained in a kind voice to her.

Chidori looked to the pair, appearing intrigued. "Friends?"

She paused to take a breath. "My name is Chidori Yoshino," she said slowly.

Fuuka latched onto Ryuichi's arm, digging her nails into his skin. Everyone held their breath, hoping she still retained some of her memories.

Chidori frowned. "I'm sorry," she said to them. "It hasn't quite hit me yet, but it seems I don't remember any of the past few years. It's as if I was dreaming for a very long time."

"Chidori Yoshino," Junpei said quietly to himself.

"It seems all of her memories after she awakened to her Persona are gone," the doctor told them. "She remembers everything that happened before then, but as for you all..."

He didn't finish. He didn't need to. They all understood the crushing reality, and there was nothing they could do for Junpei.

Mitsuru gave Junpei a look of sympathy. "Iori?"

Junpei shook his head. "Nah, I think—I think it's better for her that she doesn't remember," he told Mitsuru. "All that stuff about fighting, and pills—When you're having a nightmare, it ain't a bad thing to wake up."

"I didn't say it was a nightmare," Chidori snapped. "Don't put words in my mouth."

Junpei looked to her in alarm.

"Was she always that snippy?" Ryuichi whispered to the others. They didn't respond.

Chidori turned her face up to the ceiling, her expression softening. "It was a dream of meeting a kind, warm person at the end of a long tunnel," she quietly recalled. "I can't remember it clearly, but I wanted him to be happy. And I—I think, there were flowers. A room filled with them."

She clutched her head and winced. Junpei leaped forward, his hand reaching for hers but stopping short.

"Chidori! Take it easy. You don't have to force yourself to remember," he said to her, pulling his hand away.

The doctor touched a finger to his upper lip. "Flowers in a room," he muttered to himself. "If she remembers that part clearly, then maybe..."

Everyone looked to the doctor now, waiting for him to recall something.

"Do you remember when she'd use her power from time to time to make flowers bloom again?" he asked Junpei and Mitsuru. "She'd always do it for the flowers in her room on the days when Junpei-kun would come."

He motioned towards the flowers on her bedside table. "Any flower she touched would be mysteriously preserved. That's why I kept them all, for research purposes. But, after the autopsy, I put them all on her chest as a tribute."

He touched his upper lip again. "And, thinking back on it, it may have been that night she began to transmogrify," he murmured.

"The power to share one's life with others," Mitsuru said slowly, eyeing the vase of flowers. "Could it be that she reclaimed the life energy she'd given to those flowers?"

"Well, I can't prove any of it, but compared to how she was before—She's changed. The loss of her power is part of it, but more than that—"

Chidori shot him an annoyed look. "Excuse me, are you talking about me?"

The doctor met her frown with a kind smile. "We're talking about how you want to live now," he told her.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" she asked. "Of course I want to live. I have to find the person in my dream someday. I can't lie in this bed forever."

Akihiko slammed his fist down on Ryuichi's shoulder. "But he's right there!" he snarled hotly under his breath.

Mitsuru kept her face stoic as she asked Chidori: "Supposing you do find him and meet him—What then?"

"That's—" Chidori grimaced. "That's none of your business."

Junpei uttered her name again. Chidori looked like she was pretending not to have heard him.

"Two hearts reunited," Mitsuru said, glancing back to the crack in the door so her eye met Ryuichi's. "It's a miracle.

"No," she corrected herself. "It's a victory."

Junpei rubbed more tears out of his eyes. "Chidori," he sobbed, alarming her.

"H-Hey, why are you crying?" Chidori asked, staring at him.

"I-I can't help it," he sniffled. "Th-This—This is seriously the happiest moment in my life!"

His laughter was choked on sobs, but the pure joy he exuded was enough to make Ryuichi cry again. Yukari and Fuuka were also in tears, all three of them sniveling when Mitsuru opened the door to leave. She quickly closed the door behind her and ushered them all away.

"It's like that one movie, you know? The one with the notepad and the old lady who loses her memory," Ryuichi sobbed when they were far away from Chidori's room.

Fuuka took out a packet of tissues to share with everyone. As Yukari took one, she thanked Fuuka and said to Ryuichi: "You mean, 'The Notepad'? Yeah, it's kind of like it, isn't it?"

Minato smirked. "Tell Junpei to take his shirt off. That'll make the memories flow."

Yukari elbowed him in the chest, frowning. He still smirked.

Mitsuru wasn't amused. "How does that even connect to the movie?"

Ryuichi, Minato, and Yukari all exchanged looks.

"She's never seen it?"

"How's that even possible?"

"Myron Bronzing? The famous actor?"

Ryuichi turned to Mitsuru, still dabbing a tissue at his eyes. "Tell me you've at least heard of 'The Notepad'," he said to her.

"It's both a book and a movie," Yukari added to help her out. "I can lend them to you, if you want."

She looked as perplexed with them as they were with her. "I've heard of it, but I've never seen it," she said to them. "Is it any good?"

Ryuichi and Minato snickered.

"It's actually a terrible movie," Ryuichi told her, grinning. "Myron Bronzing's character is pretty awful, but the ending will kick your feelings in the balls."

Junpei stayed at the hospital all afternoon while everyone returned to the dorm. In the evening, they welcomed him back, some of them sprouting fresh tears of joy for him as they met him at the front doors with hugs and pats on his back. For once, everyone listened to him gush about Chidori, saying that he was going to work hard to take care of her and defeat Nyx.

"I don't care that she doesn't remember anything!" Junpei boldly told everyone. "We'll start over fresh and make new memories together!"

"That's the spirit, Junpei!" Akihiko clapped him hard on the back.

Ryuichi, Yukari, and Fuuka were all in tears again, but Fuuka had run out of tissues for them to share. Minato and Ken offered the girls their handkerchiefs, and Mitsuru patted Ryuichi's shoulder.

"Okazaki-san! You, too?" Ken blurted out when he saw him crying.

"Real men cry!" Ryuichi blasted back. When Mitsuru took out her packet of tissues for him, he took a tissue with a dainty flick of his wrist for emphasis.

"D-Don't cry, Senpai," Junpei sniffled tearfully at Ryuichi. "Dammit, Senpai! I said don't cry!"

"I'm freakin' happy for you, dammit!" Ryuichi bellowed at him, and he and Junpei hugged it out, both sobbing hard from pure elation.

They wanted to celebrate with a hot meal, and to no one's surprise, Ryuichi was elected to cook curry rice for everyone.

"Taking advantage of an emotional young man in the throes of happiness for a friend," Ryuichi muttered to himself on his way to the supermarket for ingredients. "What is this world coming to?"

That evening over dinner, Junpei's smile shined the brightest out of everyone. He chatted animatedly, proudly telling everyone that he was going to make sure to take care of Chidori and make her the happiest girl in the world. He would sometimes break down in joyous tears, but would quickly recover and laugh with everyone again.

They had gained another good reason to defeat Nyx. For Chidori's sake, and for Junpei's, they all hoped that Chidori would have a chance to discover her beloved once more someday.

To help their friends get that chance, they all agreed to go to Tartarus that night to keep on climbing. Junpei's good mood followed everyone there, making them stronger, more agile, and able to endure harsh attacks. As they climbed higher, the energetic vibes gradually diminished, save for Junpei's.

Fuuka was guiding a team inside of Tartarus while Ryuichi, Mitsuru, Yukari, Ken, and Koromaru waited downstairs in the lobby. Ryuichi was tending to a small cut above Ken's brow while the boy pet Koromaru. Mitsuru and Yukari were talking quietly nearby.

"It's like it never ends," Yukari said with a sigh. "How many floors have we gone up?"

"If I recall, we've climbed around fifty floors since the path opened up at the start of the year," Mitsuru answered with a frown. "If this keeps up, I worry we might not reach the top by the end of the month."

In the middle of the lobby, Fuuka started giggling. "Good work, Junpei-kun!" she said aloud.

Ryuichi put a small bandage over Ken's cut and started packing up his first aid kit. "Junpei's energy is infectious, isn't it?" he asked everyone. "I couldn't help but feel energized when I was in there."

"It's incredible that that's already the third team of the night and he's still going," Yukari agreed. "Then again, if I ever had a loved one come back to life like that, I'd be pretty stoked, too."

"You're on the 254th floor now," they all heard Fuuka say. She paused, appearing to be concentrating. "I sense an area with no outer wall. That's probably what Ryoji-kun was talking about."

The others gathered around Juno when they heard Fuuka's report.

"Does that mean we did it?" Ken asked them. "Did we reach the top?"

"The way to the promised place," Fuuka continued to say. "That's where we're supposed to go on January 31st.

"We've made it this far!" she cheered them all on. "I have faith in you! Considering how strong you are, I know you can succeed!"

Fuuka balled her hands into fists. "Let's win this battle!" she cried, and the others answered her with a cheer.

"We really did it," Mitsuru said quietly to herself with a soft smile. "The culmination of our efforts has gotten us this far. Now we can focus on preparing for Nyx's arrival."

Ryuichi chuckled. "You make it sound like we're rolling out the red carpet and shooting off fireworks to welcome her," he joked. "Either way, we'll be welcoming her with a bang."

The others returned from their climb, whooping and cheering as they described what it felt like to see the top of Tartarus at last. Junpei told them an elaborate narration of how they were all ready to head home for the night, but that he was the one who insisted that they climb one more floor, which ended up being the top.

"That actually did happen that way," Akihiko told the others with a proud smile. "He didn't exaggerate."

Minato smiled at Junpei. "You were really cool back there, Junpei," he told him.

Junpei shyly rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, well, thanks for having my back when I said I wanted to keep climbing," he said with a broad grin.

They had done it. The red carpet was rolled out, and all they had to do was wait for their honored guest. As they headed home for the night, they all became oddly quiet as the reality of their final battle weighed on them.


	109. Chapter 109

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **Chapter 109**

When they went on their way to school Friday morning, Ryuichi asked Mitsuru what movie they should watch later for their date. She named a few genres to try to pinpoint what they were in the mood for when Yukari and Minato caught up to them. Aigis followed closely behind.

"Good morning!" Yukari greeted the two seniors. "What were you guys talking about just now?"

Ryuichi flinched, fearing that they had heard too much. "Just talking about movies," he said a little too quickly.

Minato looked to Mitsuru. "Did you watch 'The Notepad' yet?"

"Not yet," she replied. "Though, I still don't understand why you two were so excited about it. It sounded like a normal romance movie."

She cast a side-eye glance at Ryuichi. "And for someone who has expressed his disdain for what he described to be an egregious movie, you certainly know a lot about it."

Ryuichi made a face. "Not my fault that they marathon it one weekend a month on that one channel," he grumbled miserably.

"If the movie is so terrible, then why do you continue to watch it?" Mitsuru pointed out.

"Because he probably secretly loves it," Minato teased.

"I do not!" Ryuichi blasted at him.

"Then why do you keep watching it?"

"Because it's that bad!" he insisted. "It's a train wreck that you just can't look away from. There's so much bad in it that it's more fun to make fun of it. I don't know how anyone can even take it seriously as a romance movie."

Yukari sped up, leaving them behind.

"I think she actually likes that movie," Minato whispered to Ryuichi. "She made me watch it with her."

Ryuichi waited until Yukari was far away enough to ask him: "Did you laugh?"

"Tons. She got mad and kicked me out."

They caught up to Yukari at the crosswalk. As she repeatedly pressed the button to cross, Junpei and Fuuka joined up with their group.

"Hey, guys!" Junpei called to them. "Remember that time my dead girlfriend came back to life?"

While everyone groaned, Aigis bluntly said: "Junpei-san has told the story eighty-three times now. Is this what they call a 'broken record'?"

As much fun as it was to chat with everyone on the way to school, Ryuichi never got a chance to discuss with Mitsuru what they should do about dinner that night. When the others were swept up in conversation, he started to withdraw into his concerns about their date. He wondered what movie they should watch, if they should do take-out or cook something, and whether or not Mitsuru would enjoy such a simple date.

All throughout the day, he couldn't get her alone to talk. The Student Council called her away during lunch over the matter of graduation coming up soon, taking away the one opportunity they had to discuss their plans.

"Why am I beating myself up over this, anyway?" he asked himself when he went to the washroom. "It's just gonna be a chill evening with the two of us. Alone. In a house. By ourselves. Together."

The thought of it made excitement sizzle up his spine. It would be the first time they could comfortably be alone together for far longer than only a few minutes. He already changed the pass code to the security cameras around the house so his family wouldn't be able to peek in on them, even if he turned them off. He didn't want them to be curious as to why he and Mitsuru were sneaking over to the house without adult supervision, especially when someone (they don't know who yet) already bought it.

But, they weren't going to do anything like _that_ , were they?

He shook the thought away. Of course not! They were just going to watch a movie and eat dinner and maybe snuggle on the couch. After all, it was only going to be their second official date, since all the other outings they went on had them accompanied by friends, surrounded by maids, or out in public.

Still, when he returned to his desk, he had to sit with one leg crossed over the other while pushing out any impure thoughts he had about what he could be doing with his boss later on.

After school, Ryuichi was already packed and ready to leave when Mitsuru announced that it was time for clean-up duty. He had forgotten all about it, having been so concerned about his plans with her later. To his dismay, he was part of the group in charge of cleaning the boys' washroom.

"It can't be helped," Mitsuru said, looking sorry that she couldn't spare him from the worst task in the whole school. "Just make sure the others help you clean."

He blew hot air out of his nostrils. "Excuse me, but as your butler, I refuse to let some amateurs ruin my reputation by putting out shoddy work with my name on it," he told her indignantly with a flair of drama and pride in his voice.

Mitsuru chuckled. "All right, all right. Just don't trouble yourself too much. They still have to help you clean."

Ryuichi thought about how many toilets and urinals there were in the boys' washroom on their floor. "Even if they helped, I know I'm gonna take a while," he said to her regrettably. "If you finish first, you can go home ahead of me and I'll meet you at the dorm."

"Ah, but that wouldn't be efficient."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "'Efficient'? What do you mean?"

Mitsuru put on a sly smile. "You'll see," she said, and went to join her group to clean up the foyer.

Ryuichi knew better than to rely on the other guys in his group to help him clean the washroom. They had already decided for themselves that Ryuichi would be the one to clean the toilets and urinals while they took care of the sinks and floors. Even though Ryuichi knew he should protest, he knew that things would go faster if he cleaned them himself without wasting time arguing. If he let them do it, he would end up having to clean the toilets and urinals a second time since they wouldn't even try.

"Good work, Okazaki!" one of the other guys called to him on their way out.

Ryuichi was scrubbing a urinal with a brush when he heard them leave. "Hey! You're not done yet!" he yelled at them.

"Of course not," another guy mocked him while his buddies guffawed. "We're gonna help put the desks back, so we'll take care of that for you so you can concentrate on the toilets."

"Get back here!"

He started chasing after them with the toilet brush raised, but they were already gone.

"Useless," he muttered to himself, lowering the brush.

He was left to clean the rest of the boys' washroom by himself, along with redoing the sinks that looked like they only splashed water on them. As he worked, he could hear the girls in the girls' washroom next door gripe about how nasty everything was, with clumps of mascara or mysterious gunk in the sinks that no one wanted to touch, even with rubber gloves.

One girl let out a shrill scream. Ryuichi stopped scrubbing the toilet to listen to the girl's furious shouts to the other girls. It sounded like she had scrubbed the toilet too hard and sloshed filthy water onto her uniform. He began scrubbing a little more carefully after hearing that.

After a time, Ryuichi finished scrubbing all the toilets and urinals and was proud of his work. He didn't bother to clean up the sinks, nor did he mop the floors, figuring that there was no way he would get in trouble for not doing so after cleaning the worst parts of the washroom.

Back at his classroom, the room had long since been put back together, and everyone had gone. He checked the time on his phone to see that, even though he had only cleaned the toilets and urinals, he had still taken far longer than necessary. He quickly filled out the cleaning log and made sure to emphasize that he was the one to clean the toilets and urinals.

His anxiousness for his date returned as he sped downstairs to change his shoes. He dashed across the courtyard and found Mitsuru already waiting outside the school gates, sitting atop his motorcycle with the sidecar attached. For some reason, her school bag was in the sidecar next to his helmet. When she saw him, she picked up his helmet and held it out to him.

"Sorry I took so long," he said, taking his helmet.

"Hurry and get on," she instructed.

He threw his bag into the sidecar with hers and hopped on behind her. He barely crammed his helmet on his head when Mitsuru shot the motorcycle forward. Ryuichi nearly lost his fedora then, but snatched it up in time and clutched it to his chest as he held on to Mitsuru.

At the supermarket, the two grabbed a shopping cart and dumped their bags inside. The store was already teeming with teenagers in different school uniforms, from blazers to gakuran to sailor outfits, running dinner errands for their families. There were also adults, young and elderly and sometimes with small children, all milling around the aisles. Ryuichi watched as a child waved a colorful snack bag in his mother's face, begging for her to buy it. He maneuvered his cart around three middle school girls trying to pick out which flavored drinks they wanted. As they passed by the household goods aisle, Ryuichi grabbed two sets of slippers to use in the house.

"How about udon?" Ryuichi suggested while they browsed the baking aisle.

"That sounds good, but it might be difficult to transport the leftover soup when we return to the dorm," Mitsuru pointed out to him.

"Ah, right. My bad."

He thought about some yakisoba, but felt like it was cheap festival food instead of a romantic dinner. In his mind, he tried thinking of the more complex dishes, hoping to figure out something that would be worthy of Mitsuru's palate. He kept thinking about what his mother and sister said about taking Mitsuru out for something nicer than simple fast food. All that came to mind was the braised lamb, succulent duck, and other fancy dishes that the Kirijo chefs always made for Mitsuru, and how he could only make simple foods with most of the same flavors and spices every time.

"How about you?" Mitsuru asked him. "What are you in the mood for?"

He picked up some flour, cocoa powder, and was even lucky enough to find some powdered sugar. "I could probably go for anything, really," he replied. "Specifically, something I could shove in my face."

"That narrows it down a little," she chuckled, and passed him the box of sugar he pointed to. "Are you planning to bake a chocolate cake?"

Ryuichi stooped to grab the box of baking soda on the bottom shelf. "Only if you'll help me eat it. Now, on a scale from 'I'm on a diet' to 'clearance sale on Valentine's Day after a bad breakup', how many pancreases should we ask Kikuno-san to find for us?"  
Mitsuru blinked. "Wh-What?"

"How chocolate-y do you want your cake?"

He snatched up the baking powder and some vanilla extract, awaiting her answer.

"Let's see just how much chocolate you can put into it," Mitsuru said, as if to challenge him. She was at a loss when he tossed a bag of chocolate chips into the cart with the other stuff, followed by a few chocolate bars and some red gel icing.

"All right, now that we have dessert out of the way, we still need to decide on an entree," Ryuichi remembered glumly on their way to the dairy section. He swerved the cart around an old man who was comparing some canned mackerel that was on sale.

"Is there anything other than cake that we can make using some of the ingredients here?" Mitsuru asked, spying the flour.

"Let's see: pasta, ravioli, bread—oh, but bread takes a lot of time, so I guess not that."

He frowned. "And it's easier if we just buy noodles to make pasta dishes, so there's no point in making it ourselves."

"Then, let's just make pasta tonight," Mitsuru suggested, looking delighted at the idea. "Shall we do Spaghetti alla puttanesca? Oh, or have you ever had chicken tetrazzini before?"

Ryuichi had only vague ideas of what either of those two dishes were. While he tried to think of what else he could make, they headed to the pasta aisle to browse what was available. While they were there, Mitsuru picked up a jar of marinara sauce to examine while Ryuichi checked what kinds of noodles they could use.

"Oh? Ryuichi, come look at this."

Mitsuru held out the bottle of marinara sauce to him. "It has a recipe for homemade pizza dough," she said. "It looks easy enough, and we already have most of the ingredients for it. Would you like to try making this instead?"

He was relieved that she chose something he was familiar with. They agreed to make pizza and went around the store to collect all the other ingredients they needed. They picked up stuff from almost all corners of the supermarket, getting eggs, vegetable oil, butter, two kinds of shredded cheese, sausages, mushrooms, pepperoni, green bell peppers (that Ryuichi made a face at), and a little garlic salt to brush onto the pizza crust with melted butter before baking.

Mitsuru checked the cart. "Do you need a cake pan?" she asked.

"We might need to buy one," he said, and thought about what other equipment he didn't have at the house.

They went around picking up more items. When they were sure that they had everything they needed, they went to pay. Fortunately for Mitsuru, Ryuichi's wallet got stuck in his pocket.

"You can pay the next time," she said gleefully as she set her credit card down on the payment tray.

"Only if I'm fast enough, apparently," he sighed.

The cashier looked apologetically to Mitsuru. "I'm sorry, but our system isn't taking credit cards right now," he said to her.

With a haughty grin, Ryuichi plucked Mitsuru's credit card from the tray and held it out for her to take. "You can pay next time," he teased.

Mitsuru begrudgingly took her credit card back while Ryuichi happily set down some bills and coins onto the payment tray.

As small as the sidecar was, they managed to fit all of their purchases. They had to use bungee cords to tie everything down, especially the lighter bags that threatened to blow away in the wind. When they secured everything, Ryuichi drove this time, leaving Mitsuru in charge of keeping his fedora safe while she held on to him from behind. Somehow, they made it to the house without losing a single item.

At the house, Ryuichi remembered that he didn't have the keys anymore. When the gate opened, he glanced back over his shoulder to see Mitsuru holding all the remote control openers and keys for the house.

"Well, now I know you really did buy the house," Ryuichi remarked as the garage door opened.

"Did you doubt me before?" she asked, her voice full of humor.

"No, but it's not every day your girlfriend buys your house to help your family's restaurant."

She squeezed him around his middle at the mention of the word "girlfriend". He parked inside the garage, and before Mitsuru could begin to unload any of the bags, he scooped her up in his arms and headed for the front door.

"What are you doing?" she yelped. "Put me down this instant!"

"Get the keys ready!" he laughed.

She calmed down enough to grab the keys from her pocket and disarmed the security system with the attached remote control. Ryuichi still held her while she got the front door unlocked, and once the door was open, he carried her across the threshold.

"Welcome home," he said to her.

A gentle joy swept across Mitsuru's face as she circled her arms around him. "I'm home," she said softly, and graced him with a kiss.

After closing up the gate, the garage door, and the front door, the two went through the door in the kitchen to bring in their purchases from the garage. Ryuichi let Mitsuru stand in the doorway so he could pass the bags from the sidecar to her.

"I have to say, this is quite convenient," she remarked when he handed her more bags. "You don't have to worry about the hassle of going around to the front door."

"Right? It cost a little extra to add the door, though."

"But it was a good investment, from what I can see."

The late afternoon sun was so low to the ground that they had to turn the lights on. They put on their new, cheap slippers, got the heater pumping warm air into the living room, and set to work preparing the ingredients and washing some of the new mixing bowls. Mitsuru surprised Ryuichi by bringing out the knife she bought for him in Kyoto.

"Didn't the others think it's weird that you went into my room and took a bunch of stuff?" he questioned as he took the knife from her.

"I made sure that no one saw me," she replied, looking pleased with herself. "But, I apologize for going into your room without your permission."

He seized the opportunity. "Well, if we're going into each other's rooms, does that mean I get to sneak into your room whenever I please?"

"And do what, dare I ask? I only took the necessities."

"And the motorcycle key?"

She smiled broadly. "This is _my_ copy, remember? You said before that I should have it in case you lose yours."

Ryuichi started to argue back, but had nothing. "I did, didn't I?" he realized. "But I don't remember doing the same for my room key."

"I have a spare key for everyone's rooms at the dorm as a precaution," she explained. "Now, what can I help you with?"

He let Mitsuru start out by cutting up the toppings while he prepared the pizza dough. He smiled as Mitsuru held a mushroom upside-down by the stem using just her fingernail tips before cautiously cutting a slice, like she was performing surgery on it. She was so focused on cutting them the exact same thickness that she didn't notice Ryuichi taking his cell phone out to snap a picture of her.

When the dough needed to rest for an hour, Ryuichi asked Mitsuru to help him get started on cooking the sausages. They squeezed the spiced ground pork out of the casings and rolled them into little lumps to brown in a pan. He let Mitsuru push the sausage bits around with a wooden spatula while he got started on the cake.

"Aside from helping me with that one cake, have you ever cooked before?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru while he measured out some ingredients. "Like a snack, or a sandwich, or anything?"

"Never, no." She jumped when the oil burst around the sausage. "Except for that other time I tried helping you make those sandwiches and accidentally cut myself."

"Ah, that. And we ended up making rice balls instead."

"Mine didn't come out as nice as yours, but it was still fun, especially when making them with another person."

"Definitely." He looked up to see her holding the pan by the end of the handle as far away from herself as possible. With her other hand, she held the spatula from the very tip of the handle to push around the sausages. She flinched again when the oil popped.

"Cute," he gushed, especially when she let go of the pan to stand farther away from the stove at a safe distance.

"Is it normal for oil to splatter like this?" she asked while the sausage lumps sizzled on.

"Yeah. You get used to it after a while. It only stings a little bit."

Mitsuru kept rubbing a spot on her right hand. Seeing this, Ryuichi abandoned his cake batter to see if she had a burn.

"It was only a little oil," Mitsuru said to him.

"Good." He hesitated at first, then kissed the spot on her hand he had seen her touch. "And there's more of that if you need it."

Her eyes shone with delight at his gesture. "I've gotten so used to being cautious whenever we're out that I almost forgot that we can behave so freely here."

Ryuichi smiled bashfully. "Yeah, I kinda freaked a little bit when I did that just now," he admitted.

Mitsuru turned back to the stove. "I hope we don't get too used to this."

"Me, too. We might get too cozy and slip up."

"Actually, I meant the distance."

She still held on to his hand while she pushed the sausage bits around. Ryuichi let their arms swing, warmed by what she had just said.

"All the more reason to keep doing stuff like this, don't you think?" he asked with glee.

"I have to agree with you," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I wish we could be more free, though. It's unfair to you to have to keep quiet about us."

"It's unfair to you, too, isn't it? I never thought that the life of a CEO could be so restricted."

He snapped his fingers. "I know! Be like one of those CEOs who have a mistress on the side!"

Her eyes widened. "You _want_ to be a mistress?"

"Well, _your_ mistress, not just anyone's mistress. I have standards, you know."

Her laughter filled the empty house. "If you're going to be my mistress, then wouldn't I need to take a husband first?"

Ryuichi's face contorted with thought. "Uh, can we just skip that part?"

"Oh? Don't tell me my mistress is getting jealous."

"I'm not your mistress yet!"

"That's right," she agreed. "And you'll never be, because you're—"

She hesitated, and Ryuichi watched as her eyes shifted cautiously around the room. He reached for the little switch on the range hood over the stove to turn the fan on high. The noise drowned out much of the sizzles and pops from the pan.

Mitsuru squeezed his hand and blushed. "Because you're my most precious person," she said to him in a small voice. "My boyfriend."

He almost couldn't hear it, but he made out the words on her lips. Smiling, he leaned in towards her.

"And you're my most precious person," he told her in return, his face growing hot. "My girlfriend."

She smiled. "It's so strange to say still," Mitsuru said, letting go of his hand to hold the pan by the handle. "We haven't had much of a chance to even act like we're a couple."

"I'll say." Ryuichi went back to work on the cake. "Our last date was what, Christmas Eve?"

"I believe so. All the other outings were with company, and so we couldn't call those dates."

She gasped and set the spatula down. "I almost forgot!"

"What? What is it?"

Mitsuru hurried over to the sofa where their school bags were and undid the clasps on hers. She held up the bottle of non-alcoholic champagne that she had gotten Ryuichi for Christmas.

"Nice!" Ryuichi went to stick the bottle in the freezer when his face fell. "Wait, I thought you only grabbed my knife and helmet!"

"This is the last thing I took from your room," she reassured him.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

He playfully scowled. "I better not be missing any underwear," he joked under his breath.

"I don't know why you always assume that I would take such a thing," she sighed. Ryuichi snickered and started to say something when he smelled something burning.

They barely rescued the sausages from being completely charred. With the pizza dough still resting, Ryuichi put the little pan of cake batter into the oven to bake first while they finished up preparing the rest of the pizza toppings and the cake frosting. Once they took care of just about everything, they settled on the sofa to discuss what movie they were going to watch.

"I brought a few from my own collection," Mitsuru said as she opened up her school bag again. She took two DVDs out, and when she produced another one, her eyebrows raised up in surprise. "Hm? It seems that Kikuno must have slipped another one in when my back was turned."

"It's 'The Notepad'!" Ryuichi exclaimed when he recognized the two actors kissing on the front cover. "We gotta watch it! We'll have fun pointing out all the plot holes and bad writing together!"

Mitsuru quickly skimmed the description on the back. "It looks like a serious romance. Are you sure it's humorous?"

"I swear, it is! The real fun comes from making fun of it. I mean, come on, the guy takes his shirt off, like, 200 times! You'd think they'd save so much on their costume budget if they just kept him half-naked the whole movie."

Chuckling, Mitsuru set the DVD down on the coffee table to put away the other movies. "All right, since you're so insistent, we'll watch this one," she decided. "But, shall we wait until our food is ready, or should we just start the movie?"

Ryuichi checked the timer on his phone. "The cake won't be out for another twenty minutes, and we still gotta roll out the dough to make our pizza."

"Then, why don't we start?"

As she loaded the disc into the DVD tray, Mitsuru glanced back to him. "I've been meaning to ask: why didn't you bother to take out all your furniture and kitchenware when you were selling the house?"

"It sold more if I included it all," he replied with a shrug. "Besides, where am I gonna fit a sectional sofa and a king-sized bed at the dorm?"

They started up the movie. While the trailers played, the two brought over the chilled bottle of champagne and a pair of champagne glasses that Ryuichi didn't remember owning.

"Must be Ayaka-san's," he figured, and began removing the foil off the top of the bottle.

The cork had a mushroom-shaped top that he could grab, but no matter how much he wiggled, pulled, yanked, or jerked it, it wouldn't come loose.

"Try twisting the bottle instead of the cork," Mitsuru suggested.

Ryuichi hunched over to get a good grip on the bottle. As he felt the cork come loose, Mitsuru's hand darted out and pushed the bottle away from him just as the cork shot off with a loud _pop_ , grazing Ryuichi's jaw. It bounced against the wall before landing somewhere by the kitchen.

Ryuichi sat there stunned with the bottle smoking from the opening. He rubbed the spot where the cork grazed him, steaming with embarrassment.

"Thanks," he uttered in awe, still in mild shock that the cork could have struck his throat instead. "I'm pretty sure that counts as you saving my life for what, the eleventh time now?"

"You exaggerate too much," she said, holding out the first glass for him to fill. He noticed that she looked as relieved as he felt.

He took the glasses and filled them with champagne. He passed one to Mitsuru, and the two raised their glasses together.

"Happy one month-iversary," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru.

She gasped. "You remembered!"

"Well, you made it kinda hard to forget!" he laughed, holding up the pocket watch she gave him. "I'm just sorry I don't have a proper present to commemorate the occasion."

"I've already gotten everything I could ever want to celebrate today," Mitsuru said, and the two tapped their glasses together. "All I wanted was a whole day with just the two of us, to be free to do as we please without fear of being found out."

Her words made him beam. "That's all I wanted, too," he agreed. "And I hope to have many more days like this with you."

"As do I."

They snuggled up on the sofa as the movie finally began to play. The movie opened with a frumpy old man reading a story off of a battered notepad to an elderly woman. She listened intently, and the scene changed to show the young man from the story in the notepad in hot pursuit of the most beautiful girl in town.

Though Ryuichi had seen the movie more times than he would like to admit, watching it with Mitsuru made it all new again, especially after she warmed up to the idea of giving commentary during a movie.

"How is that even attractive?" she questioned when Myron Bronzing's character dangled from a carnival ride to get a date with the beautiful Annie. "If any man did that for me to ask me on a date, I would turn him down and have him examined by a doctor."

"Yeah, I've always questioned Annie about that," Ryuichi said with a sigh. "I guess that's what the author considered to be romantic?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "I don't see anything romantic about it. But, seeing as she likes Norman so much, then perhaps it's something we cannot understand."

"Maybe it's because of the shirt thing."

"He hasn't taken his shirt off yet."

"Oh, yeah? Countdown in three, two, one—"

Mitsuru looked to Ryuichi in awe. "Are you sure you hate this movie?" she asked when the TV screen showed a now shirtless Norman.

"I'm telling you, they show it _that often_ on that one channel," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not exaggerating."

She didn't look convinced. "I still don't see why you end up watching it when there are other channels to watch," she remarked.

"Because at least with this I can make my own fun. Other channels are boring."

His phone went off, announcing that the cake was done. They let the movie keep playing as they took out the cake to cool before preparing the pizza. Ryuichi rolled out the dough with a stone rolling pin, trying his best not to make the edges too thin. He had to make the dough rectangular to fit the small oven pan, and ended up stuffing the corners in when they were spread too far.

When the dough was ready, Mitsuru spread the sauce over the dough, taking care to even it out so not one side was too dry or too moist. They sprinkled on the cheese and began decorating their halves of the pizza with their choice of toppings. Mitsuru shied away from the burnt sausage bits, but Ryuichi happily loaded them onto his portion.

On the TV screen, a whole montage of Norman and Annie enjoying a summer of love played on. Both Ryuichi and Mitsuru started to tally up how many times Myron Bronzing's character took off his shirt thus far.

"I'm sure we were at twelve."

"No way. We're at fifteen."

"But it hasn't even been thirty minutes!"

"And it's only going to go downhill from here!" Ryuichi laughed.

They paused the movie so Mitsuru could use the washroom. While she was gone, Ryuichi started on the little chocolate cake. He trimmed off the rounded top to make it flat and cut the cake horizontally in two places, making for three even layers. He then smeared on a layer of chocolate frosting atop the first layer, sprinkled some chocolate chips on it, and then added another layer of frosting before putting on the second layer of cake. As he smeared more frosting over the second layer, Mitsuru returned.

"C'est magnifique!" she exclaimed. "I could almost taste it from the sight alone."

Ryuichi relished in her praises as he laid the third layer of cake on top. "Personally, I think it could use more chocolate."

"More? Isn't that enough?"

"Not yet!"

While spreading frosting all over the entire cake, his cell phone alarm went off again, this time for the pizza. For the time being, they abandoned the cake and brought their dinner over to the sofa to eat while it was still fresh from the oven. Ryuichi almost let out a satisfied moan when he used his knife to cut the pizza into square slices with almost no resistance from the crust.

Mitsuru delighted in how the melted cheese stretched when they pulled some slices free. Both were equally amazed that it came out tasting better than they had hoped, especially with the garlic butter on the crust. Even the burnt sausages tasted pretty good, with the extra char giving just the right touch of bitterness to complement the other flavors.

"I didn't expect the sauce to be sweet," Mitsuru said to him.

"That's because I added a little sugar," he replied. "I know it's weird, but I just prefer it a little sweeter than sour to balance all the savory and salty stuff."

"It's delicious," she said, looking pleased with their creation. "Everything you cook always tastes so wonderful."

"Uh, _we_ cooked this, remember?" he reminded her with a warm smile. "So it's not all me. You're turning out to be a pretty good cook, yourself."

She looked away, blushing. "Only because you guide me in what to do," she murmured bashfully.

His insides clenched with how cute Mitsuru was when she blushed. After a few slices of pizza and more images of Norman taking his shirt off, he returned to the kitchen to finish up the cake. He pressed handfuls of chocolate shavings into the sides of the little cake and formed a border around the top, so there was still an empty space for him to write something in the middle. He split the remaining chocolate bars into squares and stuck their corners around the top of the cake for decoration.

It was then that he realized just how tiny the cake was. He was supposed to write "Happy One Month Together!" in the center, but with all the extra decorations, there was barely any room to write it. He tried shortening it to "Happy Month-iversary!" instead, only for the red gel icing to trail over the border of chocolate shavings and down the edge. He cringed at his mistake.

"Happy month-iversary," he said to Mitsuru when he presented her with the cake. "I tried."

Mitsuru took one look at the cake and stifled a snort with her hand. She trembled with silent laughter, and soon, even Ryuichi had to laugh.

"D-Don't cut it just yet! I have to take a picture!"

"Of all the cakes I made, you want a picture of _this_ monstrosity?"

Mitsuru took a few pictures of the cake itself, then a few of Ryuichi holding it, who frowned in a few of the shots. She had to keep retaking the pictures from trembling so much with laughter. They then took some pictures together with the cake, the two still giggling at the delicious little abomination.

"I am off my game tonight," he sighed when they finally settled back down on the couch. "The cork, the cake—What's next?"

She was still chuckling as she cycled through the pictures they took on her digital camera. "You can be so adorable sometimes," she said as she gently patted his arm. "I think I might have to get this one professionally framed."

"No."

"Perhaps I will have a portrait painted of it?"

"Oh, no you don't!"

Ryuichi laughed along with her when he saw the pictures. They cut a couple of small slices of the cake for themselves, losing some chocolate shavings in the process. It came out perfectly moist, and somehow, despite all the chocolately layers, it wasn't cloyingly sweet at all.

By the end of the movie, Ryuichi was the one fighting back tears when the much older Annie overcame her memory loss and finally recognized the elderly Norman—with his shirt on. His lip quivered while Mitsuru gently stroked his arm, looking perfectly serene and unmoved by the event. He completely fell apart when Annie's memory lapsed again, and was sobbing when for one fleeting moment, she remembered Norman again before the two passed away, holding each other one last time.

"Though I found much of the movie questionable, the ending was a little predictable, but satisfying all the while," Mitsuru noted while Ryuichi smashed his face into a paper towel.

"The damn thing gets me every time," he sniffled. "Bad movie, but the ending always kicks my heart right in the balls."

Mitsuru smiled at him as she continued to stroke his arm. "It still amazes me how emotionally invested you get with your music, movies, and even with events that happen to others. I admire that about you, that you can express yourself so freely like this."

He rubbed his nose on the rough paper, still sniffling. "Yeah? I wish I had better control over it like you do. You can power through just about anything, no matter how painful something is. I have mad respect for you for being able to do that."

After a few more moments of him composing himself, the two started cleaning up. The leftovers they wrapped up in foil, taking care not to mash down the one with the cake. Mitsuru brought over the dirty dishes while Ryuichi took care of washing everything, leaving the pan encrusted with burnt sausage bits for last. He let the pan soak with some soap and water while he took care of the other dishes.

"I think that's everything," Mitsuru said once all the dishes and utensils had been gathered up. Without Ryuichi even asking, she began rinsing the soapy dishes.

He paused to admire her, in awe that she would jump right in to help with such a menial task despite her status. When Mitsuru caught him staring, he hastily went back to swirling the soapy sponge over the pan they used for the pizza.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing."

"You can tell me. Is there something on my face?"

"No, you're fine."

"Then what is it?"

He playfully bumped his hips against hers. Mitsuru's eyes narrowed slightly at first, but she bumped him back, smiling.

"Say, Ryuichi? Would it be all right if we looked around upstairs for a little bit?"

"I don't see why not. It's _your_ house, after all."

After that, he noticed that she became unusually quiet. He could feel her go rigid next to him, noticed how stiffly she moved as she dried off the dishes before putting them away. She was deep in thought, it seemed, staring with eyes that didn't appear to see what was in front of her.

"Everything okay?" he asked cautiously.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. "Y-Yes, sorry," she said, and quickened her hands as she worked. "I was just thinking about how nice it would have been to keep this place all to ourselves. But, that's just me being selfish, isn't it?"

Ryuichi gave her a look of understanding. "Is it selfish if I feel the same way, too?"

It was Mitsuru who said what he already knew to be the truth. "Your sister and her baby need this place more than we do, so it's best if we let them and your sister's roommate move back in soon."

"Yeah," he sighed, finally reaching for the sausage-encrusted pan. "You're right. We'll just enjoy it today and find someplace else we can call our own."

When Mitsuru finished drying the dishes, she remained at Ryuichi's side, waiting for the pan.

"You can head upstairs first, if you want," he told her. "This won't take long. You've got the key, right?"

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead and enjoy your new room before the others move in."

As he worked on the pan, he noticed that Mitsuru went back to the sofa to grab her school bag before heading upstairs. He thought it was strange at first, but he shrugged it off and turned his attention back to the stubborn bits of sausage burnt onto the pan.

"Stupid cheap frying pan without a non-stick surface," he growled when his fingers found more tiny bumps on the pan's surface. "Come on. Get. Off!"

His arms and shoulders burned from scrubbing so hard, but at long last, he felt no lingering bits on the pan. Congratulating himself, he gladly snatched up the towel Mitsuru used earlier and dried the pan off before sticking it back into the cupboard. With a satisfied sigh, he rolled down his sleeves and headed upstairs to meet back up with Mitsuru.

"Sorry it took so long," he announced as he opened the door to the bedroom.

He found Mitsuru out on the balcony, gripping the handrail as she peered out at the dark and quiet neighborhood. The freezing winds played with her hair as she stood with the same rigid frame she had downstairs. Slowly, she turned around to look at Ryuichi with fear and unease in her one visible eye.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as he walked towards her.

"Everything's fine," she said, stopping him at the balcony door. She turned around and slid the door closed.

Ryuichi tilted his head at her. "If you say so. It must've been cold out there. Let's warm up with some—"

"Actually, there's something I would like to do first."

Mitsuru drew the curtains with stiff fingers. She stayed there, still gripping the edges of the curtains with her back to him.

Ryuichi shrugged. "Um, okay. What is it?"

Another slow turn. As she did so, he noticed her eye flicker over to the bed. He glanced over to it, at first not quite understanding. The realization throbbed painfully in his throat.

"O-Oh," he uttered, his mouth gone dry.

"I know we haven't talked about it before, but—" Mitsuru had to take a breath, practically glowing underneath her bangs from blushing so furiously.

Ryuichi tugged at his collar, noticing only now just how hot he had become.

"Um, okay, so—" he began, unsure of how to even start the conversation. His head became lighter the more he thought about it.

A thought struck him. "Um, actually," he said, and Mitsuru's troubled face peered up at him, "I didn't bring any protection with me, so we can't do _that_."

Mitsuru shook her head and gripped her elbow. "To be honest, I came prepared, but it seems that someone else had the same idea," she told him, and led him to the bathroom.

Someone had evidently been to the house recently. Between the double sinks were numerous toiletries that Ryuichi knew didn't belong to him, nor his sister or her roommate. The toiletries were arranged on either side of a stack of crisp, white towels, and atop the towels on proud display was a box of prophylactics with a little note that read _"Please use responsibly"_. Ryuichi read the note with a certain maid's voice in his head.

"Kikuno-san," he sighed. He looked to Mitsuru, seeing fear and excitement in her eyes. In the mirror, he saw the same expression Mitsuru wore in his reflection's eyes.

"So, do you wanna, you know, do it?" he asked, cringing at his own words.

The discomfort was plain in Mitsuru's reflection, where she gripped her arm and refused to even look his way. "I, um," she began, faltering. "If it's with you, then, ah, I think, it should be okay to—"

Mitsuru let out a frustrated groan as she lowered her hands to her sides. "Look at us: we're about to engage in a perfectly natural act and we can't even call it by its name," she said, yet she still averted her gaze from both him and their reflections in the mirror.

Ryuichi nervously scratched his scalp, remembering only now that he left his fedora downstairs.

"O-Okay, um, how's this: Do you, uh, wanna have sex?" he asked her again, wincing in disgust at how meek and inexperienced he sounded.

He saw Mitsuru shudder while fighting to not reach for her arm again. "Y-Yes, I do," she uttered in a trembling voice. "But, o-only if you want to."

Nodding, Ryuichi eyed the box of condoms atop the towels. "If you're up for it, then yeah," he said shakily.

She returned his nod with a firm one of her own. "Then it's settled!" she blasted, making him jump. "If you would so kindly step outside for a moment, I would like to freshen up before we engage in sexual intercourse!"

Ryuichi burst out laughing, not at Mitsuru, but in the way she said it. She practically pushed him out of the bathroom, her face ablaze as she barked at him to sit on the bed.

"And if you dare peek, I _will_ execute you!" she threatened, only succeeding in making him laugh even harder.

"F-Fine!" he gasped between giggles. "I'll just, um, I'll go downstairs for just a sec!"

Ryuichi was still guffawing on his way back down to the living room. He found his fedora and, with nothing else to do, returned upstairs to the master suite. He took care to cover his view of the bathroom door as he crossed the room to sit down at the foot of the bed. He listened to the shower still running, unsure of what to do with himself now.

It finally hit him what they were about to do. His stomach fluttered, and it felt like needles were pricking at his skin all up and down his back. His knees wouldn't stop shaking. He kept rubbing his sweaty palms on his knees, listening to the shower continue to run. He pictured Mitsuru in there, and with a shaky hand, he took his hat off of his head and placed it over his lap.

Ryuichi took in a few deep breaths to calm himself. He tried thinking about what it was he was supposed to do while reassuring himself that it shouldn't be that difficult. Out of nowhere, he heard Mitsuru shouting "sexual intercourse!" in his mind again. He snorted, flinching at his own noise.

The shower shut off. Ryuichi went rigid. He heard the shower door open, listening as Mitsuru dried herself off. All at once, every thought he had in the past few seconds shot into his brain, from trying to recall what it was he was supposed to do to hearing Mitsuru's stiff voice yelling the same phrase over and over again.

Seconds later, he heard the sound of perforated plastic being ripped open. The sink ran, and he could hear Mitsuru brushing her teeth. Each new noise counted them down closer to their intimacy, the only thing that Ryuichi could concentrate on. When the sink shut off for the final time, he froze.

"Ryuichi?"

Slowly, he turned to look over his shoulder to see Mitsuru with her hair pinned up behind her head, the loose tips darkened from the water. She was wrapped up in one of the crisp, white towels that hugged her curves and showed off the creaminess of her skin. She glistened, either from perspiration or from water she missed when she dried herself off. He forgot to breathe, which seemed to prompt Mitsuru to hold her arm over her breasts, gripping the towel.

"I-It's your turn," she said, not looking his way.

Ryuichi got up, trying to play it cool while holding his fedora over his groin. As he passed her on the way to the bathroom, he said to her: "Give me a minute and we can get started on having sexual intercourse."

She grasped her arm, looking away. And yet, seeing her kind of angry made her look even cuter to him. She didn't even seem furious at all, but rather embarrassed. Once he was in the bathroom, the anxiety began to set in again as he tossed his fedora onto the counter.

He undressed quickly, hopping into the shower out of concern that Mitsuru might peek in and see him. The soaps and shampoos that Kikuno gave them were put to good use, where he made sure that every part of him was cleansed properly. He got worked up again when he remembered Mitsuru in the towel, and he turned the water to cold, yelping from its frigid bite. He felt little relief as his body calmed down from the shock.

The freezing air nipped at his bare skin when he finally shut off the water. He dried off, taking a good look at himself in the mirror as he did so. His eyes kept darting from scar to scar while he brushed his teeth and swirled minty mouthwash to get rid of his garlic breath.

Had it not been for the many scars on his body or his sickly pale skin, he thought he might have been pretty good-looking. At least his face had some color, though to him, it was the kind of face that could easily get lost in a crowd.

His physique more than made up for it, where he was chiseled without being too bulky. Despite having to take a month off from working out, he still had abs, still had his powerful arms and legs, and his toned back even surprised him that it could look that good, even with scars. But, he could still see Mitsuru blaming herself for every single scar on his body.

But, no more. He didn't want her to keep blaming herself, and there was only one way he thought would stop her from doing so. She had already seen him once, though briefly, and there was no backing out now. When he finished freshening up, he nodded to himself and knew that he couldn't delay any longer.

"A-All right. I'm coming out," he called to her.

He gripped the towel around his waist and boldly stepped out of the bathroom. Mitsuru was seated at the edge of the bed nearest the bathroom, sitting with one hand on the bed, the other holding up her towel. They gazed at each other, both appearing alarmed to see the other so exposed. Ryuichi's heart hammered in his throat, trying to strangle him as he stiffly forced himself to stand upright and proud. His crippling fear that Mitsuru would find him too abhorrent to look at gripped him too tightly to let him fully appreciate his view of her.

For a few eternal seconds, Mitsuru remained seated, staring at him. Her look of surprise turned to a look of awe as she tentatively got to her feet. She gripped her towel as she approached, and for a brief moment, Ryuichi panicked and checked to see that he was still covered with his own.

Without a word, Mitsuru stood before him, her eyes swiveling around to all of the scars that adorned his bare chest and arms. Just her stare alone made it feel to him like the room had dropped several degrees lower. He tried distracting himself to stay calm, thinking about how much shorter she was compared to him without her high heels.

A gasp escaped him when he felt Mitsuru's freezing touch lightly trace over the long, thin scar over his right shoulder. She fingered the thin band around his right bicep—the one that nearly cost him his arm. Ryuichi stood rigid like a soldier, still and stiff as she inspected the dips, the bumps, the dark patches, the ragged tears, the white lines, and the many other marks that littered his body. She went around behind him, not once lifting her hand away from his skin as she explored the scars on his back, sometimes pausing longer on some as if to recall how he had gotten them.

He was too scared to ask her to stop, not wanting her to think he hated how he looked with all his scars. But he wanted her to see. He had to let her see that he wasn't ashamed of the scars he wore, that he didn't blame her even for the more costly ones. But above all, he wanted her to know that she shouldn't be ashamed, either.

As she came back around in front of him, she thumbed the small, thin line by his naval—the first scar he ever got from protecting her. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. As she stood with her face slightly bowed, Ryuichi could clearly recall the moment he got that scar, feeling his muscles contract slightly when he remembered shoving a much younger Mitsuru out of the way of an oncoming knife. He could still see the tiny glint of a blade flying through the air before it struck him instead.

Mitsuru's hand came up to brush his bangs to the side, revealing the scar above his right eye. He could see the apology on her face as she stared up at it, studying it with her fingertips. Cupping his face in her hands, she gently tilted his face down as she rose up on her toes to plant a kiss on the scar over his brow.

"Each scar tells me of the sacrifices you were willing to make for me," Mitsuru said softly, her hands sliding down from his face to his chest. "For that, I can never repay you for all that you've done."

She lowered her face and sighed. "I am not worthy of all this."

When he found his voice again, it came out creaky, dry. "I'm not looking for reparations," he told her. "I just couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt."

"I felt the same way for you, too, but I was powerless to stop it."

"That's okay. You did what you could and saved me loads of times."

He managed a smile for her. "I could be dead or worse right now if you hadn't been there for me," he told her, his voice steadily growing stronger. "I'm alive because you saved me every time I got reckless."

Ryuichi enveloped Mitsuru in his arms. Her cool skin warmed up against his. He could smell the same elegant soap on them both, the floral scent radiating off of them as she circled her arms around his middle.

"It's not enough," she murmured against his skin. "I don't want to put you in any danger ever again. I know that it's your job and that you are determined to ensure my safety, but I can't bear the thought that someday, something might happen to you, no matter how much training you endure."

She squeezed him tighter. "I can't lose you, too," she uttered in a trembling voice.

Ryuichi sighed into her hair, gently swaying as he held her.

"I used to think that, if I could protect you, even if it cost me my life, then that was all I could ever hope for," he said to her. "But now I realize that I want to stay with you. I want to keep living so I can be with you. You're more of a family to me than my family ever was."

She trembled in his arms. Her hands burned cold imprints on his back when she slid them a little lower.  
"Are you nervous?" she asked him.

He let out a weak chuckle. "Can't you feel me shaking?"

Her warm breath tickled his chest. " We're the same, then."

They parted briefly, both adjusting their loosening towels and averting their eyes from each other. Ryuichi tingled all over, anxious with his nerves firing off so fast he thought he might run off someplace.

"Are you really okay with this?" he asked Mitsuru. His throat tightened, making it harder to get the words out.

She grabbed her elbow and pinched her towel under her arm. "As scared as I am, I know that you're the only one I would want to share this experience with," she said, sounding stronger than he felt right then. "How about you? Are you all right with this?"

He couldn't stop smiling, more out of nervousness than anything. "I think I was more afraid of how you would react when you saw, well, all this," he replied as he gestured to his body. "But, I have to warn you: this'll be my first time."

"And mine," she said, and the two blazed red while sharing nervous chuckles.

Ryuichi took her by the hand and gently pulled her towards the bed. He eased her onto the mattress, about to lean down to kiss her when she cried out.

"W-Wait!"

Alarmed, Ryuichi leaned away.

"What is it?"

Her eyes flickered towards the bathroom door. "The prophylactics," she urged him, averting her gaze.

"Oh, right!"

And with that, his towel fell off when he went running for the box of condoms.

...

"D-Don't!"

"I barely touched you!"

"I know, but I'm not ready yet!"

"Just try to relax. It won't hurt as much if you just—"

"I'm trying, but—N-No! Stop!"

"All right, all right. I'm sorry. I'll stop."

Ryuichi sat at the edge of the bed wearing just his trunks, his chest thrust as far forward as he could physically manage to escape the source of his pain. His back burned and sizzled as if coated with lit gasoline from the scratches Mitsuru raked into his skin during their few moments of passion. Sitting behind him and wearing his dark gray dress shirt, Mitsuru applied the stinging medicine to his scratches with a cotton ball. Every time the medicine touched his injuries, it was pure acid on his skin that felt like it frothed and festered.

She touched the medicine-soaked cotton ball to his back again. He jerked.

"I said stop!" he yelped, writhing and twisting. "At least blow on it!"

Her delicate breath cooled the pain, but it still stung. How a cool, liquid medicine could leave such a searing burn on him, he never knew.

"Just try to relax," Mitsuru told him again in firm tone. "Again, I'm sorry about this. I wasn't expecting you to be so, um, so—"

He really hoped that she was struggling to find a word that he found favorable, but the way her face contorted with discomfort during each round, he was pretty sure that she had another word in mind that he wouldn't like very much. All he could do right then was hang his head and try to hold still while Mitsuru worked. He flinched and let out pained grunts with the occasional twist to shrug her off. Whenever he reacted, she blew on his wounds.

"I did warn you that it was only my first time," he muttered. "So, I'm sorry if it was terrible."

He winced as another spot sizzled on his back.

"It wasn't as bad as you think," Mitsuru reassured him. "I'm sure that something like this takes practice, for the both of us."

"'Both of us'?" he snorted. "Okay, then next time, you do the work and I'll just lie there."

Ryuichi regretted his words before he finished speaking them. Just as he was about to sputter an apology, he heard the bottle of medicine slosh, then felt liquid fire streak down his back. Howling, he leaped up off the bed, whipping and writhing every which way as if his back was on fire and he was trying to put the flames out. He caught sight of Mitsuru's apologetic expression as she patted the mattress for him to sit down again. When he did, she immediately began blowing on his scorched back.

"I wasn't just 'lying there', if that's what you think," she said to him while he ground his palms onto his knees. "I had to counter the pain somehow, which wasn't easy when I had you to think about."

He wanted the Fall to strike right then. "All right, sorry," he murmured over his shoulder to her. "I mean, I knew I was bad, so I'm sorry for giving you fifteen seconds of pain."

"You lasted longer the other times, though."

He hung his head, letting out a frustrated groan. He knew he was failing during each attempt, but he didn't know how badly he was hurting her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured again woefully. "I'm sorry I'm so bad at this, and I'm sorry I hurt you."

Mitsuru's weight lifted off the mattress. She stood in front of him, then knelt down so she was almost level with his face. She wore apology in her eyes as she took his face into her hands, making him look at her remorseful expression.

"It wasn't that bad. Granted, there's always room for improvement," she told him. "And I'm sorry that I hurt you with the medicine. What I meant to say before was—"

She hesitated, as if there was no delicate way of telling him to his face that he actually was just that terrible.

"What I was trying to say was, I just needed a little more time to, ah, to adjust so I could properly accommodate you," she said, no longer able to meet his eyes.

Ryuichi grimaced. "What do you mean by 'properly accommodate' me?" he muttered. "What is that even supposed to—"

All of Mitsuru's blood seemed to rush to her face as realization softened Ryuichi's expression. She completely looked away now, her eyes flickering back to him and away again as she let go of his blushing face.

"Oh," he uttered, confirmed by her nod. " _Ohhh._ To 'accommodate' me, you meant I'm too..."

He rubbed his nose. It was his weak excuse to finally look away as his own face burned as hotly as his back. "Well, that's, um, that's different, then."

Straightening up, Mitsuru went to sit back down behind him again. "As I said before, I'm sure this sort of thing takes practice," she said, and he felt the cold blaze on his back once more.

He barely heard her. His mind was still numb with stupid satisfaction over what he was certain she had meant earlier.

"We should probably return to the dorm soon, before anyone suspects that we're doing something other than working," Mitsuru advised, clearly disappointed to cut their fun short.

"But, we actually _were_ doing something other than working," Ryuichi reminded her with a grin.

"Yes, but no one has to know about it." Despite saying that, he could hear the smile in her words.

They took turns showering. Ryuichi remained in the bedroom after a bashful Mitsuru instructed him to stay out of the bathroom until she was ready. When it was his turn, she was already dressed and was reapplying her makeup.

"You're not as shy about your body anymore, I see," she remarked when he came out of the shower. He had his towel around his waist and tugged his trunks on underneath.

"Well, now that you've seen everything, I guess there's nothing to hide from you anymore," he said, stepping into his pants next. "Which is weird, since you were the one I used to be afraid to show the most."

"You said before it was because you were afraid that I would blame myself." Mitsuru's lips were parted slightly as she reapplied her mascara. "I will admit that I still feel that I am responsible for your scars, but I feel more determined than ever to prevent you from getting any more."

Ryuichi spun around and thrust out his two thumbs to point emphatically at his back and shoulders. When he glanced over his shoulder at the mirror, he saw the splotchy, angry red patches of skin and a few scabby streaks and scratches in the reflection. Mitsuru's remorseful frown completed the whole picture.

"Starting tomorrow," she added belatedly. It was good enough for him.

They shared a few chuckles while Ryuichi continued to dress. He headed to the bedroom, where he picked up the discarded condom wrappers from the floor and tossed them into the waste basket. He eyed the box of prophylactics on the bedside table, wondering if Mitsuru's most trusted maid had known from the start that they would end up taking their relationship to such a degree. He asked Mitsuru about it.

"She must have, or perhaps she was taking extra precautions while thinking of my safety as opposed to encouraging us," Mitsuru called from the bathroom. "If word got out that the new president of the Kirijo Group had gotten pregnant after only one month of severing ties with another company—"

Ryuichi sucked on his teeth. "Okay, well, maybe we should hold off on the next time we do this," he suggested, his voice going unnaturally high. "You know, like, twenty or thirty years down the road, when the Board of Directors and the maid staff are too feeble to lift torches and pitchforks."

"We will just have to be careful, then," Mitsuru reassured him. He could hear her dragging a hairbrush through her hair. "No matter what, I won't let them harm you."

He shivered, knowing that he should never underestimate the power of a Kirijo. As he buttoned up his shirt, he noticed that he could still smell Mitsuru on it, hoping that none of the others would pick up the scent of their passion when they returned home.

As he popped his collar to tie his necktie, he eyed the box of condoms again and snatched them up. It was then that he stopped to examine the box more closely, turning it over.

"Huh. That's weird," he murmured.

"What is?"

He shook the box. "Well, should I be worried that Kikuno-san knew what size to get?"

Mitsuru poked her head out from the bathroom. He held up the box for her to see, her expression first starting off as stoic before ending in a hardened stare.

"I mean, I know she's got a knack for knowing what you need before you need it, but this is kinda crossing some lines, don't you think?" he asked Mitsuru.

The way she roughly raked her hairbrush through her hair let him almost feel it scraping the skin off of his own scalp.

"L-Let's not pursue the subject," he told Mitsuru shyly, and she seemed eager to leave it at that.


	110. Chapter 110

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **Chapter 110**

With only one week left until their final battle, Ryuichi wanted to reaffirm his reason for fighting.

At least, that was his original plan. Since Mitsuru planned to inform Ryuichi's family about being the buyer of Ryuichi's house and her intent to let Shizue and Ayaka rent it out again, Ryuichi had to scramble Saturday after school to clean it up. He washed the sheets, used air fresheners, vacuumed, swept, cleaned the bathrooms, removed all the towels and toiletries Kikuno provided for them, threw out the trash, and brought home any of the new kitchenware that they bought just for that night. Any leftover ingredients from their dinner were brought back to the dorm to use.

"Uh, Ryuichi-senpai?" Yukari said cautiously to him the following Sunday afternoon.

Ryuichi had just taken a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies out from the oven when Yukari approached him in the kitchen. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked her.

She watched as he put another tray of raw cookie dough into the oven to bake. "Well, it's just that this is the fourth batch of cookies you've made since last night. Is everything okay?"

He held his hard stare on her, not even blinking as he blindly used a spatula to place the fresh-baked cookies onto a wire rack to cool.

Yukari cowered back a step. "It's just, you seem to be really happy these past few days," she pointed out, though she looked unsure of herself. "But, you've also been making way too many cookies."

He looked over to the big glass jar on the kitchen counter, seeing only cookie crumbs and a few chocolate chips inside. He couldn't see how he had made an excess of cookies if they were all gone.

Ryuichi went back to placing cookies on the wire rack. "No cookies for you, then," he grunted.

She frowned. "I didn't mean it like that."

She reached for a cookie. He slapped her hand down with his spatula.

"Ow! Hey!"

"No cookies!"

"But—"

He brandished his spatula at her. "You hurt cookies' feelings. Now cookies no want you to eating them," he snarled, silently questioning why he put on a Russian accent with broken grammar. "If you want cookies, you apologize to cookies."

Yukari made a face. "Uh, you're joking, right?"

"Apologize!"

Sighing, she looked at Ryuichi's stern face, then down at the cookies, then back to Ryuichi. With another sigh, she bowed and apologized just in time for some of their dorm mates to come downstairs and witness the spectacle.

"Breaking your diet again?" Junpei jabbed playfully.

Yukari popped right up, blushing. "What? No!"

Ryuichi still had his frown on his face as he thrust his spatula towards Yukari again. "She disrespect cookies, so to earn cookies, she must apologize to cookies," he grunted in his thick Russian accent.

"Senpai's being kinda weird right now," Yukari told the others.

Minato stood next to her and bowed to the cookies. "I'm sorry she disrespected you," he said to the cookies, and took one without being struck down by Ryuichi's spatula.

"Hey! How come he gets to take one?" Yukari complained.

Ryuichi put the last cookie on the wire rack. "Because he respected the cookies," he answered her in his normal voice.

She rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

Somehow, it was enough to convince Fuuka, Junpei, and Aigis to bow to the cookies before taking any. While the others munched on their cookies, Aigis just held hers, watching the others eat.

Ken shook his head at the others, but looked longingly at the pile of cookies on the rack. "That's kid stuff," he murmured, but wouldn't stop staring.

"I guess that makes you the most mature one here, squirt," Junpei teased while stuffing the last of his cookie into his mouth. He went back to the counter to bow to the cookies again. "Since you're not eating it, I'll take yours for ya!"

"Hey! That's mine!" Ken quickly bowed and snatched a cookie before Junpei could take it. He then muttered something about needing some milk and headed upstairs to his room.

Ryuichi motioned to the remaining cookies. "You got him to eat one, so have another," he said kindly to Junpei, who thanked him and gladly took a second cookie.

"I don't get you sometimes, Senpai," Yukari sighed, and was finally free to take her cookie.

The following Monday after school, Ryuichi had to help his sister and her friend move back into the house. All their things had to be packed up in boxes, but thankfully, most of it had never been unpacked at all. Ryuichi offered to rent a moving truck, but his family insisted that they could just use the family car to transport everything themselves. The most Ryuichi could offer was to use his motorcycle and sidecar to help.

"It's because they're tired of having almost nothing to do, isn't it?" Ryuichi asked Shizue while they loaded up the car.

"Do I even need to say anything?" she asked, and gestured to the gleeful looks on their parents' faces while they worked.

Back and forth. Back and forth. After driving from his parents house to the new house and back again so many times, Ryuichi could navigate the path without having to think at all while driving. He could only take so many things in his sidecar, and he was mostly in charge of unbreakable items or clothes.

Ayumi, Shizue, and Megumi stayed at the Okazaki house to keep packing things and to help load the car. Ayaka was at the new house to help unload the car and direct them on where each box should go. Toshio and Ryuichi delivered the goods and helped load and unload the boxes.

Once everything was at the house, Toshio took the car back to pick up his wife, daughter, granddaughter, and Otoro. They all worked together to get the house back in order, moving the few pieces of furniture that they brought along.

"It was really nice of Kirijo-san to buy the house and let us live in it again," Ayaka said to Ryuichi. She turned to Shizue next. "We should do something nice for her to show our gratitude."

"At this rate, we might owe her something big, like a firstborn son or something," Shizue joked, grinning at her brother.

"Good thing I'm just the first son in the family and not the 'firstborn' part," Ryuichi teased right back.

"Ah, then it looks like you've been spared," she said with a satisfied nod. "But man, I still can't believe she really bought the place just to help us out. She's way too nice."

"She's helping us out in more ways than one, too," Ayumi reminded them all. "She gave you both your home back, and she gave us back our restaurant."

Toshio nudged Ryuichi with his elbow, almost making him drop a glass vase. "So, how can we thank her?" he asked him. "What can we do to show how much we appreciate everything she's done?"

Shizue stuck her finger into Otoro's cat carrier to let the kitten sniff her. "I don't think we can do anything to show our appreciation," she said with a frown. "There's no way we can pay her back for something as big as this."

"We're gonna need more firstborn sons," Ryuichi sighed.

Ayumi wasn't ready to give up. "So, what does Mitsuru-san like?" she asked Ryuichi.

He didn't have to think about it for very long. "I think she just wants to see the restaurant succeed and for all of us to be happy," he told everyone. "She said before that Mom and Dad were like a second set of parents to her, so I'm sure she just wants to make sure that everyone's doing well and getting along fine."

"We can do that," Toshio said confidently with a strong nod. "We'll make her proud."

Everyone agreed, saying that the new restaurant was going to be even better than the old one, and that they would do their best to stay civil with one another. Seeing his family come together like that made Ryuichi feel like things were going to work out just fine. They might not work out perfectly, but as long as they were willing to try to make things work, he was sure that he had nothing to worry about.

After moving around some furniture and unpacking most of the heavy stuff, Toshio surprised them all with a container of fresh burger patties to cook right there in the house. It had been quite a long time since Ryuichi last had a real Toshio burger, and he immediately salivated when he smelled the familiar spice and sauce mixture waft up from the meat. He held his breath as he watched his father cook the patties, seeing that he didn't press down on them while they sizzled in the pans. Ryuichi let out a blissful moan when he took his first bite of the tender and juicy burger.

They made sure to send Ryuichi back to the dorm with some burgers for everyone. When Ryuichi told them that Mitsuru would be coming home late, they gave him a raw patty to cook for her when she returned to ensure it was at its peak freshness.

Late that evening, Ryuichi cooked up the burger for Mitsuru when she returned from a day of work.

"The Okazaki family sends their regards and offer up this burger and their son to you as a sign of their gratitude for all you've done for us," Ryuichi told her in a grandiose voice as he set the burger down before her. "They would have sent a firstborn son if they had one, but they sent me instead. Do you accept?"

"I humbly accept," Mitsuru said, and after a quick "Itadakimasu", she took her first bite of her burger.

The next day after school, Ryuichi visited the boys' kendo team during practice. At first, the guys ignored him, but he didn't take too much offense. He knew he would have to win them over and came prepared.

"I brought cookies!" Ryuichi called out, hold up the plastic container for all to see. His voice carried all throughout the gym, and in two blinks, the container was almost empty and every guy on the team had a cookie in each fist. Ryuichi had to save the last two for Yuko, the team manager, and Kazushi, who was recovering from knee surgery.

Looking around, Ryuichi saw that some of the members of the team were missing. Some of the guys said it was "Apathy Syndrome" that got them, and others shrugged it off, saying that they were just too lazy to come to practice or had to drop out for college entrance exams.

"Except Arisato," one of the guys grumbled. "I still see that guy around, but he never shows up to practice!"

"I saw him with that first-year chick with the glasses in the hall earlier," another guy said. "You know, the shy one on the student council?"

"You mean Fushimi?"

"Yeah! Her!"

"She's cute, but I heard she's a man-hater."

Ryuichi looked around at the other guys in wonder. "I didn't realize they were friends," he said to them.

"Actually, I think they might be more than that," yet another guy speculated. "I saw him walk her home once."

"No way!"

"Did he actually go inside her house?"

"Dunno. But they looked pretty close."

"That's weird, because I saw him with that foreigner girl from our class!"

"The tall blonde girl?"

"Yeah, her!"

"What about Yukari Takeba? Wasn't he dating her?"

"They were?"

"But I saw him with Yuko!"

"That was way back in May, though. I'm sure he was with that really quiet girl in my class. She even cooked for him a few times. I think her name was Yamagishi."

"For real?"

"You're all wrong! I saw him eating at Wuck's with Madam Prez last month!"

"Geez. He's got like, half the school's female population after him!"

"Wouldn't be surprised if he nabbed himself a teacher, too."

Ryuichi felt himself get dizzy with everything the guys said. He knew they liked to gossip as much as the rest of the school, so he didn't think that he could trust most of what they said. Sure, he knew that Minato and Yukari were dating, and indeed, Minato did hang out with Mitsuru a few times, but for everyone else mentioned, Ryuichi firmly wanted to believe that their leader simply had a healthy balance of male and female friends.

When he dismissed all the gossip about their teammate, the guys stuffed a kendo sword into Ryuichi's hand and urged him to do a one-versus-all sparring match with them. His protests were drowned out by everyone's cheers, but shortly after, he showed them that he never lost his touch.

"Dammit! He's still too strong!"

"If Arisato were here, we would've won!"

"I doubt that, but he's still one of the best among us."

"What the hell kind of training do you do?"

Ryuichi lowered his shinai when he saw that all the guys were collapsed on the hard wood floor. "Wow. You guys really improved," he told them all honestly. "I'm impressed!"

"Sh-Shut up, Captain."

"No, really! I mean it!"

"Rub it in, will ya?"

"Seriously, you guys have gotten a lot better!"

"Will you just let us have our pride, Captain?"

He stayed and chatted with them all for a little while, remembering all the fun he had working hard with everyone when he was still on the team. It all seemed so far away now, even though it hadn't even been a full year since he had to resign.

He wondered how different his senior year of high school would have been like if his family didn't need his help. He wondered what kind of person he would be, if his sister would have changed for the better, and if the restaurant would still be standing or closed down. Just trying to imagine what his life would have been like made him think that everything that happened was probably for the best.

The next day, Mitsuru had to leave school early for a meeting. Ryuichi was left behind and was given a free day to do as he pleased. He decided to go see Eshima at Chagall Cafe, whom he found talking with his sister at the counter while Eshima's father stood off to the side, drying some floral-painted teacups as he eyed Ryuichi menacingly through his dark shades. The two young women spotted Ryuichi and waved him over.

"What's on the music menu today?" he asked them both.

"Oh, we booted that guy out before you came in," Shizue told him.

"That bad?"

"Trust us," Eshima said, grimacing. "We both agreed that a classroom filled with fourth graders playing the recorder sounded better than that guy."

Ryuichi shuddered to think about it. He was in too much shock from imagining thirty recorders tooting in a room that he almost didn't notice that his sister had pushed him towards the piano and told him to play. He was still wincing from his imagination, hearing the sharp screeches of a bunch of recorders and envisioning his ears bleeding and crusting over to protect him from the noise.

He only played for about half an hour until the next scheduled musical act arrived. The young woman played the violin, and Ryuichi was awestruck by her ability. She played along to some pre-recorded tracks, her whole body jerking and swaying as she performed. Her hair would flip up onto the strings, making Ryuichi fear it would get tangled or ruin her songs, but she always managed to flip it back over her shoulder with her dramatic movements. She produced such sweet sounds and intense melodies, putting so much emotion into each song she performed. Her gentle smile showed that she was deeply lost in the music she played.

"She can only come a few days a week, so if you're interested in filling in the other days, we're happy to have you," Eshima told Ryuichi while he observed the violinist.

His sister returned after servicing a table. "She's really good!" she exclaimed softly, but her tone was filled with the intensity of her excitement. "Where'd you find her, Eshima-san?"

"Friend of a friend," she replied. "We all agreed that she should be performing concerts, since she's so good."

On Thursday, Ryuichi watched over Megumi while his parents went out on the first date they had ever gone on since Shizue was born. They dropped off Megumi at the dorm before heading off on their date, and within five minutes, Junpei was trying to teach her how to play a video game while Fuuka held her bottle for her to drink. Yukari played peek-a-boo with little Megumi, vying for her attention while Akihiko taught her how to make a proper fist for punching.

"See, you don't want to tuck your thumb under your fingers or you'll break it," he explained, showing her how. "You have to lock your thumb over your first finger like this. If you lock it over your middle finger, it changes the shape of your fist, and you can break your hand this way."

When Ken came up to see Megumi, he smiled at her. Junpei came up behind him and pulled Ken's nose upwards.

"Pig nose!" he laughed, and Ken swatted his hand away.

When Mitsuru returned home from another day of work, Ryuichi offered to let her hold Megumi. She hesitated at first, but eventually held out her arms to take his niece. She smiled at Megumi, but without warning, Megumi began screaming. Panicking, Mitsuru held the baby away from her and looked to Ryuichi for help. He took her back, reassuring her that she had done nothing wrong and that his niece was simply being fussy.

"Or it could be a full diaper," he said, tugging on her diaper to check. "Nah, looks like that's not it."

When he looked up, he saw that he and Mitsuru were the only ones left in the lounge. Even Koromaru had gone missing.

"Well, at least I still have you," he said to Mitsuru over Megumi's cries.

Mitsuru tilted her head at him. "Sorry, but I have something to take care of," she said quickly, and headed upstairs.

Ryuichi drew in a deep breath and sighed slowly. "Don't worry, Megs. She's always busy, so don't feel too bad about it," he said to his wailing niece. "But, can't you give Mitsuru a chance? Even a little one?"

He took her back to his room to try to calm her down. While he sang to her, he hoped that Mitsuru didn't take it personally that Megumi might be afraid of her.

"It's okay, Megs," he told her softly as her cries gradually diminished. "I used to be scared of her, too. Turns out she's one of the nicest people I know, so I hope you'll learn to like her."

He dug out some of Megumi's favorite books from the bag his parents left. While she sat in his lap, he opened the book in front of them so she could see the colorful pictures that accompanied the fairytales. He read with different voices for each character, using a deep, gruff voice for the woodcutter, and a high, light one for the princess. Whenever he was the narrator, he did a poorly done British accent. By the second story, Megumi was fast asleep.

He didn't dare move, afraid that he might wake her up. She kept him anchored to his bed, making him unable to even stretch his legs. He covered her up with her blanket, finding his TV remote control underneath. Smiling, Ryuichi pointed the remote at his TV to see if there was anything worth watching.

The TV stayed off. Ryuichi realized that he couldn't remember how loud he left the volume last, not wanting to risk waking Megumi up. He set the remote control down, feeling his legs start to cramp. Taking a deep breath, he gingerly picked up Megumi, and by some miracle, she didn't wake up.

As he peered down at her sleeping face, Ryuichi thought about how he wasn't present enough in her life. He used to want nothing to do with her, wanted only to push her and his family away and get back to his own life and just send his sister money to help out. But, in the span of Megumi's short life, he realized that his niece was always happy to see him, always smiling, always wanting to be near him. All he ever felt from her was love.

Sitting there, Ryuichi came to realize that he didn't have just one single reason to fight Nyx. There were so many people in his life he cared about, so many people who were just getting started on their new lives, or simply ready to curse the Monday morning following the battle with Nyx. In just a few days, the Fall would come, and it was up to SEES to prevent it.

"You're going to grow up big and smart, Megumi," he whispered to his sleeping niece. "It's gonna be hard, but if I made it, you'll be able to make it, too. Uncle Ryu is going to do his best to help you through it all."

The next day, Ryuichi went to the Kirijo training facility to get in some practice with the guns. He brought all of his equipment with him, determined to make sure that he could move well with the extra weight and use his weapons effectively.

Momoe brought him to a large room made of concrete, with high ceilings and obstacles randomly arranged on the floor. She explained that it was to simulate Tartarus' structure, based off of Mitsuru's and Ryuichi's descriptions in their reports.

Ryuichi put on his tactical vest first. His longer katana went into the rightmost slot on the back of the vest, the short katana in the middle slot, and the shotgun on the leftmost slot. The automatic rifle hung around his shoulder by a strap.

"How does it feel?" Momoe asked.

"Way too heavy," he grunted. "But, I guess I'll give it a try."

She gave him a different set of guns made specifically for the obstacle course. They looked and felt like the exact same guns he had been practicing with, but they didn't fire actual bullets. Instead, they were like arcade game guns that simulated the same recoil and required "reloading" using special bullets and magazines that Ryuichi was given to carry in his vest pouches. They didn't fire actual bullets, but the sensors detected that a shot was fired and translated the damage into the simulation.

Lastly, he was given a pair of goggles that changed his view of the concrete room to the white crystal of the Adamah Block in Tartarus. He saw familiar Shadows all throughout the room, idly standing or moseying around, but they had a cheap digital look to them, making them look a little grainy.

"Whoa. You guys figured all this from our reports alone?" Ryuichi asked Momoe. "They look just like the Shadows."

"We also had some data from earlier research, so we were able to make a simulation out of what we had," she explained. "This was originally developed to help those in the Kirijo Security Department learn to combat Shadows if those with the potential weren't enough to fight."

She motioned to a room behind a thick wall of bulletproof glass. "I will be in there with the control panel to guide you through the simulation. But first, let me explain how this will work."

The idea was to help Ryuichi get used to fighting with the guns and have his swords as a last resort. He was to practice not only shooting Shadows, but also operating them while his teammates were also fighting alongside him. Momoe pressed a button on the panel and instructed Ryuichi to put his goggles back on. He saw a digital projection of Mitsuru standing in the cement room, brandishing her rapier with her Evoker in her other hand.

"Any questions?" Momoe asked him.

He had none. Soon, he was standing in the concrete room with digital versions of his teammates, all of them ready to fight. All the Shadows remained docile, not appearing to have noticed them.

"Okazaki-san." Momoe's voice echoed over the intercom. "We will begin in three, two, one—"

A buzzer sounded, and the Shadows lunged at them. He saw his teammates all leap into the fray, thrashing with their weapons and summoning their Personas. Ryuichi unleashed a spray of bullets into a crowd, but stopped when he saw Koromaru dash in and strike with his knife in his jaws.

"Okazaki-san, on your left."

He turned in time to see a wave of Shadows coming at him. He started retreating backwards, struggling to free his shotgun from its slot. He dropped his rifle to hang from its strap, the gun banging against his leg. He then blasted the Shadows back with the shotgun. They disappeared into wisps of smoke, but then he saw Akihiko down on the ground, clutching a wound in his side.

"Oh, shit! Akihiko!" Ryuichi ran over to see the bleeding wound that looked like a separate layer laid over the image of Akihiko. Just looking at it, he could tell that the wound had come from his shotgun.

"There are still more Shadows. Focus on those."

Ryuichi couldn't get the image of accidentally shooting Akihiko out of his mind. But as Momoe said, he still had to fight. He switched back to his automatic rifle and only fired in short bursts, shooting around his friends to protect them. The Shadows came at him, and he somehow managed to dive, roll, and sprint out of harm's way. By the end of the simulation, Ryuichi was covered in sweat and felt like his heavy equipment was trying to crush him.

"Okay, so I'm definitely ditching the shotgun," he told Momoe. "It's not safe, especially if the others are within range."

"Very well," she said. "I also saw that you ran out of ammo for the rifle quickly."

"Yeah." He patted the long pockets on the front of his vest. "Four magazines isn't going to be enough. I'll probably need a suitcase of ammo."

"That can be arranged," she said. "I will put in a request for you. It will all be delivered by Sunday night."

He needed to run another test. This time, he left the shotgun behind, instead focusing on just the rifle, his swords, and his Evoker. Even without the shotgun, he still had Heimdall to push Nyx or a horde of Shadows back, and his teammates would be there to help, as well.

That evening, Ryuichi got a chance to spend some time with Mitsuru in her room. As usual, he brought her some tea and snacks, and they both sat down on her couch to enjoy the simple treat. Afterward, when Mitsuru took out a book to read, Ryuichi pulled her over to lean back against him, startling her. She quickly relaxed into him, letting him put his arms around her while he stared at the news report on TV.

The report featured stories of the Lost being assaulted or mugged in the alleys, stories of businesses being broken into or set ablaze, and civilians being harassed on the streets by cultists who shouted their beliefs that the end was near. Their city was no longer the safe place it once was only about a year ago.

"That song," Mitsuru said, snapping him out of his daze.

"What song?"

"The one you're humming. Did you not notice?"

He felt lost, having been dragged out of the darkness of the news reports. "I guess I wasn't really paying attention," he replied, remembering nothing of the past few moments.

She closed her book, keeping her finger on her last page. "What song was that? I think I recall hearing you play it once before."

"Not sure. How did it go again?"

"It was something like—" She hummed a bit, and he recognized it at once.

"Oh, that one. It's called 'Her Own Way'," he said, blushing. He was still confused that he couldn't recall a song that he had just hummed seconds before. "Um, it's the song I used to think I'd sing to you if I ever found the courage to tell you that I liked you."

His mind wandered back to a few years ago when he happened upon the song that he thought described everything he found special about Mitsuru. He didn't like the original tempo of the song and slowed it down while he first learned how to sing it. He often dreamt about how his love confession would turn out, only for it to be nothing like he hoped it would.

"It sounds like a wonderful song," Mitsuru said to him. "If you don't mind, would you care to sing it for—Ryuichi?"

He barely heard anything she said. His eyes were still fixed on the TV without seeing the disturbing images on the screen. None of the stories reached his ears, and his thoughts drowned out everything else.

"Is everything all right? You seem more distracted than usual."

He flinched at Mitsuru's cool hand cupping his face. She was still leaning back against him, but she turned slightly to try to look at him.

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately," Ryuichi finally said. "Just thinking about Nyx, our battle, my reason for fighting Shadows..."

She caressed his face. "Why did you decide to join?"

"Because you asked me to. Back then, I used to think that I would die for you, that that was all my life was ever going to be good for."

"And now?"

He released a sigh into her hair. "Like I said before, I want to live. And this past week, I realized that I have so many reasons to fight—so many reasons to keep living. I can't just pin it down to one single reason. I'm fighting for you, for my family, for our friends, the world—"

Ryuichi gently pressed his hand over Mitsuru's, so they both cupped his face. "—And for me, too," he added. "I still have a life to make for myself, and I don't want Nyx taking that away from me."

Mitsuru set her book aside. "You raise an interesting point," she remarked. "It used to be that I fought for my father to help him recover from everything my grandfather did. When my father passed away, I felt like I had no reason to keep fighting, but I was able to see afterward that I had many reasons to continue living. It is for those reasons that I fight."

She lowered his hand to her lap, holding it in both of hers. "You're one of my reasons to fight," she said, entwining her fingers with his. "And like you, I also have our friends and families to fight for. For their sakes and ours, we have to stop Nyx at all costs."

Mitsuru twisted around in her seat to look at him, pressing her hand to his chest for support. He saw the strength in her eyes go dim, making way for the fear that he also felt. Neither of them knew what would happen in two days' time, but they knew that they couldn't afford to lose.

As much as Ryuichi wanted to remain with Mitsuru for a little while longer, he obediently left, taking the tea set and the leftover mango tarts with him. They both agreed that, no matter what they were facing, they still had to maintain the illusion that they were merely friends at best, even in front of their dorm mates. Ryuichi knew that Mitsuru hadn't told Yukari about them yet, despite being her close friend, but Ryuichi pointed out that, since Yukari said nothing about her and Minato prior to them finding out, they weren't obligated to tell her anything about them.

After school on Saturday, the SEES boys all decided to have a guys' day to shake off their pre-battle jitters. Ryuichi finally told them about the new weapon he was planning to use in their fight against Nyx, which sparked a bit of inspiration in Junpei to decide on what they were going to do for their day of fun. They ended up talking about getting some TERF guns that shot little foam bullets, and while the older guys were excited about it, Ken frowned and murmured about how childish they were.

That is, until they got to the toy store and found the aisle with the colorful toy guns. They bought a navy blue sniper rifle, neon orange revolvers, lime green machines guns, yellow pistols, and plenty of spare foam bullets to keep the game going. Minato threw a couple of soft rubber balls into the cart for the hell of it.

"Grenades," was all he said, and they grabbed a few more to add to their purchases.

And of course, Ryuichi ended up paying for all of it.

"So, how should we do this?" Akihiko asked as they brought everything to Naganaki Shrine. "Teams or every man for himself?"

"We only have five people here," Minato noted. When Koromaru barked, he corrected himself. "Six, but one can't shoot a gun."

"But he can deliver grenades to unsuspecting enemies!" Junpei exclaimed. That seemed to make Koromaru happier.

Ryuichi snapped his fingers. "Koromaru, you can also deliver bullets and grenades to people who need it," he said, and the dog barked and wagged his tail some more.

"Back to Sanada-san's question: How should we do this?" Ken asked them all.

"Seniors versus underclassmen?" Minato suggested with a shrug.

"Hey, why not?" Akihiko aimed his machine gun at Junpei and shot a foam bullet at his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! We haven't started yet!"

"War doesn't wait for the ref to say 'Go', so just go!"

"I still need to load!"

"Get the grenades!"

"Incoming!"

"Woof!"

"We haven't even set rules yet!"

The rules came up as foam bullets zipped through the air. Boundaries were set when Ryuichi tried to climb a tree and hide among the branches, and no one was allowed to use anyone as a hostage when Junpei picked Ken up to use as a human shield.

They all agreed that for every bullet that hit them, they had to be "frozen" for ten seconds, with an extra five seconds of immunity afterward to give them a chance to escape. When Junpei was stuck standing around for two solid minutes, they decided that only the first hit would count as ten seconds only. Grenades just resulted in everyone doing dramatic dives away from the "explosions".

"Koromaru! You can't just keep giving ammo to Ken!"

"That's cheating!"

"All's fair in love and war, right?"

"I let you out every morning to piss, Koromaru!"

"I fed you!"

"I take you on walks!"

"Don't throw a grenade at him!"

"All's fair, isn't it?"

Neither Ryuichi nor Akihiko had a chance when Minato perched himself atop the jungle gym and sniped them both. The seniors admitted defeat, being outnumbered and betrayed by Koromaru. The guys started up another game with different teams, this time with Ryuichi paired with Junpei. Just when Ryuichi's team was about to win, one of the shrine priests came out and asked them to leave since they were disturbing the peace.

Back at the dorm, the girls had already returned from their shopping trip. Everyone exchange stories of their day while Ryuichi made tea and snacks. Koromaru sat by his feet, his ears flattened as he let out an apologetic whine for his betrayal on the battle field. Ryuichi smiled and forgave him, and poured a generous helping of dog food into his bowl.

"Oh! I gotta go see Chidori before visiting hours are over!" Junpei hopped up from the couch and bid everyone good-bye.

"Don't forget to bring her some flowers!" Fuuka called after him.

"Right! Wait, I gotta get some cash!"

He bolted back the other way to the stairs. As he feet pounded up to the second floor, Yukari spotted Ken's scraped knees and sucked on her teeth.

"Ken-kun, what happened there?"

Everyone looked to the scrapes he sported. "Oh, uh, they don't hurt," he said quickly. "I had to dive out of the way of an incoming grenade."

"It was pretty cool," Minato told them all, and Ken seemed to appreciate his compliment.

"Still, we have to clean that up before it gets infected." Yukari asked Ryuichi for his little first aid kit. He gave it to her as he brought the tea over to the table, and she set to work on spraying disinfectant on Ken's knees.

Aigis picked up one of the revolver-type TERF guns and turned it around in her hands. "Is fighting considered a form of entertainment?" she asked.

"When it's harmless fun, it's fine," Minato explained. He picked up his sniper rifle and shot a dart at her stomach. "See? No one gets hurt."

Aigis aimed the revolver at him and shot back. "I see. There is no pain, no wound, and combat is simulated to gain experience."

"That's one way of looking at it," Mitsuru said in approval.

As Junpei came racing back down the stairs, Yukari picked up one of the guns and shot a foam bullet at him. It bounced off of his head.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed, and pumped a fist in the air.

Junpei turned around and grabbed Ryuichi's TERF gun from the couch. "Oh, yeah?" he taunted, and with a yelp, Yukari leaped away when he fired.

"Hang on, Junpei! You're supposed to be frozen for ten seconds!" Akihiko reminded him.

"There were rules?" Mitsuru asked.

The guys explained the rules. Without warning, both Yukari and Mitsuru snatched up some guns and opened fire on the boys. The boys grabbed some guns to return fire, and everyone began jumping around on chairs or hid behind couches.

Junpei popped up from behind the couch with his plastic pistol pointed to his temple. "Persona!" he shouted, and Ken, Akihiko, and Minato jerked him to safety before he could get hit by a torrent of foam bullets.

Ryuichi called for a timeout so he could carry the tea tray out of the lounge, but was largely ignored. Bullets bounced off of him and one landed in a teacup, but he managed to get the tea set to the safety of the kitchen. When Ryuichi found he didn't have a gun, he started gathering bullets and grenades like Koromaru to give to the guys while the dog catered to Ken and the girls.

As he crawled on his hands and knees to deliver more bullets, Fuuka caught him.

"H-Hand over the ammo!" she squeaked nervously, then quickly added "P-Please!" afterward.

He had no choice but to give up the foam bullets, and she surprised him by pulling him back over to the girls' side to take him hostage.

"Damn. Fuuka-chan's a beast!" Junpei exclaimed to the others.

Ryuichi put on his best crocodile tears. "Someone save me, please," he uttered pitifully.

Fuuka apologized to him and almost let him go until Yukari and Mitsuru froze him to the couch with their bullets. Junpei tried peeking out from around the boys' couch, but Aigis sniped him with a bullet right between his eyes.

That evening, everyone decided to hang out together at Naganaki Shrine just to play around, relax, and enjoy themselves at their leisure before their big battle tomorrow night. They played in the sandbox, climbed the jungle gym, ran up the slide and slid down, rode the seesaw, threw a ball for Koromaru to fetch, and chatted with one another. They were like a bunch of big children at play, laughing under the light of the streetlamps without fear of getting into trouble with any adults.

Ryuichi got a chance to chat a bit with Fuuka. He learned that she decided to give up on cooking and wanted to focus on her interest in electronics. She seemed happier in her new pursuit, but that didn't stop her from asking about how he made the mango tarts from the other day.

After Fuuka, Minato came up to chat with Ryuichi next. He had his hands in his pockets as Ryuichi followed him to the red torii gates, watching the others having fun from a distance.

"We've all gotten so close in this past year alone," Ryuichi observed. "Even though I was absent most of the time, I'm glad I can have moments like these with everyone."

He looked to Minato, who remained silent as he stared at their friends. "Come to think of it, you and I never really got to know each other much, did we?" Ryuichi asked.

Minato shrugged. "I had social links to take care of."

"'Social' what?" Ryuichi stared at him in confusion, but he said nothing more. "Well, either way, I guess it's mostly my fault we never really talked. I never thought I'd be so busy this year."

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru chatting with Yukari atop the jungle gym. "With graduation coming up soon, we should try to hang out more before we seniors have to move out," he suggested to their leader. "We could always come back and visit you guys, but with Mitsuru's schedule, I don't know how often that'll be. We might be able to grab something to eat at most, but that might be all she has time for."

He found himself smiling. "Oh, yeah. Speaking of food, how come you never told me you took on Mount 'Murica and won? Luckily, I found the photo of you winning after the restaurant burned down, and I've kept it since. We'll probably have it framed and put on display in the new restaurant, and you'll forever be known as the first person to ever conquer that monster of a burger."

Ryuichi let out a small chuckle. "But, I think Dad's planning a new challenge to go with the new restaurant, and it's probably going to be even bigger than last time. Think you can take it on?"

Minato smiled. "I look forward to it."

No one brought up their battle against Nyx, or discussed strategies, or worried about what would happen tomorrow night. They lived in the moment, breathing in the cold, winter air, seeing their breaths get carried away into the night. They enjoyed their fleeting evening in the company of one another, and that was all they needed to prepare for their battle.

That night, after the Dark Hour had passed, Mitsuru invited Ryuichi up to her room. To avoid detection, he had to head upstairs to the rooftop, then climbed down the fire escape to enter through Mitsuru's window. They both had to be careful not to be heard.

Their clothes were quickly strewn all over the floor. Both were covered in each other's sweat as they relaxed after a few rounds of intimacy, with flashes of their steamy skin amid the twisted sheets. They untangled themselves to clean up a bit before they settled into bed.

"That was much different from before," Mitsuru said as Ryuichi got settled in next to her.

"Different as in better?" he asked with a hopeful grin.

She flashed him an apologetic smile. "A little, but there's still plenty of room for improvement."

Groaning, Ryuichi covered his face up with one of her extra pillows. "And I even read up on it, too."

Mitsuru snuggled up next to him. "Are you enjoying it, at least?"

"Kind of. I wish you could enjoy it, too."

"I do to some degree, but we'll get there someday."

"Yeah." He then shot her a stern look. "So you'd better not die on me tomorrow night."

"Ha! You forget that I'm not the reckless one," she pointed out, smiling. "Save those words for yourself."

"Please. It's gonna take more than the Fall to get rid of me."

She didn't send him away that night. Ryuichi slept better than he ever had, just by having her there with him. There were moments when he was roused from his sleep when the heat between their bodies became too great to ignore. They mutually parted briefly to cool down before cuddling up together again.

Just being able to hold her, to feel her in his arms and him in hers was all Ryuichi ever wanted, until the unbearable heat came between them every so often. Mitsuru eventually turned off the heater in her room just so they could snuggle comfortably in the cold and keep each other warm.

The next morning, Ryuichi awoke before the sunrise. He had to drag himself away from the sleeping Mitsuru to go shower. He knew that if he didn't make his escape now, he wouldn't be able to leave her room without drawing attention to them both. When he dried off and started getting dressed, he saw Mitsuru lying on her stomach, peeking up at him from behind her curtain of bangs. She was still wrapped up in the blankets, her bare, creamy shoulder like a drop of moonlight in the dark.

"I wish you could stay," she sleepily murmured while he got dressed.

"I wish I could, too," he replied, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on his socks. "Maybe next time, you can come to my room. It's not as nice as yours, but it's much more private."

"That sounds like a good idea," she said with a yawn. She rolled onto her side. "Ryuichi, do me a favor and open the drawer in my desk."

As he stood up, he pulled his pants on with him. He opened the desk drawer and looked around at all the stuff inside.

"Uh, what am I looking for, exactly?" he asked.

"There should be some keys on a ring."

He found them and held them out to her. Mitsuru sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest as she took the keys.

She held one up. "This one is for my motorcycle," she said to him, and picked up the next one. "This is for my bedroom here in the dorm. And this one is for my bedroom at my home. I want you to have them."

Ryuichi's eyes widened as he held out his hand. She dropped the keys into his awaiting palm.

"You really want me to have these?" he asked in amazement.

"I do." Mitsuru took his hand and closed his fingers over the keys.

He stared at his closed fist, still in awe. "Thank you, but why now?"

She pushed her hair back over her shoulder. There was a somber expression on her face, one that worried him.

"Ever since Chidori regained consciousness and revealed that she had no memory of the past few years, I've been concerned that, once we defeat Nyx and put an end to the Dark Hour, the same could happen to us," she told him, grasping her blankets and causing little wrinkles to form in the sheets.

Ryuichi froze. "You mean, we could forget about everything? About us?" he uttered, his mouth going dry.

"I believe it's a possibility." When Mitsuru lowered her face, her bangs fell, covering her. "And so, if that should happen, I want to make sure that we have some way to remember each other."

Nodding, Ryuichi sat down on the edge of the bed. "I don't have anything with the same kind of sentiment that might help you to remember me."

"I have the CDs you gave me," she reassured him. "It's not often that someone takes the time and effort to record himself playing a number of songs for someone unless he has affections for her. I'm sure your feelings in your music will reach me again."

Ryuichi looked down at the keys once more and grasped them tightly. "Can't I just write myself a note saying that you're my girlfriend, or something?"

"I considered doing that myself, but I'm not sure if I would believe it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He rubbed his nose, still staring at the keys in his hand. "Sakai once slipped a fake love letter in my shoe locker. I waited behind the gym for two hours in the rain before getting the hint."

"Two hours?"

"Yeah, and after that, I discovered the hard way that he put tacks in my shoes."

Ryuichi blushed when he saw the sympathy in Mitsuru's eyes. She leaned over and wrapped one arm around him, the other still holding the blanket over herself.

"Yeah, I wasn't the brightest kid," he admitted shamefully, appreciating her hug. "Or maybe I was just a little too optimistic. I mean, why would I even think back then that you would leave me a love letter?"

"You thought I sent you that letter?"

"Like I said, I was really optimistic."

He heard her giggle against his shoulder. "What?"

"I think your optimism is endearing," she replied.

He felt himself grow hot all over again, even in the freezing room. Mitsuru let him go so he could finish getting dressed. She stayed huddled under the covers, watching him all the while. Ryuichi took care to collect the trash to get rid of any evidence of their intimacy, should the maids find out what they had done. When he was ready, he bent over Mitsuru's face to give her a final kiss before the sun came out. When they parted, he stood over her, thinking hard about what they had just discussed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, staring up at his face.

He moved his jaw from side to side. "I was just thinking, you know, about the possibility of us losing our memories," he said softly.

Mitsuru scooted over and patted the edge of the mattress for him to sit. "Whatever happens, I won't forget you," she told him firmly.

"Oh, I know that." He sat down next to her. "I was just thinking about 'The Notepad' and how Annie remembered Norman right at the very end."

Another pair of sweethearts flashed into Ryuichi's mind. "And, I was thinking about Junpei and Chidori, too. It's like they got a second chance to start all over again, like they're really meant for each other."

He sat quietly for a few moments, letting his thoughts develop while Mitsuru stroked his hand. "I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If we're truly meant to be, we'll find each other again someday," he said after a time. "And maybe next time, I'll work up the courage to tell you my feelings first."

Mitsuru repeated his words to herself. "'If we're truly meant to be, we'll find each other against someday'," she said, appearing to be deep in thought. "We've overcome so much together in the past few years, only for us to finally realize our feelings for each other a little more than a month before the imminent Fall."

Her voice grew with determination. "It's absurd to think that we only get such a short time together, so I'm confident that we will, indeed, rediscover each other, should we lose our memories."

Satisfied, Ryuichi squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her.

"I love you," he told her. "And don't you forget it."

"I won't." She smiled at him. "I love you, too."

They shared one last kiss before he left. He slipped out of her room through the window just as the sunrise came stretching over the city. He took a moment to admire the view, then climbed the fire escape to the roof and took the stairs down all the way to the lounge. When he crawled into his freezing bed, he came to know just how empty his arms felt without Mitsuru there. Somehow, he managed to fall asleep, dreaming that they were together again.


	111. Chapter 111

**Chapter 111**

January thirty-first, two thousand ten. Eleven o'clock at night. All the SEES members gathered upstairs in full gear in the command room for what could be their last time. A calm fell over them as they gathered, speaking in soft murmurs to one another until Junpei shattered the quiet with his excitable exclamations over Ryuichi's tactical vest, his assault rifle, and the aluminum case full of extra anti-Shadow ammo. Ryuichi had to cast Matarukaja on himself just so he would have the strength he needed to lift the case of ammo and carry it up to the command room with ease.

When the meeting began, everyone took their seats while Ryuichi stood next to Mitsuru's armchair, standing impressively with his feet apart, back straight, and hands on his rifle. He didn't bother to wear his fedora this time, wanting no obstructions of his vision for their battle.

"All right. This will probably be the last time we meet like this," Mitsuru said to them all. "Is everyone ready?"

Yukari timidly raised her hand. "U-Um, can I say something?" she asked, and with Mitsuru's permission, stood up from her ottoman, as if having been called on in class by the teacher. "I know that we have to defeat Nyx, but, if you think about it, that means we'll be getting rid of the Dark Hour. So, our memories may disappear."

Everyone but Ryuichi and Mitsuru stared at her in silent shock. The two seniors looked to each other with a mutual understanding that their suspicions could be correct. Ryuichi's thoughts went to the keys Mitsuru had given him, hoping it would be enough for him to remember everything.

Yukari continued. "But, even if that happens, I want you all to know: I won't forget you! Even if it robs us of all of our memories together, I will still remember you all!"

"We know you will, Yuka-tan!" Junpei laughed.

"I won't forget you, either!" Fuuka cried.

"Neither will I!" Ken shouted.

"I will not forget you, Yukari-san," Aigis reassured her.

"You're too difficult to forget," Ryuichi said with a grin.

"Don't worry—even if you do forget about us, I'll remind you," Mitsuru said to her.

Akihiko smiled at Yukari. "Yeah, so don't worry about it."

Yukari let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear that."

Junpei popped up on his feet. "Okay! Then, after the battle, no matter what happens, let's promise to meet each other again!"

"Good idea," agreed Ken. "But, where should we meet?"

"I don't think it should be the dorm," Fuuka advised them all. "We'll come back here anyways if all goes well."

As an afterthought, she added, "Hey, shouldn't we also decide on when we'll meet?"

"Yeah, it should be a special day," Akihiko said.

"What about Graduation Day?" Yukari threw out there for them. The seniors were the ones who seemed most intrigued. "When the Dark Hour vanishes, our memories might not disappear right away, so we shouldn't plan to meet too soon after the battle. And there's no day that will have more significance to us all."

"Wow. You're really smart, Yukari-san!" Ken marveled. "Graduation Day—Yes, that will be easy to remember."

"Yeah. That's probably our best bet," Junpei agreed. "Graduation Day it is! Now, where should we meet?"

Mitsuru smiled. "It should be somewhere where it's easy to recognize that peace has returned to the city. And when we meet again, we should remember how we're feeling right now, that no matter what may happen, we will never look back."

"I agree," said Yukari, and everyone nodded.

Koromaru barked, making Mitsuru chuckle. "Sorry, but you'll just have to wait!" she told him.

Mitsuru looked to everyone now. "All right then, let's get going."

Minato rose from his spot on the couch. "Let's do this like always," he said in his low, determined voice.

"Yeah," Yukari said with quiet determination.

"Together," Fuuka added.

"I will do my best," Aigis said, nodding.

"Good, cuz I'm counting on ya!" Junpei exclaimed.

"This is going to be easy," Akihiko said with a smirk.

"Yes, it is," Mitsuru agreed.

Minato selected Aigis, Yukari, Mitsuru, and Akihiko to be on the main team. Everyone took notice of his addition of one extra person, but everyone understood that taking on a being as mighty as Nyx could require additional power, and they weren't about to hold back when the fate of the world was at stake. Ryuichi was put in charge of the second team, whose duty it was to combat any Shadows that might try to interfere.

As they all headed downstairs, Ryuichi hung back a little with Mitsuru.

"This'll be the first time in a long while that we fight separately," he said to her.

"You're right, now that you mention it," she agreed. "Does that bother you?"

"A little, yeah."

Ryuichi hooked his thumb into his belt. "But, you've gotten pretty kickass with your ice defense," he noted, and her eyes widened in astonishment. "And your team'll have your back, so I guess I don't have a lot to worry about."

Mitsuru lowered her gaze to his chest. "You've trained well to lead a team, and I've seen how much more careful you are in battle," she told him. "I'm confident that we'll both succeed."

"Yeah."

Ryuichi said nothing for a time, only smiling quietly to himself.

"If we're truly meant to be, we'll find each other again someday," he murmured, nodding. "I guess we can extend that to everyone in SEES."

Mitsuru's smile went lopsided. "I hope you don't intend to court everyone."

"No way. Junpei's too expensive if all he wants is high quality sushi."

Chuckling, the two started leaning in towards each other, both pausing to take a few quick glances for their friends.

"Hey! What's taking you guys so long?" Junpei called from the stairs, making them both leap away. "Let's go!"

Ryuichi scowled, casting a nasty side-eye out the command room doors. Thankfully, no one had seen them.

"Can't a guy have a moment with his girlfriend?" Ryuichi grumbled under his breath.

"I never get tired of you calling me that." Mitsuru kept her voice low and was still smiling.

"Good." Without getting that last kiss, Ryuichi took up his case of ammo and led Mitsuru to the door. There, he stepped aside to let her leave first.

"After you, Ojou-sama."

She made a face at him, displeased that he would call her such a thing. He followed her out with a smug grin and locked the doors behind them.

...

Thick clouds separated the dead world below from the grungy heavens above. Tartarus penetrated the vapor and seemed to spear the full moon beyond, bleeding decaying moonlight that cast a rancid yellow glow over the clouds. The streets were alive with the moans of those who wandered without thought, some of them turning to watch as a team of well-equipped teenagers entered the school gates to get to the bastardized tower within.

With a final check of their equipment, they all rode the warp point up to the highest floor of the Adamah Block it dared to reach. They were greeted by the familiar gleaming white hallways, like a mixture of stone and crystal carved like a temple with columns all around them. The path that had once been blocked off now opened upon their arrival.

They were warned by Fuuka that a member of Strega was waiting just upstairs. Sure enough, Jin greeted them with his usual scowl, his aluminum briefcase in one hand while his other tossed a grenade in the air and caught it repeatedly. Ryuichi raised his gun, feeling his muscles grow taut at the memory of what he and Takaya did to his family's restaurant, but even then, he knew he couldn't pull the trigger.

"So, you came after all," Jin sneered at them.

"You!" Akihiko growled. "Where's your partner?"

"Takaya went on ahead of me," he answered. "He's destined for greater things."

He leisurely paced the floor, still taunting them with his grenade. "So, it looks like you're serious about fighting Nyx," he observed, obviously stalling for time.

"How do you know about Nyx?" Fuuka asked him.

"I pieced together the information Ikutsuki left behind. But, not all of it made sense. He was a real nut job."

"You got that right," Ryuichi muttered under his breath. "Wait, Ikutsuki?"

"Did you know Ikutsuki?" Yukari asked.

"Hmph. We were surprised to find out he was your boss," Jin said coolly. "We really only knew his name. He was one of the researchers who created us."

Everyone gasped.

"He 'created' you?" Mitsuru didn't try to hide her disgust.

"Who are you?" Fuuka asked fearfully.

Jin only snickered at them. "There's no use in telling you. The end is near."

"We don't have time for this. Get out of our way," Mitsuru ordered.

"Can't do that, little lady. There's no way you'll be able to stop Nyx, but I can't let you interfere with Takaya's wish."

"Do you even understand what you're saying?" hissed Yukari. "If Nyx isn't stopped, all life will be destroyed!"

Jin stopped and sharply turned towards them all. "Exactly," he said, glaring right at Yukari. "We won't live much longer and we want to see the end before we die. That is Takaya's wish, so I'm not backing down."

He tossed his grenade up and down again. "Enough talk. Let's do this."

Before he could pull the pin from his grenade, Minato gave the order for the assault team to attack. Thanatos, Cesar, Pallas Athena, Isis, and Artemisia appeared overhead and unleashed a powerful blast that almost rent Jin apart. When Ryuichi lowered his arm from his eyes, he saw Jin on the ground, his clothes shredded and singed with bits of frost flaking off of him.

For a few moments, he lay there face-down, unmoving and barely breathing. Slowly, shakily, he pushed himself off the ground with a groan and sat up. His glasses dangled off of one ear, cracked and bent with pieces of the lenses falling out. He coughed, and blood spattered across the gleaming white floors in front of him. Everyone gathered around him, their Evokers still in hand.

"Dammit!" Jin pounded a fist into the ground as he rose to one knee. "What are you waiting for? Finish me off! I would do anything for Takaya!"

Akihiko took a step forward. "Why are you so loyal to him?" he asked him.

Jin cracked a bitter smirk. "Heh. You wouldn't understand. Takaya showed me the light when I was in the darkness."

He coughed again. More blood. He took a long, wet sniff, then spat bloody gunk onto the ground.

"It was a long time ago," Jin began. "In order to better understand the Dark Hour, Kirijo rounded up kids that were living on the streets and gave them special powers so they could investigate Tartarus."

"What?"

It was Mitsuru who spoke. Her arms dropped at her sides, her Evoker dangling from her fingers. Ryuichi wanted to squeeze her hand for strength but held fast.

Jin wasn't done. "But, when that power doesn't emerge naturally, it's difficult to control. So the kids had to take experimental medication so their powers wouldn't kill them. Only three kids out of the original hundred survived, and after six months the experiment was cancelled."

Three kids. Everyone seemed to know already who Jin was talking about as Fuuka uttered: "Then, those three were—"

Mitsuru gripped her arm. Ryuichi gasped when he saw blood appear beneath her fingernails, seeping into her sleeve. Anguish contorted her face.

"You all suffered at the hands of Kirijo," she said through a clenched jaw.

"Takaya saved me from it all," Jin snarled. "He said, 'Don't let the past control you, and don't look to the future; simply live in the moment'."

His breathing slowed. "To be honest, I don't even care about Kirijo anymore," he spat. "But, Takaya's wish must be fulfilled!"

Koromaru turned and growled as Shadows came up the stairs behind them.

"Tch! We were here too long!" Akihiko grunted.

"We're running out of time!" Mitsuru shouted. "We have to go! Now!"

"But, we can't—" Junpei started to say as he glanced over at Jin.

"You idiots! I don't want your pity!" Jin cursed at them.

The Shadows crept closer. Mitsuru dashed ahead of everyone. No one looked back at Jin as they followed her. Ryuichi caught up to her to see that Mitsuru's face was set in a cold, stoic expression. As they reached the stairs, the ground shook when a loud explosion rumbled behind them.

Junpei turned around first. "Hey, was that—? Did he—?"

Only the seniors remained facing forward while the others turned around. Mitsuru's shoulders heaved with her every breath, and though Ryuichi wanted to take the opportunity to squeeze her hand for reassurance, he didn't dare to.

"Let's go," Mitsuru ordered coldly.

No one said anything, with only the sounds of their equipment rattling and their footsteps heading up the stairs.

There was no time to grieve, no time to feel. They marched on, the secondary team combating the Shadows to preserve the assault team's strength. Ryuichi kept an eye on Mitsuru, who kept herself facing forward, sword in one hand, Evoker in the other, fighting any Shadows that came near them that the secondary team took too long to eliminate.

Ryuichi didn't want to believe what Jin told them, but something about his tale felt authentic. If the Kirijo Group had indeed experimented on orphans to explore Tartarus, then the one in charge must have been...

He refused to believe it. He couldn't imagine Takeharu Kirijo—the man who cared for him like a son—being capable of committing such atrocities that were no different, if not worse, than that of his own father, Kouetsu Kirijo. As hard as he tried to convince himself that Takeharu would have never approved of those experiments, part of him still found it impossible for him to not have noticed what Ikutsuki was doing.

He looked to Mitsuru. She continued her rigid march, saying nothing while fending off Shadows. He thought about all the sacrifices she made for her father, doing everything she could to bring back the man she knew and loved, but now, she looked as though her image of her father that she cherished all her life had been shattered.

Ryuichi didn't know just how involved Mitsuru's father was with Ikutsuki's experiments, so he couldn't say anything to try to ease Mitsuru's anguish. He wanted to tell her that there had to be something missing, that something that Jin mentioned had to be wrong. Even still, he couldn't argue the point that her father was only thinking about protecting Mitsuru and all of humanity, knowing that it would never excuse him for the Group's despicable actions.

"I sense Takaya on the next floor," Fuuka informed them all.

A wall of Shadows met them as they ran down the long hallway. Mitsuru struck before Minato could give the order. Ice javelins thrust deep into Shadows, ice shrapnel tore at them, ice coffins trapped them, crushed them, until nothing but smoke was left. No one tried to stop her, only watching as she decimated the Shadows. All they could do was assist.

They stopped to rest. Mitsuru went off to a corner alone. Only Ryuichi followed.

"Hey—"

"Not now, Ryuichi."

"But—"

"I said not now," Mitsuru told him firmly, keeping her back to him. "We must focus on the task at hand. We cannot let ourselves get distracted by such trivial things."

Ryuichi could see she was doing her best to keep herself from falling apart. "Okay," he said. "We'll talk _after_ the battle."

She said nothing more. He let her be, rejoining the others as Yukari went to check on Mitsuru. He hoped she could get through to her, but simultaneously agreed with Mitsuru that they couldn't afford to lose their focus during such a crucial time.

"Break's over," Minato announced shortly after. "We gotta keep moving."

As they all continued on, Ryuichi glanced back to Mitsuru, who was taking some deep breaths as she walked with Yukari. Seeing her act so strong despite learning about more of the Kirijo Group's atrocities made him realize that he had to be strong for her. He forced himself to focus only on the battle ahead, turning his abhorrence for the Group's actions into fuel for the fight.

On the next floor, they found Takaya sitting on a stone partition with his head down. As their feet pattered into the room, Takaya didn't bother lifting his head to acknowledge them. Ryuichi set down his large case of ammo to aim his gun at Takaya.

"Is the top of Tartarus past here?" Akihiko asked him gruffly.

"Indeed," Takaya replied in his oily voice.

Akihiko took a step towards him. "Then let us through," he demanded.

Takaya sat up higher, not meeting their gazes. "I am not standing in your way," he answered coolly.

He stood up, his tall, thin frame like a pale paper unfolding itself. "I take it you have defeated Jin. You are quite troublesome."

Nobody moved as they watched him, all of them with their Evokers ready for a fight. Takaya drew in a long breath and released it slowly, taking so long that Ryuichi imagined his entire body was about to deflate and flatten out completely.

"What is it that you seek?" Takaya asked them. "These are your final moments. The end is nigh."

"Sorry, but we're not gonna let that happen!" Ryuichi grunted back.

At last, Takaya looked upon them with a thin smile. "You are merely wasting your energy. Why not celebrate this wonderful moment? What better way could you spend your final moments together?"

"Will you shut up already?" Yukari spat.

Takaya turned towards them, stretching his long, bony body, showing off the ribs that protruded through a thin layer of skin. He rested his arm over his revolver that he kept tucked into his belt. The smile had dropped from his face, replaced by a solemn frown.

"My life was stolen from me, and in its place I was given a power I never asked for. And so, I learned that the future is only a delusion," he told them all. "Only by striving to live every moment to its fullest can the soul truly be satisfied. That is why we welcome this glorious revelation—To shine a light upon this darkened world!"

"You're so full of shit!" Junpei screeched at him. "I'm not dying so you can have a friggin' night-light!"

A smile curled on Takaya's lips again. "This is not merely my desire," he answered back. "There are many who have also gathered to rejoice in her arrival."

"That's just because all these weird things have been happening," Fuuka argued.

"That is untrue," Takaya said plainly, unfazed by anything they threw at him. "Who is responsible for reviving Nyx? Can a single person boast of this great accomplishment?"

Everyone looked nervously to one another.

"You all worked tirelessly to prevent it, and yet in doing so, you unwittingly aided in her coming," he spelled it out for them. "So you see, this is not just my will; it is the will of all people. Man cannot face death without first finding meaning in life. But the world has realized that any meaning in life was lost long ago. Nyx has come because humanity has cried out for her salvation!"

"That can't be!" Fuuka gasped.

"I-I don't believe you!" Ken shouted at him.

"And yet, there lies truth in what he says," Aigis said.

"Aigis," Yukari whispered, sounding betrayed by their friend.

"But now we know that it was all a mistake," Aigis continued. "And that's why we're here. It's not a matter of whether it is possible or not. It's a matter of believing in ourselves. That's what it means to live."

Mitsuru looked to Aigis. "The world isn't so simple that one person can decide whether we all live or we all die. So even if there is no hope, we won't give up."

Takaya snorted as he took his place between the SEES team and the stairs. "What do you know of this world?" he scoffed. "No matter how long you search or how hard you pray, eventually you will realize that there is no truth. Just as death is eternal, a truth that has been lost can never be found again. Are you really so desperate to die that you will stand before the almighty Nyx?"

His hand moved to his revolver. Ryuichi stepped in front of Mitsuru, his assault rifle still trained on the lanky man.

Takaya looked upon them with contempt. "Such foolishness is what I am trying to rid this world of," he said in disgust.

He took up his revolver in his hand, and everyone readied their Evokers. "If you insist on asserting your way of living, then I shall do the same! The coming of Nyx is but moments away!"

Takaya let out a crazed cackle that turned into a maniacal howl. "You needn't hurry! The moment we await is predestined!"

A shot rang out. The revolver flew out of Takaya's hand as the others fired their Evokers. Several Personas emerged, casting flames, lightning, frost, and wind that blasted him upwards. He slammed into the ceiling, then fell to the ground, lost amid the dust and mist. When the air cleared, Takaya was on the ground, his exposed skin covered in patches of raw, shiny burns that bubbled and blistered, and many little cuts that bled freely. He let out raspy gasps as he reached for his revolver, but Ken picked it up and kept it away from him.

"I have failed, haven't I?" Takaya panted weakly. "There is nothing more I can do. Now, kill me."

Aigis approached him first. "Are you scared?" she asked in a gentle voice.

He let out a bitter chuckle. "What a peculiar question. You know nothing of death if you think that it is something to fear."

Takaya rolled his eyes, as if frustrated that he was speaking to a child who couldn't comprehend even the simplest of concepts. "You fear it because you do not understand it," he gasped. "I will not explain to you any further."

"There is no honor in taking the life of someone who can't move," Mitsuru said to Takaya. "You will live to see if what you wished for comes true or not."

Junpei stood with his fist against his hip. "Yeah, lie there and repent for what you've done," he told him.

Takaya let out another dry laugh. "You are all so odd," he said, and closed his eyes with a smile on his face. He said nothing more, but his ragged breath wheezed and huffed, slowing and becoming gentle as he lost consciousness.

"We're finally here," Mitsuru said to everyone. "Up ahead is the top of Tartarus: the promised place Ryoji spoke of. Let's regroup and prepare for the final battle."


	112. Chapter 112

**Chapter 112**

The stairs went from gleaming white to charcoal black, wrapping around the tower up to the top. The entire top floor was a vast, dark platform with lines and splotches of a lighter color, as though the designer had simply given up and mashed together different types of stone. There were no walls nor ceiling, but around the edges of the platform were pillars topped with stone statues of birds or demons perched with their wings stretched out for flight. The full moon bore down on the top of Tartarus, so impossibly close to the earth that it looked like it took up most of the sky above.

As the team stepped towards the center of the platform, feathers from the statues rose up into the now clear sky, gathering in a single spot between Tartarus and the moon. Dark clouds swirled around the tower without drawing near, as if to seal them in so they wouldn't leap off from the edges to try to escape their fate.

"We finally reached the top," Mitsuru said, her voice firm and somewhat relieved.

Yukari looked up in alarm. "Hey! Look at the sky!"

Everyone stared up at the spot where the feathers gathered.

"Something's coming!" Fuuka cried.

"Is it Nyx?" Akihiko growled.

Fuuka shrunk into herself. Her eyes grew wide with horror. "I can sense it even without my Persona. This is the first time that's ever happened."

Ryuichi could feel it, too, and from the looks on everyone's moonlight-washed faces, they felt it, as well. It was like being crushed and getting pulled upwards at the same time, while simultaneously being plunged into icy water.

As they all stared up at the moon, a dark figure appeared in place of the feathers, tall and powerful with four dark wings spread out, somehow keeping the figure aloft without moving. The figure wore metal-gray armor that flared out around its hips with the dark, feathery train that cascaded behind its long, armor-clad legs. Atop its head was a black crown shaped like a shallow funnel, the small tip attached to the top of the figure's head while the wider part had four large, square plates atop the edges. It wielded an enormous, thin sword in its right hand, the length four or five times the height of a person. As it landed before them, the tower trembled beneath its weight, and with a single flap of its gargantuan wings, it sent a strong gust that threatened to blow everyone off the edge of Tartarus.

The worst parts of the creature were its eyes. As dark and as empty as despair, they were large, jet black cavities in its head that made Ryuichi feel as though he was falling right into them with no hope of resistance. What made it all worse was its thin, broad smile on its pale face. Ryuichi realized that he recognized that face as someone he once couldn't stand—someone he no longer hated, but pitied.

"You are—" Aigis began.

"Ryoji-kun?" Yukari cried.

In a deep, growling voice, the being said to her: "That was my name for a time. I didn't mind it."

They could just make out Ryoji's voice from the harsh growl.

"What's going on?" Mitsuru demanded. "Wait, are you—?"

"I am merely a harbinger of the Fall," the creature answered. "Although, Nyx and myself are now one in the same."

"Is that so?" Akihiko said, as if to challenge the monster. "Well regardless, I don't regret my decision. I'll defeat you no matter what you are!"

Emboldened by Akihiko's words, Ryuichi dared to face Nyx's hollow stare.

"I see," Nyx said. "Then, you must already know. What people fear most, what they try to ignore—That is what I am."

"We know that already," Ken sassed.

Ryuichi had a sly grin on his face. "Yeah. Everyone does."

"You are what awaits all living things from the moment they are born," Mitsuru said.

"Then you also understand that it's pointless to resist. So, why do you?" Nyx asked. "There must be fear in your hearts."

Ryuichi searched his and found plenty.

"Yeah, of course I'm scared," Junpei admitted. "But, it's no use carrying on about it! I wanna live!"

"I'm tired of running!" Yukari shouted. "Living means looking death square in the face. So, I won't back down—Not even from you!"

"I will stop you, even if it costs me my life. That is my own decision!" Aigis told Nyx.

Nyx stared at them all with that disturbing grin on her face. "I see."

The creature stretched, letting out a series of numerous pops and crackles, preparing for battle.

"Everyone, get ready!" Fuuka shouted, and everyone took out their Evokers. She then snapped her attention towards the stairs. "I'm sensing Shadows approaching from below, too!"

"Everyone who's not fighting Nyx should try to keep them at bay!" Mitsuru ordered. "This is our last chance! We can't afford to lose!"

"Alpha Team!" Minato bellowed, and Aigis, Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Yukari gathered to him. "Everyone, get ready! Ryuichi-senpai, take your team downstairs and don't let a single Shadow through. Fuuka, you stay back and guide us. Understood?"

Everyone let out a resounding cheer. As they split into their teams, Ryuichi passed by Mitsuru and told her to "Execute Nyx's ass."

"With pleasure," she said as she unsheathed her sword.

Ryuichi started for the stairs at a jog. "My team! Let's go!" he shouted. He turned and patted Fuuka on the back. "You've got this."

"You, too!" she cried after him.

They went back down a few floors, shutting the doors each time and throwing Bufula Gems over them to seal them with ice. They chose the long room where they encountered Jin, all of them avoiding looking at the stain that used to be the young man with the grenades. The team started setting up ice walls by the stone columns for protection, the extra spikes an added bonus that they had to be careful not to fall against.

"Everyone, listen up: As much as possible, we have to stay behind our barricades and have our Personas focus on physical and elemental attacks," Ryuichi instructed his team. "Koromaru and Junpei, I want you both to focus on assault. Junpei, have Trismegistus do mostly physical attacks. Keep your health high at all times."

Junpei tipped his cap high with a grin. "Roger!"

Ryuichi turned to Koromaru next. "Koromaru, balance both fire and physical attacks. Only use dark spells if there are a lot of Shadows clustered in one spot."

"Woof!"

"Good." Ryuichi turned to Ken last. "Ken-kun, you and I are on healing duty. And like Koromaru's dark spells, spare your light spells for big groups of Shadows. Focus more on lightning and healing."

"Got it!"

Ryuichi pulled several items from his pouches. "Everyone, limit using your Gems and Magatamas. Try to use the ice types sparingly, since we don't have an ice-user. Use Beads, Bead Chains, and Souls candies to keep your energy up. Save the Soma for dire situations only."

The others checked their inventory, making sure they knew which pockets had which items. Koromaru barked at Ken.

"Don't worry, Koromaru. I've got your share, too," Ken reassured him.

Ryuichi nodded to his team. "All right, guys. This is it. Our friends—No, the world is depending on us. We can't let any Shadows through. We have to stop them here."

"Yeah!"

"All right!"

"Woof!"

Junpei tugged on his lapels. "Nobody knows we're even here, but that doesn't matter 'cuz I've got a Chidorita waiting for me!" he exclaimed with a confident grin. "Chidori, this is for you!"

Ken gave his spear several spins before slamming the end of the wooden shaft into the ground. "For Aragaki-san!" Ken yelled.

Koromaru let out a long howl.

Ryuichi took the safety off his gun and bowed his head. "For Mitsuru," he snarled through a clenched jaw.

"Everyone, get ready!" Fuuka warned them. "The Shadows are almost there! Be careful!"

"You all heard her," Ryuichi told the others. "We're gonna get slammed, so Ken-kun, Koromaru: combine your Hama and Mudo spells right in front of the doors when they enter. Junpei, I'm gonna have Heimdall push them back, so have Trismegistus help him out. I'll shoot down the stragglers that manage to slip in."

"You got it!"

"Right on!"

"Woof! Woof!"

With their strategies laid out, Ryuichi set his case down behind one of the stone columns and opened it to reveal the numerous magazines inside. The others marveled at the treasure trove of ammo as he positioned himself to peek out from behind the column. The others also took their own stone column for cover, their fingers twitching on the triggers of their Evokers. Koromaru peeked around the ice barricade on the far right, growling at the door on the far end of the room.

They could feel the dark energy buzzing on their skin. The floor rumbled from the hordes below and the battle raging above. Ryuichi set his assault rifle to fully automatic, keeping the butt of his gun pressed firmly against his shoulder while taking aim at the door. He enhanced his team's strength, defense, and speed, and Junpei tested the spells out by zooming all the way across the long hallway to shut the doors and speeding right back in mere seconds.

"Good going, Junpei," Ryuichi told him, and Junpei flashed him a thumbs up.

 _Boom._ The heavy thud against the doors reverberated all the way to their end of the room. _Boom._ The doors pulsed inward, letting them see just a glimpse of the Shadows outside.

 _Boom, BOOM! CRASH!_ Ryuichi opened fire on the first few that burst through the door. Trismegistus flew right into the Shadows as light and dark sigils appeared, claiming several enemies in an instant. Heimdall rammed his massive shoulder into the crowds, fighting to keep them near the door. Shadows spilled through sprinting, lumbering, and flying while getting bombarded by bullets, flames, wind, and lightning bolts. Wrestlers, tables, doughy policemen, blobs, hawks, statues, lions, samurai, wizards, sigils, pixies, men bound to spiked wheels, dancing couples with rapiers, invisible giants heads with eyes as big as bowling balls, floating heads, knights, Minotaurs, and so many others flooded in towards them, but their firepower wasn't enough.

"There's too many!" Ken yelped.

"Then hammer back!" Ryuichi shouted at him. He fired a round from his Evoker and wind thrust some Shadows back towards the doors. "Aim your elemental spells into the tornado!"

"What tornado?" Junpei yelled at him.

He fired more rounds from his Evoker. "That one!"

A vortex appeared at the center of the room, sucking the Shadows in. Ryuichi braced himself against his column as the others fired their spells into the squall. He kept casting Magarudyne to keep the tornado going while shoving Snuff Souls into his mouth. Howling winds, roaring flames, and crackling lightning bolts were joined with high screeches, guttural grunts, and anguished screams, all of it becoming static in his ears.

Ryuichi threw in some Magatamas, sending spiky chunks of ice and fiery explosions into the chaos. Shadows raged as ice smashed into them, flames bombing them, lightning splitting them into two, and winds shredding them. Ryuichi peeked from around his column to see a dark sigil form beneath the tornado, and nearly a fourth of the Shadows disappeared into smoke.

A massive paw shot out, digging claws as big as hunting knives into Ryuichi's vest. Ryuichi was dragged out from behind the barricade, his chest getting crushed beneath a black lion's paw as it roared into his face.

"Senpai!"

"No!"

He quickly fired his Evoker at his temple. Heimdall blasted wind from his horn and threw the lion back into the tornado.

As he leaped back behind the barricade, a Shadow sealed him in ice. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move, but he could see that both Ken and Koromaru were also trapped in their own little icebergs while Junpei was safe. Trismegistus zoomed by and cleaved apart their frigid prisons, setting them free. The trio shivered violently as they uttered their thanks to Junpei.

The tornado started dying down. Cerberus and Trismegistus both charged forward into the fray, taking down any Shadows while they were still stunned. Kala-Nemi and Heimdall followed, giving the boys a chance to replenish their energy.

Ryuichi fired so many shots from his assault rifle that his hands had gone numb. He held the trigger down while chomping on more Soul candies, tearing open their wrappers with his teeth. He glanced over to see Ken down on one knee opening up Snuff Souls for Koromaru and Junpei leaning heavily against the column while tying his handkerchief around a cut on his hand.

"Stagger your breaks!" Ryuichi shouted at them.

"What?" the others yelled.

He swore while reloading. "Keep at least two of you attacking at a time!"

Ken braced himself and cast a massive light spell beneath the mass of Shadows. Only about half a dozen were sucked in. Ryuichi shot a short burst of bullets at a female figure sitting atop an inverted pyramid, but his bullets bounced back at him. He ducked when the bullets struck the column, missing his head by mere millimeters. He rubbed dust off of his face before lashing out with Garudyne. The Shadow kept coming until Cerberus knocked her down.

"There's no end to this!" Junpei chased after a Cupid with his sword.

"Just keep fighting!" Ken yelled at him.

Junpei let out a scream. Trismegistus had flown into a crowd of Shadows until he was shot down by an enemy's Garudyne. He crashed into several Shadows as Junpei dropped to one knee, propped up only by his sword as he swore in pain. Ryuichi fumbled with numb hands for his Evoker to heal him when another strong blast of wind on Trismegistus made the junior collapse.

"I got it!" Ken cast Samerecarm on Junpei. A second later, he was back on his feet and fired three shots from his Evoker into his temple.

Pain stabbed into Ryuichi's thigh as his own Persona suffered an attack. He ignored it and reloaded again, firing at any Shadows he could see.

"Ken! Koromaru! Focus on the masses in back!" Ryuichi instructed. "Junpei, attack the closer ones!"

He could hear Fuuka issue notifications to the other team. He almost swore when he heard that Yukari had been struck down. Shortly after, Akihiko followed.

"Someone help Mitsuru-senpai!" Fuuka urged them.

Dammit, someone help her! "We're doing another tornado!" Ryuichi boomed over the chaos. He fired three quick shots, then ate two more Chewing Souls. The others followed through, hurling lightning and fire into the tempest. Any Shadows that resisted the high winds were shot down. Those who clung to the ground were blasted back by lightning bolts and flames.

"Light and dark spells!" Ryuichi roared at them. "Hurry while they're still concentrated in one spot!"

A dark blur knocked Ryuichi's Evoker out of his hand. He knelt on bullet casings as he fired at the eagle Shadow, missing every shot. Groping blindly for his Evoker, another eagle scratched at his face. A third slammed into his head. He found his Evoker and fired three more rounds. The tornado regained strength and sucked the birds in.

More Shadows refused to submit to the tornado. The Personas struck at them, Cerberus snatching Shadows in all three jaws and tossing them into the storm. Trismegistus rammed Shadows and hurled explosive flames to push them back away from the team. Kala-Nemi cast more light spells, eliminating some Shadows to make room for more in the tornado. Heimdall switched back and forth between gusty horn blasts and crashing his armored body into the crowds.

Flames exploded among the stone columns and shattered the ice barricades. Searing heat threatened to fuse Ryuichi's clothes to his skin in a broiled mess. Ken cried out, rubbing a small burn on his face. Ryuichi quickly cast Mediarahan over everyone.

"Ken! You okay?"

"Dammit!" the boy screeched. "You'll pay for that!"

Ryuichi tossed him a Soul candy, but it got lost among the shards of ice and bullet casings. He picked up an empty magazine and stuck some candies inside to toss to Ken. He got an idea.

"Guys! Fill these with bullet casings, Gems, and Magatamas!" he told them. "We're gonna throw them!"

His comrades' battered faces lit up. While Koromaru and Ryuichi kept up their assault, Ken and Junpei stuffed Gems, Magatamas, and spent bullet casings into empty magazines.

"Save the ice ones!" Ryuichi yelled, and Junpei dumped out the magazine he had just filled.

Koromaru kept alternating between dark and fire spells while Cerberus' three heads clamped their fangs down on Shadows and whipped them around. As the tornado died away, Ryuichi threw the first makeshift incendiary, watching it explode into flames and sending shrapnel spraying everywhere. When a jagged piece of shrapnel bounced off of his vest, Ryuichi quickly set up the walls of ice again.

"It freakin' worked!"

"All right!"

"Woof!"

Ken speared a demonic bear plushie and slammed it into the ground. He removed his spear, shoved a Gem into the Shadow, and punted the creepy bear back towards the others. It burst into flames that leaped onto nearby Shadows.

More Shadows broke through their defenses. Ryuichi drew his sword to deliver rapid slashes at them, hacking off arms and legs and decapitating a Sigil before it could cast a devastating spell. Heimdall blasted a powerful gale from his horn before unleashing a flurry of slashes with Vorpal Blade. Trismegistus thrashed any enemies that drew near, the two Personas almost shoulder to shoulder as they drove the Shadows away from the team.

Kala-Nemi and Cerberus shot lightning and flames that sent more Shadows flying further down the room. More makeshift bombs were made and thrown into the awaiting crowds. There were so many explosions going off that Ryuichi couldn't even hear himself shouting anymore.

Ryuichi enhanced the team's abilities again. Everyone's movements became blurs once more, smashing through the Shadows' defenses, hacking off limbs, and dodging spells and attacks that would have destroyed them. Ryuichi threw another Mabufula Magatama to reinforce their ice barricades. He healed, enhanced, healed, attacked—his body moving without thought. His muscles reacted while his eyes zeroed in on targets, either to shoot down or assist.

A wrestler grabbed Ryuichi's vest and slammed him into the wall face-first. With his face squished against cold stone, Ryuichi tossed a Garula Gem behind him. Winds shredded the Shadow, and Ken and Junpei hacked and stabbed at it until it was nothing but smoke.

"Advance!" Ryuichi ordered everyone, wiping blood out of his eye. "Push 'em all back! They're thinning out!"

He loaded some full magazines into his many pockets and led the push. They hammered the remaining Shadows with mighty gusts, explosive blazes, and paralyzing lightning bolts, shoving them back with every strike until Heimdall and Trismegistus were able to pick up the two heavy doors on the ground to close up the room again. Ryuichi threw Bufula Gems over the doors to seal them shut.

All four boys took a moment to catch their breaths. Battered, bruised, bleeding, but not beaten, they stared at the sealed doors, then to one another.

"What do we do now?" Ken asked Ryuichi.

He paused to think, but his thoughts were racing too fast. "Fuuka, are there more Shadows coming?" he panted.

"Yes, almost as many as the first wave," she replied. "They're several floors below you, so get ready!"

"Crap." Junpei quickly unwrapped two more Chewing Souls and took out a Bead. "We barely survived just now. How are we gonna handle the next wave?"

Ryuichi led his team back to their columns, trying to think. He worked with everyone to fill the empty magazines with more Gems and bullet casings, then had Heimdall blast all the extra bullet casings out further down the room, hoping the Shadows would slip on them.

He checked the door they guarded and threw another Bufula Gem to keep it sealed with ice. He bolstered their ice barricades some more, making them thicker with more spikes. He then took a bunch of ice Gems and Magatamas to create a series of spiky walls all up and down the long room, angled towards the center of the room like church pews funneling sinners straight to their judgment.

Surveying the room, Ryuichi saw that the columns, walls, floors, and ceilings were all smashed and riddled with bullet holes. He looked around and gagged when he spotted a shred of bright green cloth covered in blood in a corner of the room. It was a piece of Jin's jacket.

"The Shadows are only one floor below you!" Fuuka warned them. "Be careful!"

"Woof! Woof!" Koromaru called Ryuichi back to their base.

"Here we go!" Junpei flashed everyone a determined grin. "Let's end it here!"

"We gotta help the others with Nyx, so let's beat 'em quick!" Ken encouraged them all.

"All right," Ryuichi said upon his return. He felt a tiny surge of panic when he saw he had less than half a case of ammo left.

He couldn't show weakness right then. Instead, he turned to motion to the ice walls he made all up and down the room.

"Okay, here's the plan: The ice should funnel the Shadows right down the middle, so concentrate your firepower there," Ryuichi said to them all. "Ken and Koromaru, just like before: use light and dark spells on large groups. Junpei, have Trismegistus attack straight down the aisle. If you can, try multiple light attacks for speed to wear them down. I'll have Heimdall push them back, too."

Ryuichi looked at his team and smiled, feeling a lump grow in his throat. "I'm very proud of all of you," he told them, surprise brightening their faces. "You're all fighting the best I've ever seen from you."

Junpei rubbed a finger to his nose. "Aw, shucks, Senpai."

Ken kicked shyly at a loose bit of rubble. "It's nothing, really," he murmured, but his smile told Ryuichi that he was happy to hear it.

Even Koromaru appeared delighted, though he reached up with his hind foot to scratch behind his ear, as if trying to act casual.

Ryuichi clicked his heels together and saluted them all. Koromaru straightened up, and the other two saluted Ryuichi back.

"We're gotten this far, but we have to stop the second wave at all costs," Ryuichi reminded them, seeing the determination return to his team's faces. "We need to give the others more time. We finish here, and then we hurry to help the others. Got it?"

"Right!"

"Woof!"

"Roger!"

 _Boom._ Everyone steeled themselves, watching the ice holding the door shut begin to crack. Ryuichi quickly raised their strength, defense, and agility and ate another Snuff Soul to compensate.

Ice cracked, the doors fell to the ground, and Shadows trampled them underfoot. Light and dark sigils appeared and claimed a dozen or so Shadows. Survivors were funneled down the ice path as Trismegistus dove straight through them, slashing them in passing. Heimdall blasted them back with wind before charging forward and slamming his whole body into the river of Shadows. Any Shadows that flew or hopped the barricades were shot down.

"It's working!" Ken shouted with glee.

But not for long. "Ken! Koromaru! Stagger your spells!" Ryuichi yelled at them as Shadows started breaking down the barricades. He saw light and dark sigils take turns eliminating Shadows, only to have more dash into the room.

"Senpai! A little help!" Junpei gasped while clutching his chest.

Ryuichi healed them all again before shooting down more enemies. Empty magazines and bullet casings piled around his feet. Heimdall attacked with more horn blasts of wind, tornados, and flurries of his sword. Ryuichi switched his gun to semi-automatic, firing only one round at a time to conserve his ammo.

Spells hit the team. Junpei was blasted with ice, and lightning fried Ryuichi's nerves. Koromaru and Junpei hardly felt the flames, but Ryuichi and Ken were roasted alive. A Sigil unleashed an Almighty spell right on top of them. Nearby Shadows were thrown back, and the SEES boys were hurled against the wall behind them. The guys were stunned, barely able to register the Shadows that bore down on them.

"Not. Yet." Ryuichi couldn't feel his body as he shakily raised his Evoker to his head and pulled the trigger. Heimdall slashed at the Shadows as he sat up painfully, seeing the others also try to do the same. Ken lay unconscious while Koromaru whined, nudging him with his nose.

The sight of his nearly annihilated team enraged Ryuichi. He quickly cast Samerecarm to revive Ken and unwrapped a Soma.

"We're not finished!" he roared at his teammates. "Heimdall!"

His Persona flew to the center of the room and began spinning. The winds gathered to him as he blew his horn, announcing the end for all Shadowkind. Faster and faster, Shadows were sucked into the vortex, taking with them the ice barricades, loosened chunks of the walls and floors, bullet casings, and the makeshift explosives that detonated upon impact.

Ryuichi and the others clung to the columns and dug their weapons into the ground. They threw lightning and fire, darkness and light, and watched more smoky plumes darken the maelstrom. The Shadows who were immune to wind continued to trudge towards them, only to be shot in the head.

Ryuichi threw wind Gems and Magatamas into the storm to keep it going. The others tossed more explosives into the tornado, seeing the flashes, the smoke, Shadows being thrown, and felt the ground tremble as the bombs went off. Shadows were ripped to smoky confetti, bludgeoned by the ice barricades, and paralyzed by lightning. More flames engulfed them, swirling higher, faster, as Junpei and Koromaru took turns hurling their fiery spells.

The Shadows kept coming. Ryuichi saw Koromaru struggle to keep low to the ground while his whole body started to slip towards the tornado. Ryuichi cast a gentle wind spell over himself and his comrades, encapsulating them within domes of wind before throwing a Mabufu Magatama upon them all. Protective ice globes formed around them that stuck to the stone columns and floors. The winds and explosions were muffled from within the ice, but Ryuichi could still hear the Shadows' shrieks and growls curse at them.

"Ryuichi-senpai! The others are asking what to do now!" Fuuka informed him.

He needed time to think. He only had four magazines left, a few Chewing Souls, and a Soma at his disposal. They didn't have much fight left in them, he could tell, but they had to keep going.

"Fuuka, tell them to recover and to get ready to fight once the spells finish out," he instructed her.

"Anything else you want to tell them?"

He loaded up his vest with the four remaining magazines and readied his gun. "Yeah. Tell them we're going in."

"All right. You can do this, Senpai!"

The winds began to die down. There were no more explosions, no more cracks of lightning, but he could hear the whine of light and dark spells vanquish more Shadows. When the wind was weak enough, Ryuichi had Heimdall rip off his protective ice dome and hurl it into the storm before doing the same for the others.

Ryuichi switched his assault rifle to fully automatic and opened fire on any Shadows still remaining. He ran at them, leading the charge as the four SEES members unleashed their war cries fueled with anger, fear, and the determination to live. When the last of his ammo was spent, Ryuichi threw his gun away and unsheathed both of his katana.

Throats, arms, legs, torsos, feelers, guts, horns—Anything he could reach, he hacked through. The Shadows struck back, but every injury Ryuichi suffered only made him fight harder, faster, aiming to maim more than defeat to halt their advances. When a knight nearly skewered him, Ryuichi used Garudyne to launch himself at the Shadow and drove his katana through the knight's throat.

He spotted Junpei get surrounded by Shadows. He cast another gentle but powerful Garudyne that shot Junpei upwards and out of danger. Trismegistus caught him, then swerved to slash more Shadows while Junpei hurled fire and hacked at any enemies with his sword.

"Homerun!" Junpei yelled, and sliced a wing off a raven.

Cerberus' three heads grabbed onto Shadows and whipped them at their enemies like chew toys. Those who were knocked down and stunned were finished off by Koromaru's knife and flames.

Shadows piled on top of Kala-Nemi. Ken's Persona rotated its wide upper body to knock them away, but it was quickly overpowered. Ken pulled his Evoker's trigger thrice, and a brilliant light burned through the Shadows. Lightning exploded upon them, sizzling in blue and white as the Shadows were thrown off.

Heimdall raised a Drive overhead and threw it into a crowd of Shadows. He then leaped high into the air before smashing his armored body into another group of enemies. Short horn blasts knocked airborne Shadows down and shredded others.

Ryuichi held his shorter katana in his teeth to grab his Evoker. He had Heimdall throw a dancing couple at a tower of heads that bore down on Koromaru. Turning, he saw a Samurai Shadow heading towards him. He holstered his Evoker and sheathed his shorter sword.

The Samurai dashed forward. Ryuichi deflected his strikes, his katana vibrating violently in his hands. It thrashed Ryuichi with Vorpal Blade, then began charging up for a powerful attack. Ryuichi quickly tossed a Zionga Gem at it, striking it down with a lightning bolt. One trigger pull later, Heimdall dropped down from above and crushed it into smoke.

Myriad Arrows struck everyone—humans, dog, Personas, Shadows—leaving behind smoke and blood. Ryuichi shot a hunk of ice off the ground with Garudyne, smashing a stone giant in the face. Junpei leaped off of Trismegistus' shoulders and split a castle propped up on legs. Ken and Koromaru double-teamed a massive beetle that knocked them both down with its enormous horn.

An iron maiden thrust spikes at Junpei. It scratched his leg, but Cerberus snatched it up and flung it at more Shadows.

"Okazaki-san! Tank!" Ken shouted.

Ryuichi launched himself into the air with Garudyne. A mortar exploded where he stood a split second before. On his way up, he unsheathed both his swords to cut down floating heads, ravens, and eagles that battered him. He glanced down to see a Magus charging up a spell.

"RUN!" he hollered at his team.

As they dashed away, he hurled his shorter katana at the Shadow sorcerer. Two orbs of light appeared near the high ceiling and began their descent just as his sword pierced through the Magus.

He attacked too late. The orbs of light struck the ground. The powerful blast sent Ryuichi hurtling through the air until he slammed into a Minotaur. Dazed, he found himself on the floor at the Shadow's feet, his body ravaged from the almighty explosion. The Shadow grabbed him around the middle and squeezed. He couldn't breathe.

 _BAM!_ Trismegistus dove headlong into the Shadow. It dropped Ryuichi, who gasped for air as he waved in thanks to Junpei.

"No sleeping on the job, Senpai!" Junpei called to him with a grin. He turned, and his face went pale. "Oh, shit! Run!"

Ryuichi turned to see the Magus charge up for another Megidolaon. "Run for cover!" he yelled, and threw his knife at the Shadow.

It staggered, gasping with both a knife and a sword sticking out of its body. It then turned towards Ryuichi, targeting him.

"Senpai, get out of there!"

"Okazaki-san, run!"

"Woof, woof!"

More Shadows were still coming. Ryuichi stuffed his last Soma into his mouth and dashed for the crowds.

"What are you doing?!"

"Get back here!"

"Are you insane?!"

He heard Fuuka gasp. "Ryuichi-senpai! No!"

"Trust me!" Ryuichi yelled, and slid feet-first underneath an Elegant Mother's couch.

Fiery explosions went off around them. Lightning zapped enemies near him. Shadows groped at Ryuichi as he dashed around them with Masukukaja's speed and agility boost. He leaped over blades, dodged fists, ducked under spikes, and let a Shadow take a lightning bolt for him.

"Come on! Hit me!" he snarled at the Magus.

He saw the familiar white orbs appear overhead. Smirking, Ryuichi pulled the trigger to his head, and a cyclone blasted him back to the other side of the room. He arced high over the Magus, seeing its wrath-filled eyes staring up at him as its spell bombarded the Shadows around it. Trismegistus caught Ryuichi and pulled him to safety behind a column. It dropped him without warning, and Ryuichi rolled his ankle when he landed.

And then, there was silence. Ryuichi dared to peek around his pillar, only breathing once he beheld the sight. There were no Shadows left, no wisps of smoke to hint at their existence. The four SEES members were the only ones left standing in the room, their Personas dismissed for the time being. The Shadow had done the work for them.

They all came out from their hiding places, all gasping for breath. Their weapons felt too heavy for them to raise as they searched for the next enemy that never came. They were all covered in blood, gashes, burns, cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Their uniforms were tattered and torn, and for all they knew, they probably had injuries far worse than what they could feel right then. All were still standing, still breathing—still alive.

"Any more?" Ken panted.

None came. Junpei was the first to let out a victorious shout.

"We did it!" he laughed. "Suck on that, Nyx! Hah!"

"You did it!" Fuuka cheered with him. "Hurry back! We still need your help!"

"You heard her!" Ryuichi hollered, and started to lead the charge on his bad ankle.

Ken cast Mediarahan on them as Heimdall smashed the ice on the door. Trismegistus nearly ripped the doors off their hinges as the others raced ahead. Ryuichi watched the others leave him behind when they sprinted off. He cursed his sprain when he had to go back for his gun, his shorter katana, and his knife, knowing it would be bad news if his weapons were found with his fingerprints in the middle of Gekkoukan High the next morning.

Ryuichi reached the roof to see Nyx flapping her gargantuan wings as she flew up into the sky. The other team had their fair share of injuries, enough to rival Ryuichi's team, but they were all still on their feet, exhausted but not beaten.

"Hey! You made it!" Akihiko shouted when Ryuichi hobbled to join them. He caught sight of the tiny glint of relief in Mitsuru's eye when she spotted him.

Nyx hovered above Tartarus and created a powerful gust of wind with her massive wings. Everyone dropped to the ground, bracing themselves against stone pillars or clinging to one another. Ryuichi grabbed Mitsuru and pulled her behind a pillar. Next to them, Minato and Aigis clung to each other. Another strong gust sent Yukari flying.

"Yukari-chan!" Fuuka cried, and Artemisia caught Yukari with her whip and pulled her to safety.

"Ryuichi-senpai! Use Magarudyne!" Minato shouted to him.

Nodding, Ryuichi mustered up the last of his strength and pulled the trigger thrice to get the spell started. Heimdall appeared alongside Isis, and the two combined their winds to make a devastating tornado.

Minato gave the order for everyone to throw everything they had left into the squall. A block of ice collided with Nyx's head, almost snapping it to the side. She let out an anguished grunt as her body was engulfed in swirling blazes, sizzling lightning, shredding winds, and bludgeoning ice, her body getting battered back and forth, flipping and spinning her in a dizzying storm. Gems and Magatamas were thrown into the maelstrom and exploded on impact. As the elemental tornado faded, Nyx collapsed to the ground in a heap of feathers.

There was nothing left to give. They put everything they had into that final attack. All the Soul candies were consumed, Gems and Magatamas used, and nearly all their strength and energy spent. They were all on their feet, but just barely kept upright as they eyed the dark mass before them.

"Did we do it?" Mitsuru asked as she dared to take a step towards Nyx.

They all stared at Nyx's still form, holding their breaths. They all watched in disbelief as Nyx began to drift upward, her head still bowed, shoulders sagging, and wings limp.

"Such a pity," said Nyx. "You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all of your will. If more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented. But it's too late now."

Beneath the gleaming moonlight, the clouds swirled about Nyx, obscuring the moon behind them. When the clouds cleared, they revealed the moon having opened up to reveal a blood red core.

"The moon," Fuuka gasped.

"What is that?" Yukari uttered in disbelief.

Nyx fired a white light up at the moon, and they all watched helplessly as she flew up into what looked to be the pupil of an eye within the red core.

Akihiko shook his head. "This can't be real."

"Soon," Aigis said with horror on her face. "Soon it will descend upon us—Upon us all."

There was nothing they could do. Everything they threw at Nyx was for naught. They had nothing left for the giant moon eye that was to rain judgment upon them all.

"At last," said an oily voice behind them.

They whirled around to see Takaya there, hunched over in pain before collapsing. His weak laughter rose up into the sky, his eyes wild and blood mixed with drool dribbling down the side of his mouth.

"You!" Ken spat at him.

"Vexing, isn't it?" Takaya chuckled with a thick rasp. "The look on your face is priceless!"

"Shut up!" Akihiko snarled, looking ready to pummel him.

Yukari was still stricken with panic. "But, what are we gonna do?" she asked the others.

Fuuka spun back around to look up at the sky. "Something's coming!" she warned.

In that instant, a terrible rumbling and roaring came from overhead, and an invisible force began shoving them all downwards. Ryuichi's chin was forced down into his chest as he strained to remain upright. His swollen ankle felt like it was going to burst when his heel was pushed down into the floor.

"Ugh! What is it?" groaned Ken.

"This is nothing!" Yukari growled, bracing herself against the crushing gravity.

Takaya was lying on the ground, watching them all with his yellow eyes. "How ridiculous. Are you all out of your mind?"

"Look who's taking!" Junpei snapped, unable to glance back at him.

"Death is imminent. Surely you know this. What do you hope to accomplish now?"

Only Takaya seemed unaffected by the crushing dyne as he calmly said to them: "I wanted to see the end with my own eyes."

He uttered one final word: "Jin", and closed his eyes just as everyone's knees began to buckle beneath them.

Aigis looked to Minato. "I will never give up. Never!"

The machinery where her ears should be began whistling and smoking as they spun, and somehow she was upright for just a moment until she hunched down with the others. Everyone else found renewed strength in her one brief gesture.

"Why resist that which is inevitable?" asked a low, menacing voice. "You'll only suffer."

"Dammit! I won't back down!" Junpei raged as his chin was shoved down into his chest.

"I've made up my mind! I'll fight till the end!" Yukari hissed.

"I'm not done yet!" Ryuichi snarled, but even he was powerless to do anything more than stand.

Everyone stood firm, focusing their strength to be able to crane their necks to stare up at the eye above them. It sent another crushing pulse that brought some of them down to their knees.

"Ken!" Akihiko growled through a clenched jaw, but the boy was felled by the strength of the eye.

Aigis made a series of crunching metal noises before she was thrown to the ground. Some of the SEES members managed to stay on all fours, leaving only the seniors still standing.

Junpei collapsed. "Son of a—"

Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Ryuichi stayed upright by the strength of their sheer will. They joined hands, all of them staring up at their enemy with raw fury in their eyes.

"We have come this far!" Mitsuru shouted. "I will not submit!"

As she said that, the three were immediately shoved downwards. They let go of one another, barely able to push themselves off the ground. Ryuichi could hardly breath, fearing his neck would snap from the force. They all strained and groaned against the eye's power, panting and gasping, their muscles burning from trying to hold themselves up. They were all pinned to the ground, unable to move.

But then, one rose among them. Minato stood up with no burden on his body. Without warning, he floated up towards the eye, drifting effortlessly into the air.

"What the—?"

"No! Don't go!" Aigis cried after him.

"What is he doing?" Yukari shouted.

"Dammit!" Junpei groaned. "Why the hell can't I stand up?"

"Why? After all we've been through?" Yukari sobbed.

Junpei managed to push himself up onto one knee, raising his head long enough to see Minato float a few feet further away before getting his head jerked back down towards the ground.

Ryuichi pushed himself up on all fours. "Where are you going?!" he yelled up at Minato. "Get back here!"

"Stop! Don't do this!" Yukari begged Minato, but he was already beyond their sights, straight into the hollow pupil. "COME BACK!"

No one knew what happened next. They saw a brilliant flash of violent red light, and then another. They sensed their leader dying.

"There's nothing we can do?" Ken asked woefully.

"Don't give up! We have to believe in him!" Akihiko yelled.

"Give him strength!" Mitsuru ordered. "Take my life if you must!"

"Mine, too!" Ryuichi shouted. "Whatever you need!"

They saw another powerful flash of light in the pupil, gold this time, and smaller, but then another bright red explosion followed.

"Yeah! I'm willing to risk mine, too!" Yukari volunteered with pride.

"He's going to face it all by himself!" Fuuka joined in.

"No, he's not alone! I won't let him die!" Junpei roared.

Yet another golden flash, followed by a red explosion. They began to take it as a hopeful sign: Nyx was having trouble taking down their leader.

"Woof! Woof!" Koromaru barked.

"I won't allow this world to be destroyed!" Aigis cried out.

And then came a low but familiar gritty voice. "All right. Let's do this."

Akihiko gasped. "Sh-Shinji?"

Another tiny spark of gold light twinkled in the eye's pupil. And then, everything was swallowed up by a pure, white light. The crushing weight lifted away, and everyone got to their feet. As Mitsuru helped Ryuichi up, he saw that they were all standing amid billions of stars twinkling all around them. All was dark, and there was no more Nyx, no more eye, and no Tartarus.

The silence was unnerving. Ryuichi thought he had gone deaf as they all looked around in confusion without uttering a sound.

"Where are we?" asked Yukari, her voice strangely deafening.

"Did Nyx create this place? Or was it Arisato?" Mitsuru questioned.

Akihiko turned to their navigator. "Is he all right, Fuuka? What happened?"

Fuuka lowered her face regrettably. "Everything was engulfed by a bright light. I don't sense him."

Ken balled his hands into fists. "Don't tell me he—"

Junpei cut Ken off. "No! That can't be!" he sputtered, looking to Fuuka. "Try again! He can't be the only one!"

Fuuka shook her head, and Junpei's face fell. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Dammit. Not again," Akihiko grunted.

"We all decided to put our lives on the line," Mitsuru reminded them all. "In fact, we came here knowing we would most likely die."

Aigis stared down at the stars beneath her. "How could I be so powerless? This is what I was trying to prevent..." she uttered mournfully.

Ryuichi felt hollow inside. "But, why?" he uttered. "What did he even do?"

Yukari cupped her hands around her mouth. "You're there, aren't you?" she shouted into the infinite void. "I know you are! I refuse to believe that you're gone!"

She swiveled her head around. "Answer me!" she pleaded, breaking down in tears. "I know you can hear me!"

"We're here!" Aigis joined in. "Please let us hear your voice!"

"Minato-kun!"

"Hey, Minato!"

"Say something, dammit!"

"Arisato!"

"Quit messin' around!"

"We're over here!"

"Awoooooo!"

They fell silent so they could listen for a response. In the distance, they heard a faint "It's all right" in Minato's soft voice. Aigis cracked a smile, and Yukari let out a relieved giggle, wiping away a tear.

"Don't worry," said someone else, echoing all around them. It was Nyx's voice, but the familiar, kind, light voice they remembered Ryoji to have.

"That voice!" Akihiko gasped.

The familiar voice spoke to them again. "I will sleep once again. Normal days will return to this universe, for you and for him."

Everyone listened, their eyes still searching for their leader.

"He's found the answer to life's greatest question," the voice told them. "It just happened a bit sooner than it will for the rest of you."

"'Life's greatest question'," Aigis repeated slowly to herself, contemplating the meaning.

"Aigis," said the voice, "you'll find the answer one day as well. You, too, are a precious living thing. You just need to realize how the bonds of friendship have changed you.

"The Dark Hour will soon vanish from this world. All will truly be relinquished from its dominion, and the legacy of life will continue."

They all stood with blank looks on their faces, all of them staring in different directions as they drew meaning from Nyx's words.

"Congratulations," the voice said again. "You have the miracle you sought. We shall meet again someday."

In the next instant, they were all standing in front of Tartarus just outside the school gates, staring up at the familiar green glow of the Dark Hour. The dark clouds began to swirl around the tower as a bell tolled. Tartarus darkened, and a bright aqua light traced the tower down from top to bottom, then across, splitting it into sections before the pieces swirled upwards towards the eerie yellow moon.

As Tartarus disintegrated, everyone broke into relieved smiles when they saw Minato emerge from the remnants of the tower. Aigis wept when she saw him, and their leader only looked upon them all with his calm, stoic face.

The moon returned to its familiar pale hue, shrinking back to its distant size. The sky lost the green glow and regained its inky blackness with the burnt orange edges of the city's lights. Tatsumi Port Island lit up once again with the glow from the lamp posts and neon signs, the first indications of life they could behold. The Dark Hour and Tartarus were finally gone.


	113. Chapter 113

**Chapter 113**

Ryuichi gasped awake when his alarm clock went off. His bandaged hand automatically shot out from under the covers to shut it off, lingering over his clock as he uttered a miserable groan.

 _Screw working out,_ he thought, blinking at his clock. He stared at his arm, covered in bandages from fingers to shoulder with some dried splotches of blood showing through. Confused, he stared at his clock again, seeing that it read a half hour later than his usual workout time.

Groaning again, Ryuichi sat up, wincing as his stiff body burned and stung with each movement. Just sitting upright took all his waning strength, but as the blanket fell away from his chest, he saw that most of his torso was simply bruised or had small cuts while his face, arms, and legs were covered in bandages.

He eventually gave up and collapsed back onto his bed, not caring anymore about going to school that day. What did the teachers care if he missed a day? Considering the harrowing battle he and the others endured, and preventing the end of the world—

Ryuichi slapped a hand over his cell phone. Squinting at the bright screen in front, he checked the date.

"February first," he grumbled.

He bolted up. "We did it?" he gasped, wincing from his injuries. "We actually did it?"

He got up and nearly fell out of bed when his injured ankle couldn't support his weight. Limping over to the bathroom, he turned on the shower to warm up the water while he cut off his dirty bandages. Some of the scabs came away with the bandages, reopening his wounds. When he stood under the hot water, every single cut, scrape, and scratch on his skin stung before going numb shortly after. His body loosened up from the warmth, making it easier for him to shower and dress his wounds. When he bandaged the last cut over his brow, he got dressed for school.

"Crutches, crutches—Dang, where'd I put them now?"

He found them between his desk and bed. When he was ready, he opened his door to find Mitsuru standing just outside, her fist poised to knock. Ryuichi saw the bandages poking out of her sleeves, then noticed the wide-eyed shock on her face.

"G-Good morning," she greeted first, sounding unusually nervous.

"Morning," he replied, resisting the urge to pull her into a hug.

She lowered her hand, touching her elbow instead. "Um, would you care to join me for breakfast?" she offered in a small and cautious voice.

He frowned. "We just survived the battle of the century and the first thing out of your mouth is about breakfast?"

Mitsuru gasped. "You remember?"

Ryuichi grinned. "Like I could ever forget my own girlfriend," he chuckled softly.

Sharing in his smile, Mitsuru stepped forward, and the motion itself was enough to get Ryuichi to step back inside his room. She closed the door behind her and embraced him, warming his neck with a sigh.

"You did good, Mitsuru," he told her, returning her hug. "I knew you could do it."

"You did very well, too, leading the other team," she said. "I knew I made the right decision putting you in charge."

Ryuichi chuckled bashfully as she pulled away. "It was nothing," he replied with a shrug.

Before Mitsuru could compliment him again, he started on his way back to bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep." He let his crutches rest against his desk.

"Oh, no you don't." Mitsuru grabbed his arm to keep him from sitting down. "Seeing as you were able to get out of bed just fine, I see no reason why you can't attend school today."

She handed him back his crutches, then grabbed his bag. "Besides, what better way to celebrate our victory than by going to school and living a normal day in the world we protected?"

Ryuichi took one look at her pleased smile and sighed. "Why'd you have to be so cute?" he murmured. "You know I'm powerless against that smile."

She smiled even brighter as he reluctantly tucked his crutches back under his arms. Mitsuru fell in line behind him, marching him to the door. As he reached for the doorknob, she embraced him from behind.

"Mitsuru?"

She held fast. "You were my first thought this morning," she said softly.

He stood slightly hunched forward on his crutches, touched by her words. He leaned his crutches against the door so he could turn around and return her embrace. All he wanted to do was stay there in her arms, but time wouldn't permit it.

"You were my reason for getting out of bed today," he answered her, giving her one last squeeze before they parted. "And I guess school won't be so bad today. You'll be there, after all."

Mitsuru beamed. "That's a good attitude to have."

"Yeah, because I know I can always copy your notes afterward," he joked.

She exhaled in exasperation. "I suppose I should be grateful that you're going at all," she said bitterly. Her frown grew as much as his grin did, and the two ended up chuckling to themselves as they headed out.

Kikuno was already laying out plates of fluffy pancakes, strips of crispy bacon, eggs with runny yolks, and slabs of hash browns on the dining table. She greeted them both and invited them to have some breakfast. Ryuichi noticed a little bowl of ranch dressing among the plates, something he suspected was specially requested by Mitsuru with him in mind. He could already feel the light crunch of the golden hash browns accompanied with the creamy ranch.

He pulled a chair out for Mitsuru first, who opened her mouth to protest. She thanked him instead and took her seat. He sat on her left, leaning his crutches on the side of the table.

Shortly after they filled their plates with food, the doors upstairs began to open and slam shut, and everyone came scurrying downstairs, chattering excitedly about their battle and checking with one another that they had indeed succeeded. Yukari was on crutches, and Junpei had his hand so heavily bandaged that it was like a boxing glove. Some of them had small cuts covered with gauze on their faces, necks, hands, and legs, and most likely had more hidden underneath their school uniforms. They all paused at the dining table to marvel at the food.

"Awesome! Victory breakfast, over here!"

"Wow!"

"There's so much food!"

"All right!"

"Woof! Woof!"

Please, eat as much as you like," Kikuno invited them all as they took their seats.

Everyone thanked her as they broke out into discussions of their battles, sharing tales of their valor, how they got some of their injuries, and debating which team had it worse: the group facing Nyx, or the group fighting the hordes of Shadows.

"Yeah, but you had _five_ people on your team," Junpei pointed out.

"That's because we were taking on the one impossible enemy," Akihiko argued back. "Nyx charmed us and Minato and Yukari had a hard time trying to stop Mitsuru from executing me."

"You were probably asking for it," Junpei said with a wave of his bandaged hand.

Mitsuru shot Ryuichi a disapproving look when he snickered at Junpei's claim. Ken jumped into the discussion, siding with Akihiko the whole time.

"Hey! You were on our team!" Junpei complained to Ken.

"Y-Yeah, but in the end, we were able to defeat our Shadows and Arisato-san finished off Nyx by himself," Ken reasoned.

"Speaking of our leader, how _did_ he manage to defeat Nyx?" Fuuka asked.

Everyone looked to Minato, who was sitting at the end of the table. He sat there silently, not reacting at all to their expectant stares as he chewed through a big mouthful of syrup-drenched pancakes. When he swallowed his food, he started to lift another piece of pancake to his lips.

"Hold it right there, mister!" Yukari brandished her fork at him. "What happened back there? You just suddenly flew up into the sky and acted like it was nothing!"

The others demanded to know, as well. Minato lowered his fork, blinking, and everyone quieted down.

"I heard everyone's voices," he answered plainly.

Junpei snorted. "That's it? All we had to do was shout at Nyx to stop the Fall?"

Minato shook his head. "Not really. It's more like..."

He launched into a story about an old, balding man with a very long nose named Igor, who dwelled in a place called the Velvet Room with his assistant, Elizabeth. He explained that Igor was the one who let him fuse his Personas to create stronger ones, and that he was called to the Velvet Room during their battle against Nyx where he was granted the power to stop the Fall. Everyone sat in silence as they listened, none of them touching their food as they attempted to absorb everything that their leader was telling them.

"Last year, Igor told me to strengthen my bonds with my Social Links," Minato explained. "Because of that, I heard everyone's voices when I faced Nyx."

Yukari tilted her head in confusion. "Uh, 'Social Links'?"

Mitsuru looked to be thinking about his answers. "Interesting. So the bonds you share with your friends was the key to defeating Nyx?"

"Wait, you believe all of this?" Akihiko asked her.

"It's quite the tale, but if there was some other being who was able to prevent a disaster like the Fall, then what reason do we have to doubt his story?" she asked. "Ryuichi, I believe you once suggested that there must be another being in opposition to Nyx, correct?"

Ryuichi was busy crunching on a piece of crispy bacon. "Um, I think I did, yeah," he replied, trying to recall that particular conversation.

"And, you believe that Igor is that other being?" Fuuka asked earnestly.

"It seems that way, unless there is yet another higher power we aren't aware of," Mitsuru concluded.

"Hey." Junpei leaned towards Minato. "How long a nose are we talking here?"

" _That's_ the part you're interested in?" Yukari griped in annoyance.

They were so engrossed in their discussion that Kikuno had to remind them to start heading to school. Everyone still had questions for Minato, but they agreed to wait until after school to hear about it all while they shoveled the final scraps of their breakfast into their mouths. They dumped their dirty dishes into the sink for Kikuno, thanking her on their way out.

"I just realized that Aigis wasn't at breakfast," Ryuichi noted as he and Mitsuru left the dorm after the others.

"She had to be taken in for repairs," Mitsuru told him. "The damage wasn't too severe, but substantial enough that she couldn't repair herself."

"That bad, huh? It's a shame she missed our victory breakfast."

"We can always have another celebration when she returns."

"Victory celebration part two? All right!"

Just ahead of them, Ryuichi spotted Minato walking slowly with Yukari as she hobbled on her crutches. Just like Mitsuru did with Ryuichi's school bag, Minato also carried Yukari's for her.

"So, how should we say you were injured this time?" Mitsuru mused on their way to school.

"I'm gonna say you tripped me down the stairs."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Who are they gonna believe: you, or me?" he teased.

Frowning, Mitsuru held her head high and briskly strode ahead.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"If I did that, you would be in danger of being pushed down a flight of stairs."

"What stairs? I don't see no stairs!"

"You had better hurry, Ryuichi. We're running late."

"But I have a busted ankle!"

Mitsuru stopped to look back at him with a smile. She waited patiently for him to catch up, then went his pace on their way to the train station. They started up a friendlier chat this time, speaking in hushed voices to let the other know how their battles went, and how they both had moments of panic whenever Fuuka announced that the other was injured or in trouble.

"You did what?" Mitsuru's voice darkened when Ryuichi proudly told her about how he turned a Magus' Megidolaon spell against the Shadows.

He realized his mistake and felt his blood freeze in his veins. "E-Everyone was pretty much out of energy!" he hastily reasoned. "I had to, uh, make sure we ended the battle as quickly as possible to protect everyone!"

Mitsuru glowered at him, making him sweat cold. A moment later, she let up and sighed.

"Next time, do it in a safer manner that puts you less at risk of getting killed," she advised.

"Uh, 'next time'?"

She looked to him with realization. "That's right; I've forgotten that we don't have to worry about Shadows anymore."

There was no doubt in their minds that they had prevented the Fall and put an end to the Dark Hour. Still, their short trek to the train station was riddled with the familiar Nyx symbols painted on buildings and sidewalks, and the flyers from cultists were still clogging up the gutters or stuck on lampposts. Ryuichi watched as city workers scooped up some of the sopping wet flyers from the streets, and a small boy on his way to school picked up some more flyers to give to them.

Astonishingly, there was a lack of the Lost around their neighborhood. It seemed to Ryuichi that their victory helped restore the Lost to normal until he spotted an individual swaying in an alley, sporting the familiar dead, gaping expression that haunted the city for the past year or so. Ryuichi paused briefly to stare at the young man, noticing that he was so sickly thin that his pasty skin looked to be wrapped around bare bone. He had the telltale sunken eyes, and his tattered clothes looked like they would fall apart at the slightest tug. He was so skinny that his ripped jeans had bunched up around his ankles, showing off his filthy boxer shorts that looked ready to drop right off of his bony hips.

"Are you okay?" Ryuichi asked the young man. He just kept staring up at the sun, hardly taking notice of him at all.

Mitsuru stepped up next to Ryuichi, looking upon the young man with pity. "It seems that our efforts weren't enough to save everyone," she said with regret.

"We don't know that yet," he told her. "Maybe it's one of those things that takes time."

His own words gave him little comfort as they continued onward to school. On the train, Mitsuru managed to secure seats for them both. Ryuichi sat with one arm hooked through both of his crutches, then rested that same arm on top of his school bag on his lap. Next to him, Mitsuru also held her bag on her lap, and the two of them were able to secretly hold hands during the short ride. It was a foolish risk, but as long as they were crammed tightly in the train car, they felt confident enough that no one would notice.

When they reached the school, Mitsuru went to Ryuichi's shoe locker first to help him change his shoes. Ryuichi quietly pointed out that people would definitely start talking if the student council president, who was also the president of the Kirijo Group, was seen helping him with such a menial task. Frustrated with her status, Mitsuru reluctantly agreed with his logic and went to her own shoe locker.

"Oh my gosh! Jun-chan!"

The girl next to Ryuichi turned and was immediately surrounded by teary-eyed girls who swarmed her with hugs.

"You're all better!" a girl with pigtails wept.

"We missed you so much!" another wailed.

"I-I'm fine," their friend told them, smiling.

"But, are you really okay to be here right now?"

"The doctor wanted me to stay a few more days for observation, but I feel fine."

"After almost a whole month?"

"What? A whole—I missed college entrance exams?"

It was her turn to cry. Ryuichi looked on with pity for the girl before turning back to change his shoes. Mitsuru had already finished and was back at his side, and when he nearly fell over trying to pull off his shoe, Mitsuru stepped in to help.

Upstairs in their classroom, they saw some familiar faces that they hadn't seen in weeks or months, having come down with Apathy Syndrome. One guy was swarmed by his friends, only for him to explain that he was out with the flu for only a week.

"It's like everyone's suddenly over their Apathy Syndrome," one of their classmates remarked.

"Not all of them," someone else replied. "I tried calling my friend earlier, but her mom answered and said that she was still sick."

Mitsuru turned around in her seat to look at Ryuichi with a woebegone expression. "I hope you're right that it will just take time for the Lost to make a full recovery," she said quietly to him.

Ryuichi frowned. "I hope so, too."

Homeroom started, and their teacher marveled at the return of some of the long-absent students. She noted that there were still a few empty desks in the room and wished them a speedy recovery before taking roll call.

The day carried on like usual. The teachers gave their lectures while the students were a mixture of diligence and indifference. Some of them hid their faces behind their books to send messages to friends in other classes or took naps. Ryuichi was among those napping, exhausted from lugging his bad ankle around on crutches and from last night's fierce battle. Mitsuru was among the students who focused on the lectures.

At lunch time, a student council member came up to Mitsuru to ask for her help with the preparations for graduation next month. Mitsuru glanced back at Ryuichi, who shrugged in response.

"We'll be there momentarily," Mitsuru told the student.

Ryuichi cocked an eyebrow at her. "Uh, 'we'?"

He ended up following her to the Student Council Room, where he was put to work filing papers while the actual members discussed all sorts of business for graduation. Mitsuru addressed decorations, programs, yearbooks, and several other things that Ryuichi missed when he started nodding off from boredom.

After the meeting, they still had enough time to grab something for lunch. Mitsuru instructed Ryuichi to wait for her either in the Student Council Room or in their classroom, but he followed her down to the little store just so they could spend a little more time together. Their meals consisted mostly of melon bread and a sandwich they shared, as it was all that the store had left. The bell rang shortly after, and Mitsuru let Ryuichi finish the last bit of melon bread.

They didn't get to talk much at all that afternoon. After school, Ryuichi was looking forward to walking home with Mitsuru until she told him she had work.

"But we can still drop you off at the dorm first," she said.

Ryuichi couldn't help but frown in disappointment. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked her. "You haven't even had a chance to rest after last night's battle."

"I'll be fine. Either way, I don't have the luxury to rest just yet."

"Well, you could have taken the day off," he pointed out with an impish grin.

She made a face. "I think not."

The car ride back to the dorm was too short to enjoy. They couldn't hold hands, nor could they speak too intimately, should the driver take notice of how close they were. Their discussions were kept limited to school, work, graduation, and more prodding from Ryuichi to try to get Mitsuru to take the rest of the day off.

"Just get plenty of rest today," Mitsuru said when they pulled up in front of the dorm.

"Uh, I was the one who wanted to skip school today, remember?" he reminded her with another grin.

It took almost everything he had to not lean in and peck Mitsuru on the cheek before he got out of the car. The most he could do was thank her for the ride and wish her a nice day at work before heading inside. The car didn't leave until he closed the dormitory doors behind him.

Nobody else was in the lounge when he arrived. There was no sound of Akihiko battering his punching bag, no Fuuka on the couch tapping away on her laptop, nor the laughter of Junpei while bugging Yukari. For all he knew, Ken and Koromaru were probably out on a walk, and Minato the same. Or perhaps, some of them had already returned to the dorm and were taking a well-deserved nap.

Ryuichi went straight to his room, where he changed his bandages and got too lazy to dress back up again. He wound up lying in bed for some time, still in awe that the day had come after their battle against Nyx, that they had all survived and now were free to live normal lives. He couldn't believe that in one month, he would be graduating and moving in with Mitsuru to continue working as her bodyguard. It all just seemed so far away still, but there he was, on the cusp of seeing it all happen.

"We really did it," he yawned as sleep took over. "We really kicked Nyx's ass."

He fell asleep to thoughts of his future with Mitsuru. Already he missed her, looking forward to her return and planning to welcome her back with a big hug—so long as the others weren't around to witness the act.

He awoke a few hours later, his room dark except for the light from the streetlamp across the street. He uttered a low groan when he felt the little twinges all over his body. The one that woke him up was his ankle when he tried to roll over and ended up bending it wrong.

"Dammit." Groggy, he sat up, pausing to scratch his head and sniffle. With a yawn, he tugged on jeans and a shirt, grabbed his crutches, and headed out, guided only by his hunger.

He was the only one in the lounge again. He figured it was a nice change, considering how noisy the others could be at times. If he really wanted to, he could have cooked something for dinner, but he wasn't in the mood to cook, nor did he want to risk making something his dorm mates might steal later.

His dinner consisted of rice and canned mackerel in a sweet and salty sauce, a meal that he had to admit was a bit of a letdown. It was way too sweet.

"No wonder it was on sale," he grunted through a mouthful of food.

Upstairs, a door opened and slammed shut. Ryuichi looked up from his bowl as someone came down the stairs. Their footsteps dropped heavily on each step with a laborious pause in between. After what felt like a long while, Minato passed by the kitchen and paused to yawn.

"Hey," Ryuichi called to him.

Minato turned around. "Oh hey, Senpai," he mumbled sleepily.

Seeing him yawn earlier made Ryuichi do the same. "Didja eat yet?"

"Not yet. Took a nap when I got home."

"Same here."

Minato turned back to the boys' washroom. "I'll eat later," he said, and stepped inside.

Ryuichi went back to his sad little dinner. Every now and then, he would gently put weight on his bad ankle to see if he could at least limp around a bit. He took a few steps around the kitchen, reluctant to go back to his food. When he couldn't ignore it anymore, he shoveled the last of his dinner into his mouth so he could clean up.

Minato returned from the bathroom when Ryuichi was washing his bowl. They acknowledged each other with a nod, and the junior headed back upstairs. Just as Ryuichi heard Minato's door shut, the front door opened, and Mitsuru entered with her face set into a frown.

"Welcome back," Ryuichi called to her as she crossed the lounge. "Work not treating you right?"

Mitsuru set her school bag down on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. "It's the same problem as always," she sighed. "An affiliate of ours refused to do business with me."

"That's kind of shitty of him."

She exhaled sharply through her nostrils. "It is, yes. He said very plainly that he would never do business with a woman, but didn't give a good reason why."

Ryuichi imagined himself punching the guy in the face. "Well, his loss," he murmured, turning back to rinse off his dishes. "Next time, just do business with someone he hates to make him realize his mistake."

"Oh? That might be clever enough to work."

"And fun," he added, and saw that she seemed to cheer up a bit. "If you can get him to grovel at your feet, then that should make it all better."

Another door opened and slammed upstairs. Akihiko came jogging down to the kitchen and headed for the pantry.

"Hey," he grunted to the two while searching for something to eat.

"Hey," they replied.

Ryuichi finished with his dishes and went to grab his crutches, seeing Mitsuru still watching him carefully.

"Um, are you hungry?" he asked her. Behind him, Akihiko started filling a bowl of instant noodles with boiling water.

She took up her bag. "No, I've already eaten," she replied. "However, I'm quite tired, so I think I'll just go to bed early."

"Yeah, I think I'll do the same."

Ryuichi hobbled out of the kitchen, taking notice of Mitsuru following him with her eyes. Having her stare at him with such intensity made him feel nervous.

"S'cuse me," Akihiko said as he slipped past Ryuichi. The other two watched as he plunked down on the sofa in the lounge and turned on the TV.

"Well, good night," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi.

"G'night," he replied, and watched her go. Sighing, he turned back to Akihiko, trying to not let his annoyance at the guy show on his face.


	114. Chapter 114

**Chapter 114**

The next day after school, Ryuichi decided to head over to Chagall Cafe for a visit. He hauled himself over to Paulownia Mall on his crutches, and just as he was passing by the fountain to the cafe, he heard a very listless version of a popular British Band's song called "Leave It Be" being sung by someone idly strumming an electric guitar. He wasn't off key, and the guitar playing wasn't terrible, but just having the shell of the song without the soul was enough to make Ryuichi cringe. Through the cafe windows, he could see that even the customers shuddered at the performance, with Eshima smiling in embarrassment as she served them their coffees.

When he entered the cafe, Eshima saw him and waved him over to the counter. Her forced smile was dropped in lieu of a look of concern.

"What happened to you?" she asked when she saw the bandages on his face and the crutches he used.

Ryuichi could only flash her a dumb grin and shrug. Just then, the performer strummed a dissonant chord that made Ryuichi and everyone in the cafe cringe. He turned around to see the musician stop in the middle of the song to try to find the right chord, hitting so many wrong ones before he went back and restarted the chorus.

Looking around, Ryuichi noticed that most of the tables were empty—a sight he was all too familiar with. The few patrons anchored to their seats were only there to not waste their tea and coffees, but most of them had contorted expressions that indicated that they desperately wanted to leave. One patron made his escape, abandoning his steaming cup of coffee without even touching it.

"I thought you found good people to play," Ryuichi murmured to Eshima so the musician wouldn't hear.

"They can only do evenings, so the afternoons are open, if you want them," she grunted under her breath. She looked him up and down. "So, are you going to tell me what happened to you this time?"

"Hey, Ryu-chan! Geez, you actually wear that hat to school?"

Shizue appeared next to him to put in some orders for some customers. Ryuichi shyly hid his battered face beneath the brim of his hat, but Shizue still saw the bandages on his face and gasped.

"What happened to your face?" She reached for his hat when the musician of the day yowled, trying to reach a high note. Everyone in the cafe cringed again, and the customers that Shizue just took orders from got up and left.

"Tell me you're here to play," his sister snarled at him.

Ryuichi backed away from Shizue. "Uh, sure?"

The performer started up another classic song with the same exhausted voice. Ryuichi realized right then that the guy was speaking the lyrics, not singing them. It was the only way he stayed "in tune" until he actually had to sing.

"So, when does his shift end?" Ryuichi asked Eshima.

She wrinkled her nose at the singer. "Right after this song."

After Eshima forced the guy to take a break so she could fire him, Ryuichi was thrust forward to play piano. The previous performer complained loudly to Eshima that he wasn't done with his shift, but Ryuichi's jaunty tune drowned him out. The few customers who endured the previous act now seemed to enjoy Ryuichi's performance, barely showing any indication that they could hear the other guy yelling while he packed up his guitar.

Ryuichi was still a little panicked from suddenly having to play without much chance to mentally prepare himself. His fingers fumbled over the first few notes, but he quickly focused on the music and lost himself in the song. Soon, he was addicted to performing and was eager to play another tune.

When he couldn't hear the other singer yelling anymore, he started playing songs that were normally upbeat and turned them into ballads for some easy listening. No one seemed to notice that he was playing a mellowed out version of the Phoenix Rangers opening thing, though he wished there was at least one person who caught it. He considered singing, but decided against it, only wanting to provide a relaxing environment for the customers without pressuring them to listen to him.

After playing for nearly two hours, Ryuichi found that his sister had already clocked out for the day and was waiting for him at one of the smaller tables. He picked up his pay from Eshima and joined Shizue for some of the tea and pastries she ordered.

"You got hit by another 'car' again, didn't you?" his sister shot point-blank at him as he leaned his crutches against the table. "A car named Sakai?"

Ryuichi lowered his face in shame.

"Gawd, Ryu-chan, how long are you going to let that guy bully you?"

"I'm not 'letting' him do it," he protested. "It's just that, he's got a lot of friends."

"So what? You've got legs, don't you? Just run!"

He gestured to his crutches to remind her of his sprained ankle. All she could do was sigh and pour him some tea.

Ryuichi managed to change the topic to their parents and Megumi. Shizue took a sip of tea, looking like she wasn't ready to let go of what her brother's bullies did to him. And yet, she couldn't help but spill everything that's been going on with their family, giving Ryuichi a chance to nibble on the cheese danish she bought for him.

"They're doing all right, and Dad and Megs have been bonding a lot since he and Mom have been watching her while I'm at work," she said as she picked off a piece of her gooey, chewy cookie. "Mom says Dad's been teaching Megs how to make a good rack of ribs."

"He really should do the food truck idea," Ryuichi sighed.

"I know, right? They totally have enough to get the truck! Honestly, though, I think Mom's starting to vote against it because she's the one who's going to end up cleaning it all the time."

Ryuichi recalled how his father would leave cleaning the restaurant to everyone, and then yell at them for not cleaning it properly. The memory of it wasn't one he was fond of.

"Good call, Mom," he said, and chased his danish with some tea.

Shizue couldn't stick around for long, as she had to go pick up Megumi at their parents' place. Ryuichi went straight home, exhausted from lugging himself around on his crutches all day. At the dorm, he dropped his bag off in his room before heading back out, feeling a little better now that his hand stopped cramping from trying to grip both crutch and bag. His armpits were still getting painfully tenderized while his arms ached, but at least he moved faster on his way to the nearby convenience store. For dinner, he picked up some curry rice and rice balls filled with salmon.

Back at the dorm, he saw a short girl with pale green hair sitting on the couch, working on her laptop. She glanced up briefly and flinched when she saw him, as if he had frightened her just by existing. She quickly looked away, and Ryuichi only shrugged, too tired to chat much anyway.

As he slipped into his room, the group of noisy juniors returned, with the irritated girl in pink, the goofy guy in the baseball cap, and the quiet boy who, despite looking tired all the time, always seemed to go along with whatever the other two did. They seemed to be a bit more friendly to one another this time, talking about the sudden return of a number of their classmates after weeks or months of illness.

"Must be nice, having a tight knit group like that," Ryuichi said quietly to himself before closing his bedroom door.

He munched idly on his cheap dinner, thinking about what it's like having a group of friends he could just hang out with without a care. Throughout his senior year, all he could remember was working at the restaurant and watching over his niece. He didn't have time for friends, sports, clubs, nor for himself.

He remembered how hard he worked to become the captain of the boys' kendo team, and what an arduous effort it took to earn the team's respect during his first year of high school. The guys grew to like him eventually, but ever since he quit the team to help his family, they all started treating him like he had abandoned them. They quickly distanced themselves from him, and he couldn't blame them, since he did ditch them right before their competition. Even Kenta, who he put in charge as the new captain, didn't exchange a word with him anymore.

Now that the restaurant had burned down, his parents were the ones watching over Megumi, and Ryuichi was left all on his own. It was all he wanted since the beginning of his senior year, but now he had no life and no friends to return to. It was too late to join kendo again, since he would be graduating in a month, and depending on whether or not he got into Kawaguchi University, he might not have a home. He could move in with his sister, but as much as possible, he thought it best to keep his distance from her, if only to keep the harmony between them and retain his sanity.

After finishing his dinner, Ryuichi played some songs on his keyboard to try to quell his prickling anxiety for the future. In his mind, the question of "What was it all for?" kept repeating, and he couldn't find an answer for it. He had given up much of his life last year to work at the family restaurant, only for it to burn down in a single night. And by a grease fire, no less! He had thought his father had enough sense to take care of his own restaurant, but then again, there was no glory to be made in cleaning. He just hoped that they didn't make the same mistake when the new restaurant was finally built.

The next day, Ryuichi could walk well enough that he could ditch his crutches. His aches weren't so bad, but he kept his morning workout light so as not to aggravate his injuries. The light exercises made him feel as though his body had been missing a decent workout, where he wanted to push himself a little harder. He couldn't remember when or why he started his workout regimen, but he suspected that Sakai had something to do with it.

After his workout, he took a shower and saw that he didn't really need to wear bandages anymore. The worst of his injuries just needed a bit of gauze taped over them, and the smaller ones had scabbed over. The cuts on his face, however, he kept covered up with some gauze even though they no longer bled. He didn't want to freak people out if they saw his cuts.

After dressing up in his uniform, he eyed his fedora sitting on his desk. He put it on and checked himself in the mirror, thinking about what his sister had said before. As much as he liked the hat, he tossed it back onto his desk.

"I guess it is kinda weird, huh?" he said to himself, and went to get breakfast.

He wasn't the first one in the lounge. A white dog with red eyes pawed at the front doors, pleading with a soft whine for Ryuichi to let him out. Ryuichi went around the front desk to get the door for him.

"Whose dog is that?" he murmured to himself as the dog cantered off down the street.

Just as he was about to close the door, a black car pulled up in front of the dorm, and out walked a tall foreign girl with short, blonde hair, watery blue eyes, and a pair of oversized red headphones over her ears. She wore the Gekkoukan High girls' uniform and smiled when she saw Ryuichi.

"Ryuichi-san," she greeted. "Good morning."

He blinked. "Uh, good morning," he replied uneasily. "Sorry, have we met before?"

She gasped, and anguish appeared on her scrunched up face. "No, I suppose not," she said, sorrow staining her voice. "Forgive me, I must be mistaken."

She pushed past him to get into the dorm and hurried up the stairs. Ryuichi stood there, staring after her, wondering if he had been too mean to her. He didn't know her, that's for sure, so why did she seem to know him?

The other residents started coming downstairs as Ryuichi prepared himself some breakfast. The sleepy junior and the quiet computer girl were among the first, neither speaking to each other beyond a mumbled "Good morning". Ryuichi greeted them both, and after exchanging some good mornings, they said nothing more.

Ryuichi noticed that the quiet girl was watching him carefully as he fried an egg. She gasped when he swirled it around in the pan, then flipped it without using a spatula. The yolk was still intact, and he let his finished egg slide onto his bowl of rice. When he broke the yolk, it was still delightfully runny inside.

After breakfast, Ryuichi headed for school and arrived earlier than he would have liked, unsure of what to do with all his spare time before homeroom. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember what he used to do whenever he had time to himself, having been so busy throughout the past year. College entrance exams were over, and finals wouldn't be for a few weeks. Either way, he didn't feel any desire to study anymore after burning himself out all year long.

He just sat at his desk quietly, keeping his head down while feeling oddly vulnerable. He suspected that his fedora offered him more protection than just from the sun and the cold weather, where his head was left exposed for all to behold. Keeping his head down, he found the school's fluorescent lights too bright for his eyes. That dumb hat had kept him in darkness for too long.

"Good morning, Okazaki."

He looked up and felt his heart throb in his throat. Mitsuru Kirijo nodded to him as she took her seat in front of his desk.

"G-Good morning, Mitsuru-san!" he squeaked, tingling with excitement.

The blood rushed to his face as he sat there, helpless to do anything more than look like a blushing idiot while trying to avert his gaze. Everywhere he looked, he would still see Mitsuru's wavy, wine red hair in his sights, even when he put his face down to question whether or not he had been too familiar by calling her by her name. He figured he should have called her "Kirijo" or "Kirijo-san" to show her the respect she deserved, but somehow, neither felt right at all.

 **End of Arc 5**


	115. Chapter 115

**Arc 6**

 **Chapter 115**

Over the next few days, Chagall Cafe became incredibly busy from customers wanting to hear the new musicians perform. Ryuichi went in almost every day after school, finding Eshima and the rest of the staff too busy serving customers and preparing their orders to be able to chat, even for a few seconds. The cafe filled up even more by the time Ryuichi's shift ended, and the violinist with the exorbitant motions would draw in such a crowd that a line began to form outside.

It took Ryuichi some time to grow accustomed to performing for such a large audience again. Before every shift, his fingertips would run cold and stiffen from nervousness, making the songs twitchy and uneven with some notes sticking out where they shouldn't, others too soft to hear, and most of them with the wrong timing. The way he played now was painfully familiar to how he sounded after nearly losing his arm in his second year of high school. His old fear of not being able to play again returned to haunt him, but slowly, he was able to rebuild his confidence by forcing himself to keep playing.

Usually by the second song, he felt comfortable enough that he actually wanted to keep playing. He would start to enjoy himself, taking comfort in the thought that most of the customers would be more focused on their conversations and hot beverages than his music. He even saw some high school students among the crowds with a few of them from Gekkoukan High, and all the ones he saw were laughing it up with friends.

Each time he performed, he hoped that a certain someone would come in through the doors to listen to him play. And every day he played, she never came. At least he was getting in plenty of practice, so he figured he was preparing to play in top condition for her arrival. There was always the chance that she wouldn't come, but he kept hanging on to the fantasy, hoping that it would come true someday soon.

"You still play the saxophone, don't you?" Eshima asked him on Friday after paying him. "Do you think you could bring it in tomorrow?"

He barely had time to utter a "Sure!" before she had to run off to make more coffee.

The next day, Ryuichi brought his saxophone to school and noticed Mitsuru looking at its case with interest as he cross in front of her desk to get to his seat. They exchanged greetings in passing, and Ryuichi found himself smiling bigger than necessary from her acknowledgement. He set his saxophone case down in front of his desk and let his feet rest on top.

"Is that your saxophone?"

He turned to see Shiori standing at his elbow, eyeing the case.

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "My boss asked me to play it for the customers starting today."

In front of him, Mitsuru picked her head up slightly as Shiori smiled at him.

"That's so cool!" Shiori exclaimed. "I'll bring some of the girls after practice. Will you still be playing then?"

"Probably? I play until four today."

"Oh, then maybe I'll try to cut practice a little short today. Not like we have a competition or anything."

Ryuichi's leg started to quake. "Okay, um, sure," he said nervously. "I guess I'll see you then."

"Awesome! We'll come by as soon as we can!"

He was grateful that she wanted to see him perform, but at the same time, he felt pressured to perform well in front of someone he knew. And now she was bringing the girls' kendo team, too? He just hoped the twenty minutes of practice he did the previous night was enough to get him to perform well.

After school, he went straight to Chagall Cafe, where he first had a hurried lunch of half a tuna sandwich and some tea before setting up his alto sax and his mp3 player for his accompaniment. His skin prickled with anticipation for Shiori and the other girls, where he started hoping that they would be too late to watch him play.

He decided to split his time between the sax and the piano in half-hour increments, starting with the sax. Someone left the cafe doors wide open, letting the music drift out into the mall to attract more customers out enjoying their Saturday afternoon. After two songs, the cafe was nearly full to capacity.

Unlike the piano, Ryuichi now had to face his audience while he played his saxophone. Students, the elderly, adults—so many of them stared at him, some with smiles, others with bitter looks that he hoped were just of indifference or accidental disapproval. Looking at them made him yearn for his fedora, where he could have at least had some cover so that he wasn't awkwardly staring back at everyone.

He tried closing his eyes. All it did was make him feel even more anxious, still feeling the customers' eyes observe as he became intimate with every song he played. Ryuichi silently cursed his sister for making him feel dorky in his fedora, but he knew that he wouldn't have the courage to wear it in public again.

He ended up playing on his sax longer than he intended. Since the music attracted so many customers, Eshima asked him to play two or three more songs before switching to piano, at least until the lunch rush died down. There was still no sign of Shiori or the girls' kendo team, to which he hoped meant that Shiori forgot about him.

The girls' kendo team arrived about ten minutes after he had switched over to the piano. He could see the disappointment on their faces when they saw that he wasn't playing the saxophone. One of them even looked a little angry, making him worry that she might attack him with her shinai.

He dismissed the angry girl when another large group of Gekkoukan High girls entered the cafe. He gasped when he saw Mitsuru among them, the only one not carrying a sports bag or fencing epees. It was when his gaze connected with Mitsuru's look of intrigue that his fingers nearly fumbled on the keys. He flinched and quickly turned back around, hunching low at the piano. He could still feel Mitsuru's stare on him.

When his curiosity pricked at him again, Ryuichi mustered up the courage to turn and look to see the fencing team all squished in the booths near the entrance behind the table where Shiori and her group sat. He saw Shiori wave at him, to which he acknowledged with a nod before looking back down at the keys.

He kept his focus on the song, fighting hard not to panic now that he had not only two girls' sports team watching him, but Mitsuru of all people! His entire body went rigid, making his songs come out more forced from pure nervousness. He steadied his breath as he transitioned to another song, his fingers slightly loosening up to play a random, twinkly little tune to connect one song to the next. When he was ready, he began to play "Kiss of the Rain".

Beyond Shiori's shoulder, he could just see out of the corner of his eye that Mitsuru was the only one at her table who was watching him, listening carefully while the other girls whispered jokes and stories to one another. Even when he looked away, he could still feel Mitsuru's gaze on him, somehow familiar and not as frightening as he thought it would be. It was more like a comforting hand on his shoulder, full of reassurance and encouragement. Her stoic expression warmed up as the song progressed.

"Psst! Ryuichi-kun!"

Near the end of the song, Eshima gestured to his saxophone to play again. He obeyed, choosing some of the smooth jazz renditions of the songs he prepared for the culture festival that never had a chance to be heard, thanks to the typhoon that hit.

He stood before the audience and saw a cafe full of eyes staring at him. Swallowing hard, he kept his head low and closed his eyes while he played. The velvety sound in his ears helped him to gradually forget that he was playing for an audience, even though he knew his classmates were there. Every time he dared to open his eyes, he looked to the groups of girls, but it was Mitsuru's appreciative smile that made him tremble and tense up all over again.

When his shift was over, Ryuichi hastily packed up his horn and went to collect his pay from Eshima. She only had enough time to thank him and hand off the little envelope of cash to him before having to rush around to fill more orders. On his way out, he saw Mitsuru leave the cafe, and some of the girls on the fencing team followed. Saddened by her departure, Ryuichi put on a smile and went to thank Shiori and the rest of the girls who came to see him.

"You were really good!" Shiori told him, and the rest of the girls on the kendo team echoed their praises.

"Oh, um, it really wasn't much," he shyly murmured.

"It was great!"

"You should be in the Jazz Club!"

"I wish we'd come sooner!"

He thanked them again, bowing, grateful that not only did they support him, but their presence also earned him a sizeable bonus. They didn't need to know about that, though.

"Ryuichi-kun, would you like to join us for karaoke?" Shiori asked him, her eyes bright with hope.

"Yeah! Join us!"

"You can sing a duet with Shiori-chan!"

"It'll be fun!"

Ryuichi waved them off. "Sorry, but I really need to be heading home now," he said, his guilt making his stomach churn when he saw their disappointed faces. "Again, thank you all for coming."

As he exchanged good-byes, he back out of the cafe and left just in time to see Shizue on her way in.

"Done already?" she asked, frowning. "Aw, I missed out on you playing!"

"Sorry," he said. "But, I'll be back on Monday."

"I don't get to work until six on Monday. Tuesday?"

"I have Tuesday off."

"Then, Wednesday?"

"That should be okay, I think? I don't start until four."

"That works for me."

She gave him a look like she was going to ask about his lack of fedora. Ryuichi was ready to remind her that she complained about it when she said something totally different.

"By the way, Megumi misses her favorite uncle," Shizue told him with a sigh. "She refuses to sleep unless I play her one or two boy band songs."

Ryuichi grinned proudly. "I've taught her well."

She playfully smacked his arm. "But seriously, come visit sometime."

"Sure. Just tell me when you're free."

With empty promises to come visit, Ryuichi went on his way. He stopped by the grocery store to buy whatever he needed to make enough curry rice to last him for a couple of days. He also bought some bread, with plans to flatten out a few slices and making little pockets with the curry as filling. He could already imagine rolling the little curry pockets in some beaten eggs and coating them with a light layer of panko breading for a nice crunch. After dinner, all the leftovers went into a large container and into the refrigerator. He planned to make the curry bread for lunch the next day.

After dinner, he took a bath and sat there in the tub, examining all his scars within his sights. He had seen them many times before, but looking at them now, he noticed that some of them looked like his skin had been torn open by an animal's claws or talons. There were star-shaped ones that he pretended were from gunshot wounds, and the two centimeter long line to the left of his naval he imagined was from an epic stab wound, where he liked to think that he was protecting someone. Then again, he wasn't cool enough for anything like that.

He touched the thin line that circled around his right bicep. He found it strange that, even though he nearly lost his arm in a car accident in his second year of high school, the cut was startlingly clean instead of ragged or ripped. It took him a good portion of his senior year trying to restore dexterity in his fingers, remembering how sad Eshima was that he couldn't play at the cafe anymore. But now that it was all better, he was happy to share his music with others again.

He blinked. "Wait, is that right?" he asked himself, questioning his thoughts just then.

There was something about his memories just then that didn't feel authentic somehow, where the daydreams felt more real to him. He shook the thought away, figuring that the car crash had been so traumatic that it was just too unreal for him.

The next morning after his workout, he went to have breakfast and saw that all of his curry was gone. The empty container was left in the sink along with a few dirty bowls, all of which seemed to have been there since last night.

"Huh." He just stood there, gawking at the death of his plans for curry bread.

He set to work washing just the container, leaving the dishes behind. He was furious with the other residents, wanting so badly to teach them a hard lesson. As he plotted his revenge, he couldn't decide if he wanted to make the curry extra spicy next time, or if he should put a bunch of laxatives instead. He hated the thought of wasting food if they couldn't eat more than one bite, but he thought that laxatives might be too evil.

Of course, how else would they learn? When he finished washing the container, he opened the pantry to find that he was already missing a third of his loaf of bread.

Un. Forgivable. Ryuichi stared at the violated loaf, already stripped of its curry filling and now desecrated by complete strangers. Monsters! Heathens! Utter filth, among a few more colorful words he used in his head.

He opened the refrigerator again and saw very little there. There were lots of leftover condiment packets from fast food places, a mayonnaise bottle squeezed to near oblivion, a half-full ketchup bottle, five eggs, and a mysterious, foul-smelling opaque container that he was sure had been there since the start of last year. He made an egg sandwich with mayonnaise and ketchup and used a paper towel as a plate.

And then, there was nothing to do. He didn't have work on Sunday, and his homework wasn't due until Wednesday. He had all day to do whatever he liked: he could play video games all day, wander around the city, work on some new songs, plan out his revenge on the other residents, maybe even visit his family.

He decided to just stay in for the day. Pants off, video games on, and the day was all his. No one called him on his cell phone, no one knocked at his door, no one—

No one. Not one. Whenever his game came to a loading screen, he checked his cell phone for any calls or texts. Nothing. No one on the kendo team, no one from his class, not even his family to say even a little "Hi" or anything. It was as though the world had ended, and he was the only person left alive. He would like to believe that, and not that he was just terrible at making friends, but there was no denying it: he had nobody.

"That's okay," he told himself as he continued to make his character run across the countryside. "If you make friends now, you'll just get sad when you all go away to college and never see each other again. Then what would be the point? You're graduating in less than a month."

He paused his game. Why was he being so negative? Because his dorm mates ate his food? In all fairness, he wasn't earning enough to feed a whole dorm, and they could have at least asked him first. Though, he didn't have to make friends with _those_ people, now that he thought about it. The jerks.

Just as he turned back to his game, he remembered that he had laundry that he absolutely had to get done. He had to lug his full hamper all the way upstairs to the fifth floor to the laundry room, throw everything in the wash, and about forty-five minutes later, hang everything up on the roof. When his laundry was hung up to dry, he headed back to his room and returned to his video games, but felt as though he should be doing something more for the day, like he should go out for a change.

When he arrived at the strip mall, the first place he wanted to visit was Bookworms. The moment he saw the elderly couple inside, he instantly felt guilty, knowing that he was only raising their expectations of him buying something. All he wanted to do was browse the books for fun, since he didn't have the luxury to buy anything.

Book On would've given him the chance to browse and read all the manga he wanted, but the more he looked around, the more he realized that he just wasn't in the mood to read anything.

Instead, he took notice of all the other customers enjoying their Sunday afternoon in the company of another. It seemed like everyone had someone to spend the day with, where it didn't matter what it was they did as long as they had each other. The more he watched such people, the more he felt as though he was missing that same joy.

"What am I even doing?" Ryuichi bitterly asked himself. "How can I miss something I never had in the first place?"

He had more important things to worry about, anyway. Since his visit to the strip mall was a failure, he started back for the dorm. On the way there, he busied himself with what he should have for dinner that night. Spaghetti came to mind, and by the time he reached the dorm, he walked right past it to continue on to the grocery store.

While he wandered the aisles, he seriously considered getting some laxatives to mix into the whole batch of spaghetti. He knew he should probably talk to the other residents first instead of making them waste perfectly good pairs of undies, but why bother going through the whole process when he could skip to revenge and lessons learned?

That night, he made a whole party tray of spaghetti with extra spicy sauce. The spice was hotter than he would have liked, but it came out tasting pretty good. If it worked, he got a whole tray of spaghetti to last him for a number of meals. If it failed, he would likely find a whole tray of his spaghetti thrown out from the others not being able to eat it. He put a little warning sign on it, telling the others to not eat it, not caring too much if they did.

 _"Don't eat my food!"_ he wrote on a sticky note, and slapped it on top of the foil. It was their only warning he was willing to give.

He wanted to see if they would still dare to eat the spaghetti even after he put the note on it. He left his bedroom door wide open to listen for the rattle of plates, the tinkle of flatware, and quite possibly the screams and yelps of the offenders, all to the sweet melody of the songs he would be playing on his keyboard, both for practice and his enjoyment.

The front door opened. He couldn't see who it was but kept on playing, eagerly awaiting to see if it could be his first victim. He strained to hear the sound of dishes being taken out, trying to play a little quieter so as not to make it obvious that he was listening.

Instead, Mitsuru poked her head into his room. He freaked out, glancing down quickly to make sure he remembered to have pants on.

"Uh, h-hi," he greeted meekly, his hands still somehow playing.

"Good evening," she said, taking a step inside his room. "I'm sorry for the intrusion. I heard you playing and thought it sounded beautiful."

A tremendous pressure built up in his head as all his blood rushed to his face. "Oh, um, it's really not that good," he said shyly.

"There's no need to be so modest." She was smiling now. "You played beautifully at the cafe yesterday."

His head felt like it was about to explode. His face hurt from smiling so hard. "Thank you for coming by."

"It was my pleasure. To be honest, the girls from the fencing team dragged me to Chagall Cafe because they claimed to want to discuss a little send-off party for the seniors. Personally, I think they just wanted to listen to you play."

"Oh."

So she hadn't come to listen. That didn't change the fact that he saw her watching him so intently.

"I might have enjoyed the music more than our discussion," she admitted with a small chuckle. "You used to play back in middle school, correct? You've improved immensely since then."

She was heaping on so many compliments that he wasn't sure if he could handle it all. "Thank you," he replied in a small voice, somehow still playing without missing a note. "Um, so, how was your day? Enjoy a nice quiet Sunday at home?"

Mitsuru took a few more steps into his room, just enough to maintain her distance from him. "I wish I could say so," she sighed. "I had some difficulties with a client."

"Yeah? Tell me about it."

She looked delighted to do so, but hesitated. "Perhaps another time," she told him instead. "I would hate to bother you with my griping."

"It's really no trouble," he said kindly. "Everyone could use a vent buddy every now and then."

"True, but as Student Council President—"

"You would probably need a vent buddy more than others."

Mitsuru stared at him, her eyes big and appearing awestruck. Ryuichi just kept playing, his heart pounding in his head as he silently scolded himself for being so insistent.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I think I will have to take you up on your offer another time," she ended up telling him. "Thank you for the lovely song. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you."

He actually spoke to her! And it wasn't just a simple "Good morning" for a change! They actually talked, and she took interest in his music! And all because—

"What the hell is this?"

"I-It's so hot!"

"Water! I need water!"

When he leaned out the door, he saw the sleepy guy, the girl in pink, and the boy in the blue cap shoving one another's glass out of the way to get water from the faucet. All were yelling, desperate for relief. Ryuichi had to duck back inside, shaking with laughter until his face hurt and his sides ached. At least that made up for his flub with Mitsuru.


	116. Chapter 116

**Chapter 116**

The next morning, Ryuichi expected to have a heaping bowl of spicy spaghetti, only to discover that there was only enough to fill a single bowl. He found the rest of the spaghetti in the trash, all most likely discarded after just one bite. There were many more bowls in the sink adding to the previous night's dishes, not one washed, and there weren't any left for him to use to have breakfast.

"I give up," he groaned, and ate the little that was left straight from the container, hungering for more.

During class that Monday, Ryuichi's teachers reminded the students that exams were coming up by the end of the month. It would be their last ever exams for their high school career, and some of the students jokingly pleaded to have exams cancelled, since the college entrance exams should be counted as such.

"And if you should fail the college entrance exams, shall I fail you, too?" their teacher asked. No one else protested after that.

That's right: college entrance exam results were going to be posted that Sunday. Ryuichi had been too afraid to check his answers after taking the exam, not having any idea of how well he did. His fear grew within him, making his knees shake and his hands run cold as he tried to plan out the possible outcomes. If he passed—Fantastic! He could just take a part-time job to help pay for his tuition.

Failure on the other hand was going to be difficult. There was no way he was going to move back in with his parents. He thought that maybe he could do what his sister did and rent a room in a house somewhere. He seriously considered asking his sister if there was any more room at her place, but didn't think he would want to live under the same roof as her.

His classmates seemed to share similar anxieties. Between classes, some of them sounded confident that they had passed their exams, as they had checked their answers long ago. Others put their heads down and groaned.

And then there was the bunch who eagerly chatted about Valentine's Day coming up that same Sunday, with guys hoping to receive chocolate and girls whispering to one another to find out if they were planning to give chocolate to any guys. The girls sounded like they were all just going to give chocolate to one another, and the usual flood of chocolates would undoubtedly go to Mitsuru, just like it did every year.

After school, Ryuichi had to hang back for cleaning duties, surprised to see Mitsuru also helping out despite everyone knowing that she had to be busy as the new head of her family's company. She took the lead in assigning tasks to the other students, and for once, Ryuichi didn't get put on the toilet team.

"Okazaki, could you help me move this, please?" Mitsuru asked of him as she motioned to the teacher's desk.

Together, they picked it up and moved it aside to let those with brooms sweep. They helped move the rest of the desks to the back of the room to allow the broom and mop teams clean the middle and front first, then moved everything to the front to clean the back, as well. Ryuichi knew that their classmates wouldn't have bothered moving the desks twice, had Mitsuru not been there to direct them accordingly.

"Man! Girls are nasty!" Shiori griped as she returned from cleaning the washroom. "Ryuichi-kun, you won't believe what I had to clean in the sink!"

"I really don't wanna know," he moaned.

She shrugged. "Fair enough. Hey, after this, you wanna grab something to eat?"

After her fun discovery in the girls' toilet? "Sorry, but I have work after this," he said apologetically.

Shiori smiled despite his decline. "Oh, right. Okay, maybe some other time?"

"Maybe, yeah. Sorry."

"No problem!"

In truth, he wished he could go. For one thing, he was getting tired of eating the same things every day at the cafe, and for another, he missed just hanging out with friends. Shiori had always been nice and was perhaps the only one at school who ever bothered to talk to him anymore. She reminded him of Shizue before she became the untamable person she was in high school, the fun sister he once looked up to.

The next day, Shiori had kendo practice while Ryuichi had the day off from work. He had hoped that they could hang out for a change, but once again, he had another afternoon with only his own company. Having so much time to himself was started to get stale.

He stopped by the bank to make a withdrawal. When he asked to see the balance, he gasped so hard that saliva flew to the back of his throat. He coughed uncontrollably, astonished by how much he had in his account.

"This isn't an error, is it?" he asked, showing the teller.

She checked for him. "That's the correct amount," she confirmed for him.

It couldn't be. Ryuichi left the bank, staring at the little piece of paper in his hand. He had more than enough to get him through college. Hell, he had enough to buy himself a house! The idea was ludicrous, of course, as he couldn't just run around spending all his money on pleasurable things. He glumly realized that the wisest thing he could do was save his money and either move into the dorms at Kawaguchi or straight into his own apartment—and that was if he passed his entrance exams. Though, the idea of having his own apartment did offer the security of his food not being stolen ever again.

But, there was one thing he realized he wouldn't be able to do once they all graduated, regardless of whether or not he made it into college: he wouldn't see Mitsuru anymore. For twelve years he sat behind Mitsuru in class, never understanding how or why that was even possible, but it was the best seat he could ever hope for. And now with graduation looming closer each day, it was really starting to hit him hard that he would never see her again.

He dragged his feet to the grocery store to pick up some food, mostly small things he could stash away in his own miniature refrigerator in his room. He bought sliced ham, cheese, more bread, mayonnaise, tomatoes, Italian dressing, and a bag of pre-shredded lettuce, since he couldn't fit a whole head of it in his dinky little fridge.

At home, he constructed a beast of a sandwich, with a third slice of bread in the middle dampened with Italian dressing. He cut the thing in half diagonally and took a bite, almost having to unhinge his jaw from the sheer thickness of the thing.

Someone knocked at his door, something he wasn't used to. He opened the door to find Mitsuru standing there, holding a notebook and pencil bag in her hands. How charming he must look with crumbs and a glob of mayo on his face and his mouth full of sandwich!

"Hai," he managed to say throatily through his food.

"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?" she asked, staring at the sandwich more than at his face.

He chewed rapidly then swallowed, feeling a hard bit of toasted bread claw at his throat on the way down. "N-Not at all," he choked. He ducked back inside his room to grab a tissue so he could wipe his face. "Um, what's up?"

Mitsuru took a few steps into his room and held up her notebook. "I was wondering if I could borrow your notes for our history class," she said. "I missed the first part of the lecture when I stepped out to answer a phone call."

He pushed aside all the sandwich ingredients to clear a spot at his desk for her. He gave her his notes and pulled out his desk chair so she could copy what he had. When she set to work, all Ryuichi could do was sit on his bed and silently tell himself that it was no big deal having his long-time crush there. In his room. Sitting in his chair. Copying his notes. She just needed something, and he had the means of helping her out. Dreams do come true!

"What an intriguing sandwich," she remarked when she saw the other half still on the plate.

"Wanna give it a try?" he offered, pushing the plate towards her.

"Oh, no, that's all right," she said, though she kept glancing at the half he was still eating. "Are there three slices of bread in there?"

He nudged the plate again. "If you press it down first, it'll be easier to eat," he insisted.

She took his advice, and a little mayonnaise and Italian dressing oozed out. She delicately lifted the squished sandwich, taking care to keep it hovering over the plate as she took a small bite from a corner. A hand flew up to her mouth as she savored the taste.

"Très bien," she marveled. "Though I must say, it's reminiscent of one of the sandwiches I would have with tea. That's Italian dressing in the center, isn't it?"

"You can tell?" he asked, amazed she detected it. "See, the secret is to let the Italian dressing soak into the middle slice of bread."

Mitsuru looked to him with amusement in her eyes. "Interesting, as it's not overpowering the other ingredients. I'm impressed."

He could have died happy right then. "How about I make some tea, then?"

While he prepared the tea, Mitsuru copied down the parts of the lesson she missed. She flipped through his notes, chuckling at some of the little jokes he put to help him remember a few things that wouldn't stick in his brain. She even added some of them to her notes.

"I think I might recall this easier because of the little quips you added," she said when he set her steaming cup down. "Not that I would need to know about history anymore, of course."

"Because there's no history needed in a business major when you go to college?" Ryuichi asked, settling down on his bed.

"Well, no." She closed both of their notebooks, sporting a wistful smile on her face. "Since my father passed away, I have become the new head of my family's company, and so I won't have time for college."

"You won't?"

"I'm afraid not."

Ryuichi got the sense that she wanted to go, feeling badly for her. "You took the exam, though, didn't you?" he asked her.

"I did, though out of formality," she told him. "I thought I might want the experience of it, even though I wouldn't be able to attend university afterward."

"Sorry to hear that. But, you would've done the whole university experience, like living in the dorms and joining clubs and all that?"

"Indeed. Although, I might have gotten an apartment, or perhaps a small house near campus."

Her cell phone rang. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" she said as she stepped out to answer the call.

While she was out, Ryuichi began to clean up his desk. He wiped away crumbs, tossed some trash, and had just finished putting ingredients into his little refrigerator when Mitsuru returned.

"I've just been told that my meeting later today has been cancelled," she announced with a relieved smile.

He grinned up at her. "Great! Now you can just relax the rest of the day, right?"

"For now, yes."

She took a look around his room. "This might be strange for me to say, but something about your room feels familiar," she admitted to him. "It's a tranquil feeling, where I just feel so at peace."

He blushed. "You think so?"

"I do." She wandered over to the shelf packed with DVDs. "Though, wouldn't you have been more comfortable if you had a room upstairs on the boys' floor? This was only supposed to be a temporary set up, if I recall."

"I actually prefer this room," he told her as he went to sit back down on his bed. "I don't have to deal with noisy neighbors and I get my own bathroom. Plus, the kitchen is just right there."

"All the advantages that anyone could hope for," she chuckled. "I'm almost envious. Almost every morning, I wake up to someone using a punching bag in the room below mine."

"You mean the boxing captain guy? You lived with that for three years?"

"It feels like far longer than that."

Mitsuru stuck around, chatting with Ryuichi animatedly over tea. They reminisced over their number of years of living in the dorm, their grievances, their fun times, and Ryuichi even let her in on the recent food stealing incidents.

"They stole your food?"

"Yeah! So I had to make extra spicy spaghetti to get them back!" he exclaimed, making her gasp.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know for sure. They threw most of it out, but I don't know if they're going to try to steal anything else I cook. I even put a little note on it this time. Guess that didn't work."

Mitsuru sat back in the desk chair, arms crossed and one leg over the other. "Unbelievable. Though, one way to look at it would be that your cooking was irresistible," she concluded.

He shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal. "Well, they're just lucky this time that I decided not to put laxatives," he said indignantly.

Her eyes bugged out. "You would do that?"

"If they steal my food again, yeah." Ryuichi regretted saying such a thing as he poured himself some more tea. "I wouldn't mind as much if I actually knew them, but they don't even ask. That's why I bought all this stuff, since it's small enough to fit in my fridge. They can't reach it if it's locked up in here."

Mitsuru slowly nodded. "This is an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately," she told him. "I can arrange to have a meeting tonight with everyone in the dorm so we can talk about this series of thefts."

"Nah, that's not necessary."

"Why not?"

He lowered his teacup from his lips. "Well, I don't want to cause any trouble, for starters," he insisted. "I've already caused you trouble by bringing it up at all. I just thought it would be a funny story to tell."

"It's no trouble for me," she reassured him. "We still have until the end of March before we have to move out. I'm sure you might grow tired of sandwiches by then."

He chuckled. "You're talking to someone who brought burgers and sandwiches for lunch every single day for years and never got tired of it. Rice is almost foreign to me."

"Every day?"

"Well, my parents didn't have time to cook a normal lunch for me, so they would prepare something from the restaurant the previous night and I'd find it ready for me in the fridge the next morning. That's probably why I used to be kinda chubby."

Mitsuru still didn't look convinced. She now had a hard stare in her one visible eye that made Ryuichi shiver.

"Just, don't go putting anything too devastating into any future dishes the others might consume, will you?" she asked with a sigh.

As much as he would have liked to see what would happen if their dorm mates ate more of his food laced with laxatives, Ryuichi hesitantly said "Yeah, okay", which seemed to appease her for the time being.

Mitsuru looked at the time on her cell phone. "It seems that I've overstayed my welcome," she said, starting for the door. "I don't know why I ended up telling you so much about my life. I'm sorry for dropping in just to complain."

He waved it off. "I actually enjoyed our chat," he said, beaming. "And like I said, everyone needs to vent sometime, right?"

"Right." Her warm smile made his stomach flutter. "Thank you, Okazaki, for the notes, the tea, and the nice chat."

"Anytime," he said, smiling. "Feel free to stop by again."

After he closed the door behind her, he stood there, feeling as if he needed to catch his breath. Talking with Mitsuru and sharing a few chuckles with her felt oddly natural, as if they had done so before, many times over. He wished she could have stayed longer, but she was a busy person, and he didn't want to trouble her when she was already getting slammed with school and work. She did seem to enjoy herself, though, which gave him hope.

He glanced back at his desk and smiled. She had eaten the entire second half of his behemoth sandwich.


	117. Chapter 117

**Chapter 117**

After work the next day, Ryuichi and Shizue both went to their parents' house to celebrate their mother's birthday. The house smelled of party foods, all Ayumi's favorites, from stir fried noodles to sukiyaki to a nice miso soup with leafy vegetables, green onions, and bits of tofu. And of course, Toshio prepared barbecue ribs and some burgers, along with a whole mess of other foods, enough to feed at least twenty people. Ryuichi presented his mother with the birthday cake he baked himself: a light mocha cake with shards of toffee on top with some chocolate shavings.

The Okazaki family all sat down at the kitchen table, feasting on the food that Toshio made with Ayumi. Ryuichi let Shizue eat first, taking a turn at watching over Megumi and feeding her while the others filled their plates with food. Everyone was in high spirits, and the house was filled with laughter for a change. Ryuichi never thought he would ever see the day when his family could coexist in peace under one roof.

"So Mom, what did you do on your special day?" Shizue asked their mother.

"Cooking and cleaning, of course," she said jovially. "But it was worth it, having everyone here like this. It feels like it's been so long since we were all together again."

"When was the last time, anyway?" Toshio sat trying to answer his own question.

"Wasn't it when we were all helping Shizue move?" Ryuichi asked.

"Oh, yeah, huh!" Shizue tore a hunk of meat from a rib. "So, how's the new restaurant coming along?"

"We're still trying to finalize a design, but so far, it looks so much nicer than before," their mother gushed.

"It's a good thing we built the first one on that old gas station, right?" Toshio said with hearty glee. "We didn't have a lot of money back then to expand the old place, but now we can use all that extra room on the lot to make a bigger restaurant and put a patio outside for anyone who wants good weather with good food!"

"Whoa! You have enough to do that?"

"We do, thanks to our wonderful investor!"

Ryuichi wiped some baby food from Megumi's mouth. "Yeah? Who's that?" he asked.

His family went eerily silent on him. When he looked up, he saw them all staring agape at him, all with what he was sure was murder in their eyes.

"That's not very funny, Ryu-chan," Shizue hissed.

Ayumi's face softened. "Oh! So it was a joke!"

"A joke?" echoed Toshio, looking as confused as Ryuichi. "Mitsuru-san's help is nothing to joke about, son."

He gasped when he heard Mitsuru's name. Fearing that having his parents lecture him might ruin his mother's birthday, Ryuichi quickly let out a dumb chuckle and hoped for the best.

"I-It really was just a joke!" he said quickly as he began to perspire. "There's, uh, no way I'd forget something like that!"

Shizue let out a sigh. "And here I was starting to think that Sakai hit you a little too hard this time."

"Sakai?"

"Did he hurt you again?"

"Get me the phone! I'll give his mother a talking to about that boy of hers!"

"No, Mom! It's fine! I'm okay!"

His family was in an uproar, demanding to know what happened. Shizue told them that Ryuichi came into Chagall Cafe last week with crutches and cuts on his face, saying that Sakai and his friends had beaten him up again. Ryuichi just sat there helplessly, first lost about Mitsuru investing in the new restaurant and now not even remembering getting beaten up at all.

"Son, I know you're trained to fight, but if it's five against one, you should run," Toshio said firmly to Ryuichi. "It doesn't matter how strong you are if you're outnumbered."

"Yes, Dad," was all Ryuichi could say, thinking that kendo didn't exactly qualify him to be "trained to fight".

Next to him, Shizue kept flashing him apologetic looks, and when she leaned over to get some yakisoba, she whispered "Sorry" to him while the lecture about encountering his bullies continued on.

"It's a good thing Mitsuru-san got those boys kicked out of your school after they tried to drown you," Ayumi said, shaking her head. "She's done so much for us. I can only wish we could repay her somehow."

Ryuichi couldn't believe that his family was better friends with Mitsuru than he was. He sat there dumbfounded until Shizue took the little jar of baby food from him to let him have a turn to eat.

"Well, since we're making a party platter in honor of her late father, then how about we make Mount 'Murica Two into Mount Mitsuru?" Toshio suggested.

"Don't you dare, Dad!" Shizue hissed at him. "No girl would ever want to have a giant burger named after her!"

"Why not? It'll be unconquerable!"

"Just don't, Dad!"

Sighing, Ayumi looked to her son and smiled. "Just take good care of Mitsuru-san, all right?" she said to him. "And maybe treat her to a nice lunch every now and then."

His mother had that familiar twinkle in her eye that she always got whenever there was a lovely girl involved. Seeing it now made Ryuichi's face burn.

"And take her someplace nice, will you?" Shizue added. "You don't wanna be _that_ guy who takes girls on dates to a beef bowl place."

"Wait, why would I do that?" he sputtered.

"And don't forget it's your duty to protect her! Don't try to face five guys on your own again, either!"

"Uh, sure? But, why would I need to—"

His family drowned his questions out while they kept coming up with their own little dreams of him and Mitsuru dating. They gave him tips on how to treat a girl properly, how to be a gentleman, all while telling him how cute they would be if they got together. No matter how many times he tried to protest, they kept throwing around suggestions for courting her, telling him that he should serenade her, take her to nice restaurants, dress up nicely, and of course, if their relationship ever did go far enough, to practice safe sex.

Ryuichi felt like his face was going to explode from raw embarrassment. It didn't help that his father was opening his fourth beer when he decided to go into graphic detail about where babies come from.

"Okay! Okay! Baby in the vicinity!" Shizue finally cried out before Toshio could say any more.

Ayumi patted her husband's arm. "That's enough, now," she said sweetly to him with a smile. She then took his beer out of his hand and took a swig from it, then set it down on the other side of the table out of his reach.

Somehow, Ryuichi survived the dinner by keeping his face down and nibbling on his food. The conversation eventually switched over to the new restaurant, particularly to some of the new design ideas his parents had. He also learned that his father had gotten in contact with some of his friends in the States who were all happy to send him copies of pictures of their time together in Texas. Toshio excitedly got up and ran out of the room, and when he came back, he wore a black cowboy hat that one of his friends sent for him.

"Oh, geez. First Ryuichi wears that ridiculous fedora, and now this?" Shizue groaned.

After dinner, Shizue and Ryuichi offered to clean up while their parents sat on the little deck out back to have some time to relax together. Megumi was asleep on the sofa, with extra cushions surrounding her to keep her from falling off the edge.

"You still like Mitsuru-san, don't you?" Shizue asked him while they washed the dishes.

Ryuichi felt hot all over. "Not really," he murmured, handing her a soapy dish to rinse off.

"But you've liked her since kindergarten!"

"So? Isn't it kind of creepy for a guy to like someone for that long?"

"Depends. Do you stalk her in school?"

"What? No! What the hell?"

His sister laughed, making him scowl. "I'm kidding! But still, I've never heard of anyone liking the same girl for their entire school career."

He blushed furiously. "Sh-Shut up."

"Did you ever get to tell her your feelings?"

"Nope. Never planned to."

"Aw, why not? You've had what, twelve years to do it and you still haven't?"

Ryuichi squeezed more dish soap onto the sponge. "Well, what's the point now?" he grumbled under his breath. "We're gonna graduate next month anyway."

Shizue flared her nostrils at him. "But that's even more of a good reason to ask her out," she argued. Her frustrated expression let up. "Wait, did you just admit that you still like her?"

"...No."

"You did! There's hope after all!"

With dripping hands, she crushed her little brother in a big hug. "I knew it! Ryu-chan, you gotta tell her how you feel! You even promised me you would last month! Remember?"

He had gone through all those years without telling Mitsuru, so what was another month of not saying anything? After all those years they were finally talking, and he didn't want to ruin that budding friendship. He was perfectly content with calling Mitsuru a friend of his, and glad that they could chat every now and then.

"Kids! Let's do cake!" Toshio announced.

They brought the cake over to the living room. Ryuichi started practicing how to play the birthday song on the piano while they set the cake up with candles and brought out some plates. Toshio turned off all the lights before Shizue could light a single candle, drowning them all in darkness with a few excited yelps to turn the lights back on. Megumi began to cry when all the excitement woke her up, and they all quickly rushed to her to calm her down.

When they were all ready, everyone sang to Ayumi, whose face was aglow from the candlelight and from the enjoyment of her special day. Toshio snapped plenty of pictures during the song, and got a good shot of his wife when she blew out the candles. While they all had some cake, they brought out their presents for her to open.

"Ryuichi, it's beautiful." Ayumi admired the gold wristwatch he had given her. "Thank you."

"Here, let me help you put it on," Ryuichi said, taking the watch for her. It dangled loosely around her slender wrist, still needing to be resized.

"Mine next!" Shizue presented her mother with a shimmery gift bag. Inside was a designer purse that had both a simple elegance to it while still looking playful and casual for a day out.

"Oh, my. Shizue, this is so nice. It must have cost you a lot."

"Actually, I found it at a discount place, but I swear, it's the real thing and brand new," Shizue told her bashfully.

Ayumi hugged her daughter. "My daughter knows how to look for good deals!" she cried with joy. She then pulled Ryuichi into their group hug, thanking them both.

Toshio cleared his throat and held out a plain envelope to his wife while she examined her new purse. At first, Ayumi didn't notice the envelope, and even Ryuichi was confused as to why his Dad hadn't thought about at least getting her a birthday card. They all watched as Ayumi opened the envelope and gasped.

"Happy birthday, Ayumi," Toshio said in a shy but warm purr.

She pulled out two tickets and held them up for everyone to see. "A cruise? A real cruise?" she marveled in shock.

Toshio grinned so big that his joy reached both their children. "Yup! For a whole week, you and I are going to be sailing around Europe. We're going to see all the sights, try all the food, and not think about the restaurant even once!"

Ayumi still stared at the tickets in disbelief. "But, we can't afford this!" she uttered.

Her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Well, to be honest, when the restaurant started doing well back in December, we made enough that I thought I could at least treat my wife to something nice for a change," he told her with a nervous smile.

"Come on, Mom," Shizue encouraged her. "Dad's right—You deserve a chance to celebrate yourself for once."

"It's been what, a quarter of a century since the last time you guys did anything fun yourselves, right?" Ryuichi asked her. "You're long overdue for a vacation."

Tears filled their mother's eyes. Ayumi nodded and dove right into her husband's chest, embracing him tightly. Toshio put his arms around her, murmuring a soft "Happy birthday, Ayumi" into her hair as she thanked him over and over.

Watching his parents just then made Ryuichi wonder when the last time was when they looked so happy together. His heart warmed up, giving him hope that his family was slowly mending. In the past year, he watched them all break apart, no matter how many times their mother swept up and gathered the pieces to try to put their family back together again. Now, they actually felt like a family, if only for a few hours.

Ryuichi carried that warm feeling with him during the freezing motorcycle ride back to the dorm and even throughout the night. It snowed lightly the next morning, but he still felt the warmth of his family's love radiating off of him, warding off the chill for a few blocks before it started cutting deep into his uniform.

"I'm even wearing extra layers," he muttered to himself as he shivered in the cold.

On the train platform, he spotted Mitsuru standing alone, wearing no jacket and somehow with not so much as a tremble from her. It was like she was born from the ice, though her mane of wavy wine red hair seemed to indicate otherwise. He was about to go say hi when he saw a sketchy businessman inch towards her with his empty hand twitching towards the hem of Mitsuru's skirt.

Enraged, Ryuichi slipped through the crowds with ease to snatch up the guy's hand before he could even touch her. Ryuichi raised the man's hand up, glaring at him, wanting to break the offending appendage. The frightened man just stared back, horrified that he had been caught, and when Ryuichi let him go, the man fled from the station.

Ryuichi turned back, flinching when he saw Mitsuru staring at him. "Oh, uh, good morning," he said timidly, trying to sound casual.

She looked past him in the direction that the man had run off. "Thank you, Okazaki," she said softly, turning back around. "I was preoccupied with something that came up yesterday at a meeting, so I didn't notice what he was doing."

It looked to him like she pieced together what had just happened. "Yeah, well, that's not your fault," he told her, trying to offer her some comfort. "He shouldn't have done that to begin with."

"True. Though, if this happens again, I might have to hire you as my bodyguard," she said, beaming at him.

He couldn't stop himself from blushing. "I didn't do much. Just reacted, that's all."

"Well, it was a very good reaction. Thank you again."

During the train ride, Ryuichi replayed the scene in his head over and over, hardly remembering any conscious thought through it all. His body had moved on its own, knowing what to do while avoiding drawing attention to himself as much as possible. He couldn't make sense of how he did any of that, as if he had conveniently left his body for those few seconds. After the encounter, Ryuichi found himself constantly looking around for any other possible offenders, finding none.

"So, how was your mother's birthday last night?" Mitsuru asked him once they got off the train.

"It was really nice, actually," he told her. The two opened up their umbrellas to continue on their way to school. "Mom and Dad went a little overboard, though. They made so much food you'd think they were expecting to feed a small army."

He remembered what his family told him over dinner. "Um, is it true that you invested in our restaurant?" he asked Mitsuru.

She had to think for a moment. "Yes, I believe I did," she said slowly, as if unsure herself. "My father was quite fond of your father's cooking, and so I knew he wouldn't want a fire to be the end of the restaurant."

"Wow," he mouthed in awe. He tripped over his own feet, making Mitsuru chuckle as he righted himself.

"I've also sampled your family's food, and I knew right away that it would be a shame to lose such unique flavors," she added.

"Wha—? You tried it, too?"

"My father highly recommended it, and so I had to taste it myself."

Someone called out to Mitsuru. "Oh, would you excuse me, Okazaki?" she said, and left his side to go see what the other person wanted.

"Oh, wait!" he called after her, but she had already gone. "Dang. I'll have to thank her later."

He was still reeling from the morning's events. Throughout his classes, he could still see the fear in the man's face from getting caught, and even though Mitsuru was stoic afterward, he was certain that he felt a twinge of fear from her, as well. She still managed to speak normally with everyone, even smiled a couple of times, somehow showing no trace of what had happened. Her ability to cast aside her feelings after something as shocking as almost getting her skirt lifted amazed Ryuichi.

At lunchtime, he took out the soda he bought from one of the dorm vending machines and one of the hamburgers that was left over from his mother's birthday. The moment he took it out of his bag and peeled off the wrapper, the pungent smell reeked so strongly that his classmates having lunch at their desks started sniffing the air, not having to try too hard to find the source. Ryuichi considered taking his lunch to the roof where he could eat without annoying anyone, but decided to remain at his desk and enjoy it there. The thing would only stink up the room for a few more minutes, which he thought was a better option compared to him freezing in the snow if he went to the roof.

"Sunday's almost here," one of his classmates sighed.

"What, Valentine's Day?" someone replied.

"Well, that, and exam results are going to be posted."

"Aw, crap. And I was finally starting to recover from the trauma."

Ryuichi felt anxiety creeping into him, digging in just the tips of its talons into his skin to make it impossible for him to sit still. It was like an itch that no amount of scratching would relieve, making him want to get up and flail about to try to shake it off.

When he finished his hamburger, he headed downstairs to buy something else to eat, even though he was already mostly full. He just needed something to keep busy, something to get him moving to get his mind off of college entrance exam results.

While he stood in line for the small store, he spotted the two pedestals by the rear windows, the one on the left bearing a scepter atop a blue cloth, and the one on the right with a broadsword held up on a red cloth. They shared the inscription "Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection", a phrase that he thought was a strange motto for a school. He remembered seeing the same motto as far back as elementary school, wondering why it resonated with him when he hardly paid any attention to it before.

At work after school, Ryuichi was finally able to fixate his thoughts on something that helped him during his performance, but left him feeling rather empty. He got to thinking about Mitsuru, how he had spent the past twelve or so years with an almost incurable crush on her. He could hear his sister's voice in his head, telling him that he should tell her his feelings, but as happy as he was just being able to talk casually with Mitsuru, he couldn't tell anymore if his denial of having feelings for her was real.

For as long as he could remember, his sister used to tease him for having a crush on Mitsuru, to the point where it became automatic for him to deny her claims. As painful as it was to keep hoping that Mitsuru might miraculously reciprocate his feelings, he knew that a romantic relationship with her could never happen. Not only were they vastly different from each other, he was convinced that someone of her caliber could never be interested in someone as lowly as him.

"You were thinking about her, weren't you?" asked Shizue during his break.

"Actually, I was thinking of that beef stroganoff thing Dad cooked," he lied.

"Liar. Wait, did you get some? That thing was good!"

After his break, he took out his guitar and plugged it into the speaker. He made sure the microphone was working first when he saw none other than Mitsuru enter the cafe with a few members of the fencing team. He froze up, realizing that the guitar was a very bad idea, now that he could see her instead of focusing down on a keyboard.

The first chords of a ballad hummed through the speakers. It was a song about how words weren't enough to express how much the singer loved someone. Tender and serene, he knew the song would have been better if he had someone to sing the harmony. As he sang, he tried finding spots on the walls and ceilings to put his eyes, sometimes letting them rest on tables or on the customers who weren't staring at him. He sometimes brushed sights with Mitsuru, who once again watched with such an earnestness that his fingers almost locked up from the pressure.

The next song he sang was more energetic, telling how the singer found someone who helped them move past a period of difficulty. The lively tune from decades ago helped him loosen up a bit, not wanting anyone to think that all he knew how to sing were sappy ballads. He tried to keep with the more upbeat songs, throwing in a few slow ones to balance, but all he wanted to do was keep doing slower versions, even of songs that were supposed to have more energy. When he sang the first line of a song about lovers finding solace in each other, he thought he saw Mitsuru sit up a little higher.

"Well, shit," he said to himself hours later while he soaked in the bath. "I guess I still like her after all."


	118. Chapter 118

**Chapter 118**

The following Friday, Ryuichi had expected to eat some of his leftover pizza for breakfast. As good as his parents' cooking had been, even he could only eat the same food for so many days before he got tired of it. The pizza offered the perfect little break he needed, but unfortunately, it had to be left in the kitchen refrigerator overnight, as the dinky little fridge in his bedroom was still full of leftovers from his mother's birthday. The moment he saw the empty pizza box on the kitchen counter that morning, he just tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and let out a groan.

Obviously, they hadn't learned their lesson from the spicy spaghetti, Ryuichi thought as he stared at the lone slice of mushroom still inside the box. He seriously considered going through with his laxative plan, hardly caring anymore if the little thieves learned their lesson afterward. He was out for blood, and it was coming out of their asses.

...Hopefully not in the literal sense.

As he opened up a can of mackerel for breakfast, Mitsuru's maid, Kikuno, arrived with her breakfast. When she saw him, she greeted him first.

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," she said kindly to him.

"G'morning, Saikawa-san," he called to her in reply.

"Are you always the first one up in the morning?" she asked as she began to set the table for Mitsuru.

"Almost. There's this dog that lives here, and I'm usually the one to let him out."

"A dog? Whose is it?"

"No idea. I didn't even know pets were allowed in the dorm."

He dumped out the can of mackerel into a bowl to remove the bones first. Disappointment filled his nostrils with the smell of sugary soy sauce, where he could only wish he was having leftover pizza instead.

"Okazaki-san, Ojou-sama informed us only yesterday that you protected her from a groper a few days ago," the maid said, making him look up from his fish. "It slipped her mind, as she is a very busy person, but she still wanted to thank you for what you did for her. On behalf of the maid staff, we apologize for our delayed response and would like to express our gratitude for your quick actions."

"That's really not necessary," he said, waving her off. "I just kind of reacted, that's all."

"And it was a very good reaction." She bowed to him. "Thank you for protecting her."

She began to bring dishes from her cart to the dining table. Ryuichi started picking bones out of his mackerel when Kikuno took away his bowl and covered it with plastic cling wrap.

"Please, have a seat," she said, putting the bowl of fish into the refrigerator.

Ryuichi looked from the maid to the dining table, seeing that she had set it for two. "Wait, you mean you brought food for me?"

"Precisely. It is our humble way of showing our appreciation for what you did for Ojou-sama."

"I'm okay, really," he insisted. "You didn't need to do that."

She wouldn't listen. Instead, she sat him down at the table and began to place fried eggs, sausages, strips of bacon, and pancakes onto his plate. Everything was steaming hot, looking as though it had all been cooked during the delivery. As intrigued as he was by the freshness of the meal, he nearly fell out of his chair when he saw how many forks, knives, and spoons had been set down around the center plate.

The other residents started coming down the stairs. They all ogled at the maid as she brought over some toasted English muffins with neat little packets of butter in a bowl. Ryuichi pretended not to notice his dorm mates by glancing down at his cell phone, but he could hear them mutter with envy under their breaths. He secretly relished in the delicious justice and was positive that Blue Cap and Sleepy Boy were almost in tears when he started rearranging the crispy bacon on his plate to make room for an English muffin.

When Mitsuru came downstairs, it was as if her appearance was a signal for the other residents to leave. The loud, obnoxious Blue Cap suggested that they just grab something to eat on the way to school. He kept staring at the hearty breakfast the maid was serving until his friends dragged him out the door.

"Good morning, Mitsuru-san," Ryuichi greeted Mitsuru.

"Good morning, Ojou-sama," Kikuno said, pulling out her chair for her.

Mitsuru returned their greetings as she took her seat. "Good morning. It seems you've already been informed as to why Kikuno set the table for two," she noted, looking to the place set before Ryuichi. "I'm just sorry it's only now that we express our thanks for your actions the other day."

Ryuichi felt himself burn red. "No, it's okay. I know you've got a lot on your mind, and I wasn't really expecting anything in return," he murmured. "I was just really confused when your maid took my breakfast hostage."

A pleased smile spread across Mitsuru's face. "Please forgive her forwardness. Like myself, she and the maid staff are simply eager to offer a small token of our gratitude to you."

"You really didn't have to, though."

He must have said it more than a dozen times, but neither Mitsuru nor Kikuno would listen. The maid filled Mitsuru's plate with the same things that she had given Ryuichi, only her portions were about half the size. He almost felt bad, until he saw that Kikuno still had plenty more still on the cart.

"Please enjoy your meal," Kikuno told them both in her cheery voice.

After they both said a quick "Itadakimasu", Ryuichi picked up his fork until he saw Mitsuru take her cloth napkin and lay it across her lap. He set his fork down to imitate her, trying to mimic the graceful, single motion he had seen her do.

The moment that Ryuichi stabbed his last bite of pancakes onto his fork, Kikuno replenished his plate with two more buttery pancakes. He barely finished one strip of bacon when she added another two. When he made a little egg sandwich with his English muffin, Kikuno gave him another egg, but asked if he wanted more bread. Before he could answer, she already placed the new English muffin down on his plate. From across the table, he noticed right away that Kikuno would always offer more food to Mitsuru, but waited for her answer before adding more to her plate.

After breakfast, Ryuichi and Mitsuru went on their way to school. He rubbed his bulging stomach during their walk, groaning and still in disbelief that he was able to finish everything that Kikuno stuck on his plate.

"I wasn't expecting Kikuno to give you that much," Mitsuru said to him. "Though I find it even more astounding that you were able to consume everything and still finish before me."

He uttered another painful groan. "I'm going to pretend that every single person on your maid staff cooked one single item each and that I ate them all so no one feels left out," he grumbled. Mitsuru chuckled at the idea.

At school, Ryuichi's full stomach put him in a food coma throughout the morning. He crashed shortly after their teacher took roll call, sleeping through each class and waking up only if a teacher caught him or when the bell rang to end class.

"Try to stay awake, Okazaki," their calculus teacher sighed when Ryuichi didn't respond to his name the first four times.

At lunchtime, Ryuichi received a phone call from his sister while he was in line to buy a drink. He was only three people away from the counter, debating if he should answer the call now or wait until after he got his stuff. Since he was so close to the counter, he decided to call Shizue back after he got his juice.

"Sorry I missed your call just now," was the first thing out of his mouth. "So, what's up?"

"I'm kind of in a bind right now," Shizue said to him. "I just learned that the cruise Dad's taking Mom on starts tomorrow, so I didn't have a chance to figure out a schedule with Eshima-san so I can watch Megumi."

"Say no more. Do you want me to go to your place, or—?"

They decided that it was best for Shizue to come by the dorm to drop Megumi off, since it was on the way to work. He would then accompany them home afterward. It was simple enough, though he wasn't too keen on having to spend about an extra hour or so taking the bus to drop off his sister and niece and ride another one back to the dorm. But, he worried for their safety, despite the news reports saying that Iwatodai's crime rate had dropped significantly since last month.

The timing wasn't good, either. Next week was the week before exams, and he needed that time to study. After school that day, he went to work and just barely managed to catch Eshima to let her know right away that he would need to take the week off, both for school and for familial obligations.

"Will you need exam week off, too?" she asked while balancing a tray full of dirty cups.

A server came up to the counter. "Eshima-san, do you have table twelve's order ready?" he asked.

"Sorry, I'll have it out in just a sec," she told him quickly.

She was about to drop off the tray in the back to be washed when Ryuichi called to her again. When another server passed her, she handed them the tray and turned back to Ryuichi, blowing a few strands of loose bangs out of her face.

"Actually, you know what?" she said to Ryuichi. "Screw a schedule. You just come in whenever you like and play, and I'll pay you whenever you come in. Sound good?"

He could hear it in her voice that she was fed up with his wildly fluctuating schedule. No matter how many times he apologized, she kept insisting that it was best for both of them that way. He agreed, though he still felt badly for causing her so much trouble.

"Just take care of yourself and don't burn yourself out, okay?" she reminded him before he went to start his shift on the piano.

The next morning, Ryuichi and Mitsuru barely stepped through the school gates when Mitsuru was swarmed by a gaggle of girls, all thrusting boxes and baggies of handmade treats in her face. Pleading and squealing, they shoved Ryuichi out of the way to fight for Mitsuru's attention.

"Mitsuru-senpai!"

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Please accept these!"

"I made them myself!"

Ryuichi wanted to help, but wasn't sure how. The unflappable Mitsuru just looked from girl to girl, her face placid as always as a look of apology crossed her face.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept any gifts," she told the crowd. That alone ripped their hearts out of their chests, though some of them still continued to insist that she accept their treats anyway.

Mitsuru stood tall and kept wading through the cluster of girls. "I've already said that I cannot accept any chocolates," she kept telling them. "I appreciate that you all considered me, but please understand that I simply cannot—"

"It must be so nice," Ryuichi sighed with mild envy as he followed the cloud of girls into the school.

He observed as they allowed Mitsuru to change into her school heels. On the way upstairs, more girls seemed drawn into the cloud, yet it was Mitsuru who led them all straight to her classroom. The girls all came from the three different years, all united by their fondness for Mitsuru. Ryuichi had to admit, they had good taste in women.

He learned from prior experience not to go straight to his desk just yet. The best he could do was hurry ahead and open the classroom door for Mitsuru to pass through along with her mass of fans and their chocolates, and then watch as some of them climbed on the surrounding desks and chairs to try to get Mitsuru's attention. One girl took to Ryuichi's desk almost immediately, frantically waving her little pink bag of treats around over the crowd.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot make exceptions for anyone," he barely heard Mitsuru say over the crowd. "If I accept one person's chocolates, I would have to accept everyone's, and so to be fair to everyone, I will not be accepting any gifts whatsoever."

"Please, Mitsuru-senpai!"

"I practiced for so long—"

"—at least try one—"

"—only a taste—"

"Everyone." Mitsuru's calm and commanding voice hushed them all almost instantly. "Think of where you are right now and how you are conducting yourselves. Now, class is starting in just a few minutes, so I suggest that you all return to your classrooms immediately."

Incredibly, all the girls obeyed, and Ryuichi was sure he saw one girl in tears. As the crowd drifted away from his desk, he was finally able to sit down and relax when Shiori came up to him with a little red box tied up in a white ribbon.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she greeted him as she held out the box to him.

He tentatively took the box, astonished that she was giving him one. "Thank you," he said, still awestruck. "But, isn't it a day early?"

"There's no school tomorrow. Why else do you think everyone's going nuts today?"

"Right. Well, I guess that's going to make White Day kinda hard, since we're graduating."

"Nah, don't worry about it," she said with a big smile. "And just so we're clear, it's giri chocolate, okay? I know you've got a special someone on your mind."

She winked, and then her gaze went over to Mitsuru, who was still respectfully turning away more eager Valentines with more approaching.

Ryuichi lowered his face in embarrassment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Are you kidding me?" Shiori leaned down to whisper into his ear. "You don't have to be shy about it. Although, some of the girls have been talking about how you and Mitsuru-san haven't been hanging out much at the start of the month, but you guys seem pretty close again."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just that everyone was getting worried you two might've had a fight or something," she said quickly with a nervous chuckle.

"Uh, why would we fight?" he asked, getting annoyed that she thought he and Mitsuru knew each other well.

Shiori shrugged. "I just thought—Anyway, I guess since you two have been coming to school together lately—"

"We live in the same dorm. Of course we'd come to school together."

"Yeah, I know that, but it's just—"

She shut up when the small group of girls moved away from Mitsuru's desk, following Mitsuru to the door. When Mitsuru opened the classroom door to leave, she was met with another cluster of girls vying for her attention, all of them bearing even more gifts. Mitsuru couldn't even close the door behind her, and everyone inside the classroom watched through the hallway window as the crowd drifted down the hall towards the girls' washroom.

Shiori cupped her hand around her mouth and kept her voice low. "Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that one of Mitsuru-san's fans is kind of the jealous type, so you might wanna watch your back."

Ryuichi snorted, dismissing the idea.

"I'm serious! I swear, a while back, I overheard this girl say that she was planning to have a student council member 'accidentally' fall down the stairs or something so while they recovered, she could volunteer to take their place on the student council to get close to Mitsuru-san."

"That has to be something straight out of a manga."

"I know it sounds weird, but I swear I'm not joking," Shiori insisted. "She—"

Shiori gasped. Ryuichi followed her gaze to see a second-year girl cautiously poke her head into their classroom. She tentatively approached Mitsuru's empty desk, and both Ryuichi and Shiori winced when they saw the massive cake box that she carried. The girl looked to be debating if she should wait for Mitsuru to return or to just leave it. As soon as the girl noticed Ryuichi and Shiori staring at her, she let out a squeaky "Eep!" and fled the room with her box. She dashed through the cloud of Mitsuru's Valentines and bumped into Mitsuru herself.

"Are you all right?" Mitsuru asked the girl.

Ryuichi and Shiori watched as the terrified girl gave a single nod and thrust her box out to her. They both sucked on their teeth as Mitsuru politely declined her present, and the girl immediately sped away with her box in tow.

"That was her," Shiori whispered to Ryuichi. "She was the one I overheard talking about her plan."

Ryuichi still found it hard to believe that such a small girl would be capable of such disturbing thoughts. "Huh. Guess I'd better watch myself for sure, then," he said, and thanked Shiori for looking out for him.

He didn't receive any more chocolate from his other classmates, and when the boys' kendo team unexpectedly invited him to hang out at the karaoke place as both a Valentine's Day celebration and a send-off for the seniors, he had to decline, though regrettably. He overheard one of them complain that he had pretty much abandoned the team already and questioned why they even bothered inviting him out anymore.

Ryuichi hurried home to baby-proof everything in his room, from covering up electrical sockets to putting away any sharp objects or cleaning solutions that might be within Megumi's grasp. He moved his kotatsu over to the exercise half of his bedroom to clear a space for Megumi to crawl around on the rug near his bed. He made sure to vacuum the rug as well, just in case.

Around four o'clock, Shizue showed up in front of the dorm with Megumi in her stroller and burdened with two overstuffed bags full of everything she deemed necessary to help her little brother care for her daughter.

"All right, I think that's everything," she said after looking through the bags again.

Ryuichi pretended to peer into one of the bags. "You forgot diapers."

"What? Oh, gawd, did I?"

Ryuichi snickered as his sister started pulling things out of one of the bags. "I was kidding! Just chill!"

Disgruntled, Shizue playfully smacked his arm. "You jerk! Anyway, I'll be back after ten."

She gave Megumi a good number of kisses with promises to return as soon as she could. Ryuichi saw her out, then brought Megumi back to his room where he set her down on his bed, offering her toys, books, food, and showing a cartoon on TV that she might like. At one point, he got her to sit in his lap while he played video games, though he worried if he should be a little bit concerned that she was fine watching his character slay the masses, even giggling a bit at the sparkly lights that shot out whenever his massive sword hacked away at enemy soldiers.

When it was time to put Megumi to bed, he read to her some of the fairytale books that Shizue packed. Exhausted from a day of keeping constant watch over his niece, he yawned before starting up a story. He mustered up enough energy to put a little extra personality into the voices of each character, trying to make it entertaining. He realized his mistake when Megumi was still wide awake by the end.

"Maybe you want to learn about physics instead?" he jokingly offered her. "Okay, which story do you like the least? Maybe I can bore you to sleep."

After two more stories, she was still awake. She started crying at one point, but for what, he couldn't understand. He thought it might be another dirty diaper, but it was still dry and clean. He started offering her everything, from warm breast milk to toys to a teething ring, which seemed to help a bit. She soon threw everything he gave her and continued to fuss some more.

"A burp, maybe?" He picked her up and tried burping her, but nothing came. "No? Right, I did that already, didn't I?"

He saw his guitar in the corner and thought, "Why not?". With Megumi surrounded by his pillows to keep her from rolling off his bed, he strummed a few test chords before checking the time. It was already almost ten, and his sister would be returning soon. He opened his bedroom door so that he could listen for his sister's arrival, taking a quick peek around the empty lounge and kitchen before returning to his room to sing for his niece.

He started with "All I Can Give You", a song that he sang to her often. She calmed down during the song, giving him a chance to wipe away her tears afterward, but she was still very much awake, squirming and trying to escape her pillow prison. He tried thinking of slow songs, relaxing songs, and one came to mind that he had had in the back of his head for a few days now. He started up a slower, more relaxing version of "Her Own Way", a song that detailed all the things that made the singer's special girl remarkable.

He watched as Megumi's eyes went through a few rounds of slowly closing then popping back open as she tried to stay awake. As the song progressed, she blinked her last and finally stopped trying to fight sleep. He kept singing even after she had gone to sleep, focusing on the lyrics as he envisioned Mitsuru in his mind.

As he sang, he heard the front door open. Figuring that his sister would just come in, he kept on singing, even though he knew that they would have to rouse Megumi shortly after. So far, no one stepped into his room. Figuring that his sister stopped by the toilet, he kept on singing, losing himself in the song.

He finished the song with a final "Heyyy", high and light, accompanied by the last few strums of his guitar. There was soft applause by his door, and when he looked up, his face fell and heart burst when he saw Mitsuru instead of his sister.

"Surely there was someone on your mind as you sang that song," Mitsuru said as she approached. She smiled brightly as she peered down at the sleeping Megumi.

Ryuichi set his guitar aside, still burning bright with embarrassment. "Uh, well, uh..."

He told himself to just lie. A simple "No" would have been plenty, but seeing Mitsuru there as if summoned by the song stunned him to the point where he could barely utter a word.

"So, there _is_ someone!" she marveled, admiring his niece. "But, don't you think she's a little young for you?"

He made a noise. "Sh-She's my sister's daughter; my niece."

Chuckling, Mitsuru said to him: "I was only joking. But, does that mean that you did indeed have someone in mind? There was so much emotion behind your performance that I couldn't help but think that there must be someone. Does she go to our school?"

Ryuichi was pretty sure his head was about to burst. If that didn't happen, then his slowly purpling face was a dead giveaway that he had been caught.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Mitsuru reassured him, taking a step back from his bed. "Does she know how you feel?"

"No." Oh, great. _Now_ he's finally able to say 'no'.

"Does she go to our school?"

"Yes."

"Do I know her?"

He hesitated. "Yeah."

"I see."

Mitsuru's heels clicked towards the door. "We only have a few weeks left of school," she reminded him. "It might be best if you tell her your feelings as soon as possible. Might I suggest that you sing that song to her? I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear it."

She was already out the door when Ryuichi called her back. His heart jumped when she returned, feeling it flutter as it tried to take off in flight without him. His head swam, going light and foggy as he kept asking himself if now was a good time, or if he should even tell her at all. She was right that they only had a few weeks left, but—

"C-Could you, maybe, not tell anyone about this?" he pleaded with a forced smile. "Please?"

"Of course," she said, smiling. He couldn't be sure, but there was a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite read. Maybe she was just tired?

She started to leave again but stopped. "Before I forget: Tomorrow, they're posting the exam results at Kawaguchi University. Would you care to accompany me?"

It took Ryuichi a moment to register her invitation.

"Yeah!" He clamped a hand over his mouth and glanced over to the still slumbering Megumi. "I mean, yeah. What time?"

They arranged a time, and both agreed that they would take their motorcycles instead of the train. After Mitsuru left, Ryuichi picked up his guitar again, his head still floating around high above his shoulders, still panicked from the adrenaline of getting caught by the very person he was thinking about. He could only manage shallow breaths, reeling from the few minutes of song and chatter. Shortly after he finally calmed down, his sister arrived from work to take Megumi home.

Unfortunately for Ryuichi, it was during the bus ride that it gradually sank in that tomorrow morning he was about to go see if he passed or failed his college entrance exams with the girl he wanted to impress the most. He let out an anguished groan at his grave mistake, prompting his sister to ask if he had eaten something bad for dinner.


	119. Chapter 119

**Chapter 119**

The dreaded morning arrived, and Ryuichi was already awake when his alarm started its angry buzzes. He hit snooze, then set the alarm to go off an hour later, wishing he could just be told the results instead of making the long trip to find out whether or not he passed. At that point, he was pretty sure he failed, and all he was doing was showing his long-time crush that he was too dumb to attend a university.

After lying in bed for only two minutes, his anxiety wouldn't let him sleep anymore. He got up to do a more vigorous workout routine than usual, hoping to burn through all the extra energy he had stored up. The exercise and pummeling his wooden dummy helped him calm down, where he started entertaining the possibility that he might have actually passed his exams. He felt almost normal after a hot shower, and even gained back some confidence while dressing up in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and his leather jacket.

 _BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!_ Ryuichi panicked at the jarring sound of his alarm clock going off. He quickly shut it off, but the damage was done: He was back to feeling anxious again.

"Knew I forgot something," he grumbled to himself, and went to the kitchen to try to shake off his nerves.

No matter how many times he checked the fridge and pantry, Ryuichi couldn't find anything to eat that didn't sicken him. Just the thought of food made him gag, and every time Kikuno offered him some of the extra food she brought for Mitsuru, he respectfully declined.

"Okazaki-san, I'm certain the contents of the refrigerator are still the same since you last looked," the maid said to him when he stuck his face in the fridge for the eighth time.

"Why not sit down and have something to eat?" Mitsuru asked him. "Kikuno brought plenty for us to share."

"No, thanks," he grunted. "Food's gross to me right now."

"Just calm down. It'll be fine."

He leaned away from the refrigerator to narrow his eyes at Mitsuru. "I can't calm down. It's the exam results—the thing that will determine if I can get started on my future or live as a ronin for a year."

Mitsuru lightly dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "Even if you didn't pass, you already know what to expect and can take the exam again next year," she reassured him as he went back and forth between fridge and pantry once more. "Now, have a seat and eat something."

His stomach would only permit him to eat instant noodles, and that was with him feeling sick the whole way through. Kikuno continued to offer him something more filling and presented him with some grilled salmon. He kept shaking his head while trying to not let everything he ate come back up again.

"It's been a while since I last rode my motorcycle," Mitsuru said to Ryuichi as they headed to the rear storage room. "I hope I still know how to ride."

Ryuichi couldn't even respond, as he was still nervous about the exam results. When Mitsuru removed the cover on her motorcycle, she beamed at it like an old friend she hadn't seen in years. She gave it a quick look over, getting a feel for it while Ryuichi opened the rear doors. They both walked their motorcycles out, allowing Ryuichi to close and lock the doors behind them before they drove off.

The streets were clean and clear that Sunday morning. One wouldn't be able to tell that the city was once a dumping site for flyers whose ink ran from being left in the gutter. Any traces of the odd symbols that once marred the city had been either scrubbed off or painted over. All the mess had been cleaned up more than a week ago, giving the impression that the streets of Iwatodai had never known filth.

Ryuichi followed Mitsuru all the way to Kawaguchi University, where the results were to be posted. On the expressway, they were free to have little races on the mostly clear roads, though neither went too far beyond the speed limit.

They had to park a short distance away, in a parking lot that charged ungodly prices, even if they were only going to be gone for no more than an hour. Ryuichi didn't have long to feel badly about the parking price, as his stomach started flopping about at the thought that he won't see his name listed on the result boards.

"The sooner we look, the better you'll feel," Mitsuru insisted. Her hard stare prodded him towards the enormous boards in front of the university walls.

He cowered away from her. "But, I don't wanna..."

Her icy stare became a frozen lance jabbing into the small of his back. He felt like a prisoner being marched to his execution, already seeing the crowd of college hopefuls up ahead in front of the large boards erected outside the university. He watched a girl in tears get comforted by two of her friends, while a guy left with his head down and the life sucked out of his eyes.

Others celebrated with tears, hugs, and a silent but happy fist pump if they had no one to express their elation with. Some posed by their names for pictures as proof that they had conquered the insurmountable. And though he had only seen it in manga and anime, a group of well-built young men, likely student athletes from the university, went around asking people if they passed. When they found a triumphant one, they picked them up and tossed them in the air several times, congratulating them on their success.

Ryuichi had to stand on his toes just to see the boards above the crowds. They stretched for a number of meters, each bearing names and the ID numbers of the fortunate few who passed the exams. He separated from Mitsuru, frantically searching, going by the ID number instead of the name, fearing that it would be some other Okazaki who had gotten in. He was pressed into the cluster of hopefuls by waves of newcomers, caught in the throes of the throng eagerly trying to get a better view. He gasped when he recognized a name.

"Mitsuru-san!" He thrust a hand in the air, waving to her. "Look!"

He caught sight of her red hair coming towards him. When she was close enough, he pointed to the board where her name had been mounted.

"Congratulations!" he told her, grinning big. "You did it! You're officially a university student!"

She stared at the board for a good number of seconds before a wistful smile appeared on her face. "Well, then, shall we look for yours now?" she asked.

They split off again. Ryuichi's stomach soured once more. A guy next to him ran off, wailing his anguish when he couldn't find his name. He hoped that wouldn't be him next.

More hopefuls arrived. Ryuichi kept trying to squeeze his way towards the front, or at least close enough to see the names hidden below the heads of the others. As he slipped towards the right, he spotted a fellow Gekkoukan High classmate who pushed his glasses up high on his face. He strained to search for his name as hard as all the others.

Ryuichi searched for fifteen minutes, constantly going back and forth, all up and down the boards. He started reading the names as well, his eyes bouncing from name to name, occasionally finding Mitsuru's again. Maybe he didn't look hard enough, he would tell himself, or maybe someone's head was in the way. He didn't want to give up, but the way things were looking, he might have to accept the truth.

"Ryuichi!"

Mitsuru waved him over. He jogged up to her and followed where she pointed when he realized something.

"Did she just say my—"

"Look!" she urged him, and when he turned, he saw his name at the bottom of the fifth board, peeking between a few heads. The kanji characters and ID number matched perfectly.

Ryuichi went numb. "I passed?" he uttered. "I really passed?"

"Yes, you did," Mitsuru confirmed for him. "C'est magnifique! You're a true university student. Congratulations!"

Shit. He was tearing up in front of her and couldn't stop. Through his tears, he could see Mitsuru still brimming with joy for the both of them. She offered him some tissues, which he gladly took to mop himself up. When he had a chance, he stepped away briefly so he could blow his nose away from everyone.

He eventually calmed down enough to ask her to take a picture of him next to his name. In turn, he did the same for her, both of them wanting proof of the momentous day. As they left the site, Ryuichi couldn't stop staring at the picture on his phone, as if his eyes were lying to him about the results.

"Hey," Ryuichi said, snapping his phone shut. "Um, are you free today?"

Mitsuru looked upon him with curiosity. "I have a meeting today, but not until the late afternoon. Why do you ask?"

He sniffled. "Well, would you like to go celebrate somewhere? We could eat someplace. It'll be my treat," he offered. "Are you in the mood for anything in particular?"

Mitsuru's face lit up. "What are you in the mood for: sushi or ramen?"

They settled on getting sushi to celebrate. When Mitsuru mentioned that she always wanted to try dining at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Ryuichi told her about his favorite place for it. He led the way to the restaurant, amazed that she agreed to an outing with a guy who cried over getting accepted into a university. She didn't seem to mind at all, but he still felt like he needed to monitor his emotions more rigorously so she wouldn't think he was such a wimp.

"Table for two?" the waitress asked when they entered. As she took them to a booth, Ryuichi noticed that the place was teeming with young couples, making him worry about how he and Mitsuru must look like to the waitress.

"We're having a Valentine's Day special today," the waitress said as they took their seats. "For couples, it's ten percent off your entire bill, so eat up!"

"O-Oh, we're not—" he began, but she walked away before he could explain further.

"That's all right," Mitsuru said, looking as flustered as he was. "Do they always have promotions like this?"

"Not that I know of," he replied shyly. "But, I guess we got lucky and caught it at the right time, huh?"

"Indeed. Now, shall we?"

"Yeah. Don't hold back; we're here to celebrate!"

The two sat across from each other in a booth and watched the conveyor belt run its course, parading the plates of sushi all around the restaurant. Ryuichi searched for anything that looked good and plucked two plates while Mitsuru took one. He let her take the bottle of soy sauce first.

"So, how do you feel now that you're officially a Kawaguchi student?" she asked him, still smiling brightly.

Ryuichi paused to fill his little dish with soy sauce. "Relieved, for starters, but all I can think now is 'I need to find a new place'," he replied. "It's kinda weird after living in the dorm for over three years. It feels more like home to me than my parents' house."

"I understand the sentiment," Mitsuru agreed. "I've lived in the dorm for so long that my family home feels more foreign to me, too."

"Right?" He dipped his salmon sushi into the soy sauce. "So, you're not going to attend college, huh?"

"That's correct, as I will be too busy with work."

"I see. How's that been going, by the way? You always seem so worn out whenever you come home."

Mitsuru found another plate she liked and took it with a light, elegant motion. "To be honest, it hasn't been easy," she admitted. "All the prestige and skill my father possessed didn't automatically transfer to me just because I'm his daughter, and so I have to build my own reputation and earn our affiliates' respect. Unfortunately, there are many who refuse to do business with me simply because they see me only as a silly high school girl. Because of this, I cannot afford to make any mistakes. I have to push myself harder to prove my worth."

Ryuichi listened in earnest, trying to imagine how anyone could look down on someone he always knew to be on top of things, who worked harder than anyone else he knew, who was brilliant—genius even, and who treated everyone as equals, all of which he thought were the qualities of a good leader.

And who could be more qualified to lead a company than Mitsuru? It made no sense to him, where he tried to imagine anyone thinking that someone like him would be more qualified just because of what was between his legs, whereas Mitsuru had more knowledge and experience, along with the commanding authority that he could only wish he possessed.

"Sorry," Mitsuru said after a time. "I didn't mean to start griping about work. I don't even know why I keep telling you all this; I just can't seem to help myself."

"It's actually pretty interesting," Ryuichi told her. He dabbed some wasabi onto his other piece of salmon sushi. "And frustratingly idiotic on your affiliates' parts, too. If all they see is a 'silly school girl' instead of a person capable of leading your company, then they're going to be left behind real quick, especially since you're making deals with those who have no problems doing business with you."

"Unfortunately, as the business realm is still male dominated, I cannot say for certain if the tides are changing to favor women as rapidly as we would like," Mitsuru said with a sigh. "I hate to say it, but there are some who aren't doing business with me, but only with what my family name has to offer. You can see it in their eyes that they aren't fond of treating me on equal footing. Some of them don't even try to hide their interest in my figure while others keep insisting that I should marry their sons and unite our companies."

"Okay, they definitely wouldn't have done any of that if you were a guy."

Ryuichi scratched his jaw. "Well, just keep at it, I guess," he said, unsure if he was just slapping a bandage on a large wound. "Your company's still standing, right? You can't be doing too badly, and you can only improve from here."

Mitsuru nodded. "True. It's going to be difficult, but not impossible, I'm certain."

"Yeah." He pretended to shudder.

"What is it?"

"I just tried to imagine you as a guy."

To his delight, she chuckled. "And? How did I look?"

Ryuichi grinned. "I couldn't see you because of all the girls in the way."

"'Girls'?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah. They were all trying to give you Valentine's Day chocolate, and some of them were even giri chocolate."

Her face soured when he said that. "Don't give them ideas," she murmured, chuckling wryly. Her frown lingered. "I felt terrible for turning down everyone like that, but all that chocolate would have gone to waste. And surely they don't expect me to return the favor on White Day."

"Yeah, they do! And it better be handmade with love or else you are going to have some very unhappy fans," he teased.

She made a face. "Then perhaps I should have given everything to you and let you return the favor for me," she joked right back.

"Nah. I'll take the fun part, but you can do the work."

"You'll be disappointing so many with that attitude."

"That's okay. They're not _my_ Valentines."

He poked at his second piece of sea urchin. "Anyway, since we're graduating next month, it's gonna be hard to return the favor in the first place. No wonder you refused."

"That's not the reason why I did that," she sighed. "But, what about you? Did the girl you like give you honmei chocolate for Valentine's Day?"

He choked on some rice. Ryuichi coughed into his elbow, feeling the grain at the back of his throat.

"That'll come out on its own later," he squeaked. "Anyway, uh, no, she didn't, but that's all right."

Apology crossed Mitsuru's face. "I'm sorry to hear that. But, I'm sure that if you sing to her, she will come to realize her feelings for you."

He let out a dry laugh. "It's okay," he insisted. "I mean, what was I even hoping for? If I really wanted to be with her, I should've said something before, right? We only have a few weeks left until graduation, so it's kind of pointless since I'm probably never going to see her again."

"But, isn't it worth trying?" Mitsuru asked, her stare growing tense. "Don't you want to see if she might return your feelings?"

"I think the lack of chocolate says everything," he murmured, smiling through the pain.

"You don't know that for sure. Perhaps she's waiting for you to approach her first."

Ryuichi just watched her as she continued throwing out reasons why he should speak up. She was so passionate about it, more than he was, oblivious to who it was he truly had feelings for.

"All right," he finally said, and Mitsuru fell silent. "I'll do it. I'll tell her."

She nodded. "Good. Will you sing to her?"

"Yeah."

"Which song?"

"The one you caught me singing last night," he murmured, trying to distract himself from his own embarrassment by pretending to search the conveyor belt for more sushi.

"I'm sure she'll love it," Mitsuru said, smiling.

There was that same look in her eyes from last night that he couldn't read, but looking at it now, he had to convince himself that it couldn't possibly be sorrow.

They spoke of many things, reminiscing on whatever they could recall from years of being in the same class—school plays, songs, games, sports, club activities, embarrassments that didn't hurt so badly now that they could look back fondly on them—and Ryuichi even managed to get Mitsuru to snort with laughter.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," he grumbled, pretending to be sour that she found his tale humorous.

Mitsuru had a hand clamped over her mouth, still shaking with a few giggles. "It's just, to think that you avoided using it for days—"

"I was seven, okay? How was I to know there wasn't really a snake in the boys' toilet?"

Mitsuru shared a story of her own that got Ryuichi shaking with laughter as he fought to keep quiet. She just sat there smugly with satisfaction while he struggled to breathe.

"No way. Saikawa-san actually set the guests' dogs loose during the party?"

"And for my sake, I might add," Mitsuru told him proudly. "I was able to sample some of the hors d'oeuvres that day."

"You never get to try them? Ever?"

"Rarely. Usually, I'm too busy meeting with all the guests to get a chance to eat anything. And that includes parties that I'm not hosting."

Ryuichi quickly chewed through a piece of freshwater eel. "You're gonna need more dogs."

He finished eating fourteen plates of sushi and grabbed for a fifteenth, enjoying their endless chat all the while. It was like they were trying to get to know each other as much as possible in the little time they had left to make up for all the years that they missed.

And yet, there was something about Mitsuru that was strangely familiar. He almost felt like he could recall moments that they shared, moments that never existed. It was as though they had been friends all along, where just chatting with her, having a nice meal with her—hell, even just being with her felt natural.

He wished they could stay longer, but when he checked his phone, he saw that Shizue would be dropping Megumi off at the dorm in an hour. When they asked for the check, Mitsuru snatched it up while Ryuichi reached for his wallet.

"Hey!"

She set down a credit card and let the waitress take it. "Congratulations on getting into Kawaguchi University, Ryuichi," she said, and the both of them gasped at the same time.

"That's the second time today you've called me by my name," he said with a bashful smile.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking fearful as if she had caused a great offense. "I don't know why I keep doing that."

"That's okay," he said, blushing. "Just 'Ryuichi' is fine, if you don't mind."

She smiled in agreement. "Then, just 'Mitsuru' is fine, too."

"Mitsuru." He tested her name out. It felt familiar somehow, more comfortable without the honorific. "Well Mitsuru, thank you for lunch. Next time will be my treat."

While waiting for her credit card to return, Ryuichi remembered a little something that put a damper on the victory of their entrance exams.

"We still have finals coming up," he groaned as he sank low in his seat.

"Then we cannot afford to slack off now, can we?" She checked her cell phone and snapped it shut.

"Yeah, except I'm so burnt out from studying for entrance exams that I just wanna be done."

"But you're almost done. "

He groaned again. The waitress returned with Mitsuru's receipt and her credit card. As she took out her wallet, she said to Ryuichi: "How about we study together to keep each other motivated? I have to admit, now that I know I passed the entrance exams, I feel myself become a little lackadaisical in my studies."

Ryuichi let out a heavy sigh. "That's not something I'd expect to hear from the student council president, you know."

"And that is why I suggested we study together to keep ourselves from becoming too lax."

On their way out, Ryuichi saw a couple in a booth lost within a table loaded with a bouquet of roses, balloons, a box of chocolates, and a bear plushie, the lovers holding hands and being sweet on each other. They were so lost in each other's gazes that they didn't even notice Ryuichi staring at them in passing.

"So, what do you say?" Mitsuru asked Ryuichi as they got onto their motorcycles. "Shall we spend this week studying? I cannot guarantee that we will study together every day, if that's all right."

"Every little bit helps," he told her. "But, I have to warn you: I'll be babysitting my niece this week while my sister's at work."

"What times?"

"From around, what, four to ten-ish?"

"That's fine. She was very well-behaved the last time she was at the dorm, so I'm sure she won't interrupt our studies too much."

Back at the dorm, Ryuichi started the process of filling out enrollment forms while Mitsuru freshened up before her meeting. Looking at all the forms, Ryuichi's eyes stared past them and into the last few hours he spent with Mitsuru, thinking about how much fun they had just being able to talk. She didn't seem to mind him being so awkward, but she might have just been playing nice to save face for him.

Shizue arrived a little late with Megumi and left before Ryuichi could tell her the good news. He wasn't mad that she didn't stick around, but since their parents were on a cruise ship with no cell phone service, he didn't have anyone else to share the news with. He would just have to wait until later.

Ryuichi dutifully watched over Megumi that evening. He talked to her, read her fairytales, sang to her, let her watch movies—trying just about everything to keep her busy so he could get started on studying. Movies were the easiest to give her, keeping her entertained for a good hour-and-a-half at a time while he sat at his kotatsu. The only problem was, he had to keep looking up from his work to glance at her on the bed to make sure she hadn't fallen off.

"Oh, right! Hey, Megs? I didn't tell you yet, did I?"

He sat on his bed and took his niece up in his arms. She babbled, reaching for his smiling face.

"I got into Kawaguchi University today," he said softly to her, grinning so broadly his face ached. "Can you believe it? Uncle Ryu is going to college!"

He was in too good a mood to try to keep studying and wound up looking for apartments around the university that he could afford. He had Megumi "help" him out, sitting in his lap as they searched. He spoke to her as if she was talking to him, weighing the pros and cons of each apartment. Megumi "argued" that one was too small, and he claimed that the other one was too pricy. Back and forth they went, until Ryuichi finally came to accept that the only kind of apartment he could afford was the single room kind.

"Okay, but do they have any that don't suck?" he asked himself aloud, still searching for others.

He took a break from apartment hunting and brought Megumi to the kitchen to get her something to eat. As he warmed up some food, Akihiko Sanada burst into the dorm and slammed the doors shut behind him. He quickly locked them and leaned back against them, trying to catch his breath. When he rested enough, he flipped his blazer back over his shoulder. A bag of treats fell out.

"They're getting sneaky," Ryuichi heard him grumble to himself. He watched as the boxer came into the kitchen to dump the treats into the trash. Akihiko then reached down the neck of his vest to retrieve yet another little baggie of chocolates. That, too, went into the garbage.

Akihiko shook out his blazer and found a small, hand-made rabbit plushie wearing little boxing gloves stuffed down one of the sleeves. He noticed Ryuichi nearby and turned to him.

"Hey, you want this?" he asked.

Megumi started grabbing for the bunny. Akihiko let her take it and left without another word.

"Thank you!" Ryuichi called out to him belatedly.

He pouted as Megumi dropped the doll. "How come I'm the only senior not getting tons of chocolate?" he griped. He stooped to pick up the doll as a car's headlights swept across the walls.

He felt bad for the girls who managed to sneak their presents onto the boxing captain's person, only for their efforts to end up in the trash or in someone else's hands. Megumi didn't seem too troubled at all, promptly chewing on one of the bunny's ears. When he took the bunny away so she could eat, she began to cry, demanding her toy back.

"You have to eat dinner first before you can play," he said, trying to add a sing-song tone to not sound too harsh.

She kept crying. Ryuichi tried pushing the spoonful of baby food to her open mouth, but she would turn away each time. He refused to give her the toy just yet.

"You have to eat first, Megs. You can have the toy after you eat."

He tried bouncing her, pacing the lounge with her, singing, dancing, rocking her, but all she wanted was the toy. Every now and then, he kept glancing over to the stairs, worrying that he was causing trouble for the other dorm residents. On and on she cried, red-faced and still reaching for the fluffy little bunny on the kitchen counter. Ryuichi showed her the food again, then the bunny, then the food again, hoping she would understand what he was trying to tell her. He sat down on the couch, exhausted but determined to get her to eat.

Another car's headlights swept across the walls. Moments later, Mitsuru returned from work, weary but appearing satisfied. When she saw Ryuichi trying to calm the wailing Megumi, she smiled at him and came over, standing behind the couch where he sat.

"Sorry about the noise," he said to her over his shoulder. "How was work?"

"It went well, thank you." She greeted Megumi, who completely ignored her.

"That boxing captain guy gave her a rabbit that he got from one of his fans," Ryuichi grumbled. "I took it away to get her to eat dinner first, but now she just wants the toy."

"He gave away a present from his fans?"

"Oh, he did more than that. The trash seemed pretty happy to get Valentine's Day chocolate."

He put on a bitter smile. "More chocolate than I got," he muttered.

Mitsuru shuffled around behind him. "I have something for you," she said, and presented him with a golden box of chocolate imported from Belgium. "They're not homemade, but I've had them before, and they're quite good."

He took the box, shocked into silence as he stared at the gold box within the plastic wrappings.

"Really? For me?" he managed to utter after a time.

"Really," she replied. "I've never given chocolate to anyone before, and I just thought that, since I consider you a friend, I would like to give you some."

He was still in awe at the gift. "This is—! I mean, it's gotta be—This is awesome! Thank you!"

Mitsuru smiled big for him. "Now, could you do me a favor and not speak of this to anyone, especially not at school?" she asked.

He instantly thought of her fans. "Oh, believe me: I do _not_ want to get ripped apart by those girls."

"Precisely."

"Not to mention the rumors. You know how those get out of hand."

"Indeed."

They both were in agreement, and Ryuichi was more than happy to keep it their little secret. The only thing keeping him from truly exploding with elation was his niece in his arms, still screaming for the rabbit.

"Uh, for White Day, are you going to be around the dorm?" he asked her. "Or can I mail your present somewhere?"

Mitsuru looked at him in amazement. "You don't have to do that for me," she answered, straightening up.

"Why not? It's tradition to return the favor." He looked back to the fancy box. "It's probably not going to be this nice, though."

"Well, if you insist." She flashed him a sly smile. "And hold the laxatives, if you please."

They shared a mischievous chuckle. When Ryuichi looked down again, he saw Megumi chewing on the box, having settled down at last.

That night, he only allowed himself one piece of Mitsuru's chocolate to make it last. He hid the fancy box in his dresser, then took out Shiori's homemade truffles to have a few pieces. When his sister returned from work, she presented him with a box of chocolates she bought from the store. He eagerly tore open the wrapper to devour the little treats.

"It's not very manly for a guy to like sweets," his sister teased as he tried a raspberry cream-filled piece.

"Don't care; I've got chocolate," he said, then popped the rest of the piece into his mouth.

Shizue plopped down on his bed to rest for a moment while leaning over to watch Megumi sleeping between Ryuichi's pillows. "So, did you get a lot of chocolate from a ton of girls?" she asked with a sly grin.

"I got chocolate from three girls!" he said proudly. "And one of them is my sister!"

"That's not something to be proud of!"

"Don't care! I got chocolate!"

His sister still had that mischievous grin on her face. "Okay, but be honest: were any of them honmei chocolate?"

"Not a one, but I'm okay with that," he said before biting into a caramel-filled chocolate.

"You're okay with—? But you went your whole high school career without—"

"By the way, I got into Kawaguchi."

Shizue let out a high-pitched shriek as she flung herself onto her brother, nearly knocking him over. All talk of him not having a girlfriend dissolved in his sister's excitement, which was quickly short-lived when Megumi began to cry from being startled awake. Even as she tried to calm her daughter down, Shizue continued to talk about the experiences she had when she was in college, warning him not to party to hard, and offering any advice she could think of just then.

"Mom and Dad are gonna flip when they hear about this!" she exclaimed, and Ryuichi couldn't agree more.


	120. Chapter 120

**Chapter 120**

That rainy Monday morning seemed to sum up the anguish of all the seniors and ronins who failed to get into their desired universities, or any university at all. At Gekkoukan High, the somber seniors were easy to spot with their downcast expressions and their refusal to speak to anyone. Others just didn't even bother to attend school that day.

The saddest part of the whole ordeal was that those who failed still had to face final exams. And worse, now that club activities and sports practices were suspended for the next few weeks for finals, there weren't any activities available to offer pleasant distractions from their failures.

Ryuichi pitied his fellow seniors, but he knew that feeling badly for them wasn't going to help in any way. But, to see them going through the very thing he feared most made him appreciate just how fortunate he was to pass his exams.

He couldn't enjoy his victory for long. Since he and Mitsuru agreed to study for their finals together, they met up after school to ride the stuffed train back to Iwatodai. Umbrellas slick with rain rubbed against them, leaving puddles pooling on the train floors and soaking socks and shoes. There were so many people packed inside the train car that Ryuichi didn't need to grab onto one of the overhead straps to keep his footing.

Back at the dorm, they parted briefly to change out of their damp uniforms. Ryuichi placed his open umbrella in his bathroom to dry before changing into a blue button-down shirt and black jeans. He turned on the heater and set up his humidifier and kotatsu. While everything heated up, he spread out a bunch of ingredients over his desk to make sandwiches and tea. As he cut off the crusts and stuffed them into his mouth, Mitsuru returned, wearing a short black pea coat and khakis.

"Should I close the door?" she asked him.

"Nah, leave it open," he said. "I gotta listen for my sister."

Mitsuru left her knee-high boots by the door and took a seat at the kotatsu. "It's so warm," she said with a satisfied hum.

"Wanna take a break first?" He brought the plate of sandwiches and some tea to the kotatsu.

"That sounds like a marvelous idea," she replied. As Ryuichi got settled across the table from her, she poured them both some tea.

"So, what did your parents say when you told them about getting accepted into Kawaguchi?" she asked him.

Ryuichi was mid-sip and lowered his teacup from his lips. "I haven't told them yet," he said. "They're currently on a cruise around Europe. Dad got Mom tickets for her birthday, so he's basically fulfilling a twenty-something-year-old promise."

"He kept that promise for that long?"

"Well, they had Shizue and me, and then they had the restaurant. Mom swore off having any more children after the restaurant."

"They must have been busy, raising two children and running a restaurant at the same time."

It didn't look like Mitsuru got his joke. Ryuichi shrugged it off. "They really were. I just remember that Shizue started working at the restaurant when she was about twelve years old."

"And did you start helping, too?"

He made a face. "Mom made a hamburger costume for me to wear to attract customers," he muttered.

She asked for pictures, and he reluctantly went to his shelf to pull out an album with a rich, red cover. They flipped through dozens of photos of him as a short, pudgy kid until they found the one with him wearing a hamburger suit with his round, frowning face sticking out of the top of the bun and his hands coming out from between the two fabric burger patties.

Mitsuru's laughter got him chuckling himself, remembering how uncomfortable the costume was while wearing it over his Gekkoukan elementary school uniform. He told her about how one of the worst things that could happen while wearing the costume was getting an itch on his face and not being able to scratch.

"I get the feeling that poor Megumi might end up wearing it someday," he sighed, putting the album away. He stared at the red cover for a few more moments, silently thanking his mother for putting it together for him when his parents decided to let him move into the dorm.

"It survived the fire?" Mitsuru asked in amazement.

"Yeah, well, it was never in the fire, actually. Mom brought it home after I didn't need to wear it anymore, since Dad had me helping out in the kitchen." He returned to the kotatsu. "Plus, I outgrew that costume pretty fast. You can't really tell with the costume on, but I'm sure you saw how chubby I was in the other photos."

They chatted over their tea and sandwiches. Mitsuru seemed to enjoy looking all around Ryuichi's room, admiring the shelves of movies, anime DVDs, video games, memorabilia from his youth, medals and trophies from his kendo competitions, and so on. Her eyes rested on the fedora on his desk.

"You used to wear that hat all the time," she said, gesturing to the fedora. "What made you stop wearing it?"

He squirmed with embarrassment at his old fashion choice. "My sister told me it was kinda lame to wear it," he admitted. "I thought it looked pretty good with our school uniform, and it was really helpful whenever I played at Chagall Cafe. I wasn't as nervous since I couldn't see the audience with it on."

"I see." She poured them both some more tea. "Personally, I think you're right that it suits our uniforms well. What made you decide to wear it in the first place?"

He wished he could tell her a better story than the humiliating truth. "I wore it to cover up an injury last year," he said with a sigh. "I was on my way home late one night from watching my niece and I got mugged when I stopped to get something from a vending machine."

"That's terrible."

"Yeah. It sucked, and my head was covered in bandages, so I wanted something to cover them up."

Ryuichi got up from the kotatsu to pick up the fedora. "This was really the only style I felt worked with our uniforms, so I went for it. Didn't think I'd end up wearing it the rest of the school year."

Mitsuru's eyes thinned as she smiled. "It suits you."

He tried it on. Looking at himself in the mirror, he recalled the day he got the fedora, remembering the bandages being visible just above his brow where the hat didn't drop low enough.

For some reason, he thought he could remember Mitsuru there on that day, too. He pictured her with a morose expression, could almost hear her harsh tone in his ears. Perhaps the muggers hit him so hard that the blow muddled his memories.

"I think you should at least wear it whenever you perform at Chagall Cafe," Mitsuru suggested as he left the fedora on his desk. "It adds a mysterious aesthetic to your music."

Her kind words warmed him up as he took his seat. "You think so?"

"I do. I think you look quite dashing in it."

He failed to hide his bashful grin. "Then, maybe I'll try wearing it the next time I play at Chagall."

They finally hunkered down to study, only for Shizue to arrive with Megumi minutes later. She couldn't spare a moment to step inside for a bit, as her bus was late due to the rain.

"Sorry I'm late!" She wheeled Megumi's stroller into the lounge and gave her daughter a peck on the cheek. "Be good, okay? Love you!"

She then thrust two overstuffed bags into Ryuichi's chest. "Thanks, Ryu-chan! Gotta go!"

Before he could get a word in, Shizue dashed away, her umbrella catching on the wind.

"Uh, bye?" Ryuichi uttered after her, and brought Megumi to his room.

Ryuichi wasn't sure how to deal with caring for a baby while he studied. He set up his portable DVD player on his bed to let Megumi watch one of her favorite movies, hoping it would offer enough distraction to let them study. She seemed mesmerized by the familiar story and songs she had heard hundreds of times before, letting the two go back to their studies.

When Ryuichi set to work on some of the calculus problems Mitsuru prepared for him, he kept glancing up from his work to check on Megumi. When she grew fussy, he went down his mental checklist and checked her diaper, gave her warm milk, fed her, gave her a pacifier, and put her down for a nap. She refused everything, only calming down whenever he held her.

"Sorry, Mitsuru," he said as he let Megumi sit in his lap. He put the blanket of the kotatsu over his lap first and had Megumi sit on top of it. She curled up with her new boxing bunny doll, finally at peace to let him work for a little while.

"It seems that she just wanted to be close to her beloved uncle," Mitsuru remarked, beaming from across the table.

It was enough to make him blush. "I guess," he muttered, and peered down at Megumi. "Aren't you tired of me yet?"

He was answered by some babbles and a big smile. His heart melted.

"You're just so cute, you know that?" he gushed at his niece. He picked her up to blow raspberries onto her tummy. Her laughter filled the room with a warmth that no heater could provide.

She behaved well for the first hour, but she soon grew bored. She kept hitting her boxing bunny doll against the table, grabbed Ryuichi's notes, chewed on his pencils, and squirmed to get out of his lap with a frustrated cry. Ryuichi apologized so many times to Mitsuru as he tried to calm Megumi down. He changed her diaper when it became wet and brought her some more warm milk, hoping it would help her fall asleep.

"I'm really sorry about all this," Ryuichi said to Mitsuru again as Megumi suckled on her bottle. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"My time isn't wasted at all." Mitsuru straightened up from her notes. "But, are you going to be okay for the exams? Perhaps you can find someone to watch your niece so you can study."

"We did have a nanny before," he remembered. "I can give her a call and see if she's up for it, but I'll have to talk to Shizue before I do anything."

In the meantime, he got Megumi to fall asleep on his bed with a warm belly while another one of her favorite movies played on his DVD player. She allowed them to study in peace up until Mitsuru had to leave for work.

"Overall, I think you have a good grasp on everything," Mitsuru said as she packed up her books. "But, may I ask how you came to speak English so well?"

"My dad taught me," he said. "The man loved America so much, he wanted us to learn the language."

And yet, as the words left his lips, he began to doubt them.

A few hours later when Shizue came by to pick up Megumi, Ryuichi spoke with her about possibly hiring Masabuchi-san again for the rest of the week so that he could focus on exams. His sister gave him a look of apology as she shook her head.

"I know you have exams, but there's no way I can afford to pay her for a week," she told him.

"What if we split the cost?" he offered.

"That's still too much. Sorry, Ryu-chan, but I just can't afford a nanny right now."

Ryuichi hung his head, knowing that his sister was right. He thought about the money in his bank account, wondering if he should go ahead and pay for the nanny himself. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was just making up excuses to not watch over his niece.

"It's just for the rest of the week. Mom and Dad'll be back by Saturday," his sister said to him. He could see the apology in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryu-chan, but just hang in there, okay?"

All he could do was nod. Ryuichi knew that their situation was purely from bad timing and was nobody's fault at all. He could only wish that he didn't have exams to study for so he could watch over his niece with no problems.

The rain had stopped by the time Shizue had to leave. As he had done before, Ryuichi went with his sister and niece to ensure that they both got home safely.

"Eshima-san said I could have Wednesday off, but I'm still trying to get someone to cover one of my shifts for another day," Shizue said to Ryuichi during the bus ride home.

It was the best they could do for the moment. Once he saw his sister and niece safely inside the house, he took the bus back to the nearest stop by the dorm. By then, it was already almost eleven o'clock at night.

At home, Ryuichi bathed and soaked in the tub for only a good twenty minutes. After his bath, he sat down at his desk, taking out all the materials that he and Mitsuru worked on that afternoon, knowing that he would have to make up for the lost hours with an all-nighter. It was the best time to do it, what with a whole week left before finals for him to catch up on sleep. Best of all, he could hear the soothing rain pattering outside again.

As he attempted to solve another calculus problem, he leaned away from his desk and sighed, spotting his alarm clock. It was three minutes to midnight.

Something about the time made his gut clench. He had a feeling that something was supposed to happen at midnight, something unpleasant, and he couldn't shake the sensation. The longer he stared at the numbers on the clock, the more he believed his gut.

He looked back down at his work, figuring he would finish the problem out and check the clock again. He kept glancing up at the clock, daring it to usher in something sinister before going back to his studies. When he looked up again, it was already three minutes past midnight.

"Guess I was wrong," he sighed, and went out to find a vending machine that sold canned coffee.


	121. Chapter 121

**Chapter 121**

Staying up all night to study proved to be a big mistake. Ryuichi figured that if he took a nap instead of doing his morning workout, he should be fine to get through the school day. When he got to school, he crashed the moment he put his head down on his desk.

There were moments when he was vaguely aware of being awake, particularly when he had to read a passage in one of their books at their teacher's request. Another moment he could barely recall was when he had to stand at his desk to answer a question. When he answered correctly, he fell asleep seconds after his butt dropped back into his chair.

"Okazaki!"

He leaped to his feet. His chair scraped the floor and made a jarring screech that made him writhe. Blinking, his eyes focused to see Shiori standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, glowering at him before her face broke into a smile.

"How did you like my impression of Enomoto-sensei?" she asked smugly. "Not bad, huh?"

His heart was still thumping in his chest as he registered her joke. "I nearly pissed myself!" he yelped.

She let out a hearty laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment!"

A quick glance around showed him that lunchtime had begun. There were numerous empty desks, and some were pushed together for clusters of friends to eat as a group. Shiori leaned back on Mitsuru's empty chair, her hands resting on her desk.

"So, I wasn't sure if I should ask this yesterday, but—"

Shiori hesitated, her smile quickly becoming uneasy. Somehow, Ryuichi just knew what she was going to ask about.

He grinned. "I'll be attending Kawaguchi University in the spring," he told her.

She gasped in delight. "You did it! I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks. Um, so, how about you? Did you—?"

She grinned right back and flashed him a thumbs up. "Got into my number two choice," she said proudly. "I guess I was overqualified for my number one choice."

They both laughed, but Ryuichi could see that she was still a little disappointed at the results.

"Congratulations on getting in," he said to her. "It was, what, Sakatani University, right? They're ranked number four in kendo, aren't they?"

"That's right. I figured I'd join and help them reach number one someday."

"Awesome! You'll be the driving force their team needs to win!"

She giggled. "How about you? Are you going to join the kendo team at Kawaguchi?"

Ryuichi let his bangs fall over his eyes. "I haven't thought about it yet."

"You should!"

Some of Shiori's friends came to get her for lunch. "Just a sec!" she called to them at the door. She turned back to Ryuichi. "Well, I'll see you later."

"See you."

"And join kendo!"

When she left, Ryuichi stayed awake long enough to eat something before starting up another nap. When classes resumed, he was alert enough to take notes and not fall back asleep, though he still felt sluggish throughout the afternoon. After school, Mitsuru turned around in her seat to look at him.

"I have to apologize, but I won't be able to make it to our study session today," she said to him.

"Duty calls," he said with a shrug. "Oh, uh, if it's all right, could I borrow your notes for today?"

She started to hand them to him but pulled them back. "Just make sure you get some sleep tonight," she told him in a firm voice.

Ryuichi thanked her, vowing that he would get some sleep that night for sure. It was only then that she handed over her notes.

The next day, as promised, Shizue took that rainy Wednesday off to watch over Megumi so her brother could study. Ryuichi couldn't wait to have a full afternoon to study with Mitsuru without Megumi interrupting them. That is, until Mitsuru informed him that she wouldn't be able to make that study session, either.

"It can't be helped," he said with a smile so she wouldn't feel too badly about having to cancel again. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

He handed back her notes before they left for school that morning. Mitsuru still had a guilty look in her eyes as she put her notes into her bag.

"Again, I apologize for missing another study session," she told him. "I'll try to come home earlier so we can study together, even if it's just for a little while."

After school, Ryuichi enjoyed his walk in the rain to the convenience store near the dorm. He figured it was better to get his meals one at a time instead of making large batches with the false hope that it would last. It was going to be pricey, for sure, but at least he was guaranteed to have food.

When he arrived at the convenience store, he hesitated to stick his umbrella in the rack just outside. He had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be there when he came back out, after having it happen to him a number of times in the past. Instead of leaving it, he decided to take it inside with him. He stayed outside under the awning to try to shake off as much water as he could, spinning and quickly opening and closing it a number of times. He refused to get sick from the rain right before exams just because some idiot was dumb enough not to bring an umbrella and steal his.

"Almost," he muttered when only a few droplets fell from his umbrella.

The convenience store doors slid open. He stepped aside to let the customers pass.

"Hey! Look who it is!"

Ryuichi froze. Slowly, he raised his face to see Sakai's frown among his friends' nasty smirks, all of them carrying bags of food. His four friends stepped forward, bearing down on Ryuichi. He backed away from them, feeling chilled rain tap his head and soak his hair and neck.

The weasel friend stepped forward. "Didja miss us?" he sneered, and the two huge guys cracked their knuckles at Ryuichi.

He bolted. His old bullies taunted and called after him, their feet hot on his as he tore down the sidewalk. He ran past the dorm and dashed across the street, not wanting them to know where he lived. Two girls cried out when he slipped between them. As he squeezed past, he dared to glance back, seeing Sakai and company still in hot pursuit.

"Whoa—Ugh!"

Ryuichi slipped on the slick pavement. His feet shot out, and he fell with a hard _whump!_ on the ground.

 _Crack._ His head struck the wet pavement. The impact crushed his lungs. He gasped for breath, only able to lay there helplessly as the sky pissed on him.

The guys swarmed him. Two of them grabbed him by the arms and picked him up. Ryuichi thrashed back. He grabbed ankles and pulled, head-butted, punched, kicked, elbowed, and he received the same in kind. They grabbed and he tore loose, delivering combos of punches and elbow strikes.

One guy jumped on his back. Ryuichi bent forward and slammed the guy's head into a brick wall. Blood mixed with rain, but Ryuichi never stopped fighting. He saw black eyes, bruises, bloodied noses, swollen faces, split lips—and through them all, Sakai just stood a ways back, shaking his head.

"That's enough!" Sakai bellowed, and started yanking his friends off of Ryuichi. "Just forget about him!"

He shoved his guys away, leaving Ryuichi down on one knee, shaking and panting hard. Everything hurt, with his left eye swelling shut, his lip split, nose dripping blood, bruises stinging, and he could taste copper in his mouth. His body grew stiff with pain, having been pummeled to mush. When he looked up, he saw Sakai give him one final glance before shoving his friends further down the street.

After a few minutes of rest, Ryuichi managed to get to his feet, still wincing from the pain all over his body. For a few moments, he leaned heavily against the brick wall next to a bloodstain, most likely from the guy whose head he slammed into it. When he felt his strength slowly return, he eased himself off the wall to pick up his bag, knowing that his books and notes were probably soaked.

At least he already returned Mitsuru's notes. It was a dumb, comforting thought he had as he agonizingly bent to pick up his umbrella next. He limped his first step back to the dorm, digging his umbrella into the ground like a cane for support.

Back at home, it took an immense amount of effort for him to peel his soaked clothes off of his battered body. His uniform was kicked to a corner of his bathroom, and he stood under a cascade of hot water, watching his blood swirl into the drain. Cuts stung from the water, and just the light pressure from the shower made his bruises hurt even more.

After drying off, he treated his injuries and dressed up in pajama pants, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. He left his soaked clothes in the bathroom in a heap, then went to lay in bed with some bags of ice on the sorest spots on his body.

Each time he started to nod off, Ryuichi jerked awake. Sometimes the painful twinges zapped him, other times he would see the smirking faces of his attackers in his dreams, all of them smashing him with punches and kicks while he was stuck moving in slow motion. As startling as his dreams were, he was still surprised that he had actually survived a beating and even fought back!

But, remembering their faces bludgeoned and broken frightened him. He really hurt those guys, and probably could have destroyed them if Sakai hadn't stopped them. He had been desperate to survive, but when he realized that he had the strength to potentially cripple or kill them, he became so disturbed with himself that he couldn't sleep at all anymore.

After laying in bed for a couple of hours, he grew hungry enough to order a pizza for dinner. When his food arrived, he put up his hood to cover up his face so the delivery guy wouldn't have to see. Unfortunately for him, Mitsuru and her maid were in the lounge just then, making Ryuichi curse his poor timing and his hunger.

He could feel them observing him as he tried to be casual about coming out dressed the way he was. His hunched shoulders and stiff limp undoubtedly gave him away, but the startled look on the pizza guy's face clinched it. Ryuichi pretended to act like the two women weren't even there as he retreated to his room.

"Stop right there!" Mitsuru ordered. He halted. "What happened to you?"

Sighing, he rotated slowly on the balls of his feet, hanging his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he murmured. When he fully turned to them, they both gasped at the sight of his battered face.

She made him talk anyway. While Kikuno checked the injuries on his face, he told them about his encounter with Sakai, fighting off his friends, and then Sakai's unusual behavior through it all.

"He's never stopped his friends before," Ryuichi told them, still bewildered even after getting a chance to ruminate on the whole ordeal. "And he's never passed up an opportunity to beat me up, either."

"Then perhaps he's finally grown up," Mitsuru concluded, still eyeing him with her stern glare.

"Personally, I'm intrigued that you were able to return to the dorm despite your injuries," Kikuno piped up. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

He touched some spots on his chest, mentioned some aches on his back, and shyly explained that he got kicked in a very delicate place. When he told them that he hit his head when he fell, Kikuno checked to make sure his scalp hadn't split. Thankfully, it didn't.

"It doesn't look like you suffered anything too serious, but I suggest that you go to the hospital for a more thorough examination," Kikuno suggested.

"I agree," said Mitsuru. "Kikuno, call a car."

"Yes, Ojou-sama."

Ryuichi glumly watched as her maid took out her cell phone. "But, I'm okay," he murmured with shame. They ignored him.

After getting looked at by a doctor, it was determined that the worst of his injuries was his concussion. He was instructed not to sleep for the next few hours, and when Ryuichi explained that he hit his head hours ago, the doctor still insisted that he stay awake for the time being.

"Okay, but is my neck supposed to be stiff like this?" Ryuichi asked the doctor, showing him how he could only turn his head slowly.

"It's from hitting your head," the doctor answered. "Your neck muscles are just a little shocked. It'll loosen up in a few days, so just take it easy."

"I guess I'm going to be up studying, then," Ryuichi sighed during the car ride back.

"Then I shall join you," Mitsuru said dutifully. "The two of us can catch up on our studies together."

"You don't have to do that. Besides, I'm going to be up for a while."

"That's all right. Now we have more time to study."

He thought she was just being nice, offering to help even if she didn't want to. She wasn't. Within minutes of returning to the dorm, she had all her books and notes and was sitting across from him at his kotatsu, working diligently and making sure that he did the same. If he ever started nodding off, she woke him up. If he needed to give his body a break, she let him lie down for a few minutes, keeping an eye out so he wouldn't fall asleep. She even brought him some ice for his neck, which functioned more as a cold shock to wake him up.

Ryuichi found it strange that Mitsuru would go through all that trouble just because of a concussion. It was almost midnight, and she was still there, working hard, even though she had to be exhausted from a day of school and work. Without a doubt, she was much kinder than he already knew her to be.

"You must be tired by now," he said to her sometime late into the night.

"Not at all," she replied without looking up from her work. "How about you? How are you feeling?"

Not wanting to look weak in front of her, he hunkered back down on his own studies. "Me? I could go all night."

"Have you already forgotten how that went last time?"

"I know. No all-nighters."

He looked to the clock in time to watch it change to midnight. Nothing happened.

Around one in the morning, Mitsuru sat back and yawned.

"All right, I think we can stop here for tonight," she said to him.

"Oh? I was just getting sta-sta-started," he yawned in reply.

Mitsuru chuckled as she packed her things away. "Seeing as you were able to concentrate without any problems, it seems that your concussion was only mild."

"Yeah? Then, I can sleep now?"

"Yes, it seems that way."

Ryuichi watched her put her pencils into her pencil bag. "Hey, uh, Mitsuru?" he said softly. She looked right at him, freezing his insides. "Um, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out today. It means a lot to me."

She fastened the clasps on her bag. "I have to say, I'm still impressed that you were able to fight off four grown men with minimal injuries," she told him. "I'm even more astounded by what you said about Sakai stopping his friends' assault. Perhaps you frightened him off."

"Please. I'm about as scary as a box of kittens."

Mitsuru sat there for a moment with her hands atop her bag. Ryuichi expected her to say something or to get up and leave, but she just sat there eyeing him, her gaze just brushing the scar above his brow.

"Kikuno said something earlier while the doctor examined you," she said, startling him awake from an oncoming nap. "She thinks that I should hire you as a bodyguard, since you seem to have such a high perception for danger and the ability to defend yourself from multiple aggressors."

"Based off of today?" he squawked.

"Yes, and from when you protected me from that groper. You exhibit some qualities of a good bodyguard. Perhaps you developed such skills in kendo. They say you fight as though you've seen battle firsthand."

"Bodyguard, huh?" Ryuichi imagined himself as an action hero, running through a floor of an office building to save his charge while a helicopter fired its machine guns at him. Every shot missed him and sent papers and sparks flying everywhere—In slow-motion.

Hot air rushed out from under the kotatsu when Mitsuru stood up. "It's not going to be like the movies," she said, shutting down his daydreams. "And to be honest, I have no intention of putting a good friend of mine in danger for my sake."

Ryuichi also got up from the table to see her out. "Well, it sounds like pretty interesting work."

"It's very dangerous work. Don't even think about becoming one."

"Aw, no fun."

He yawned again. "Well, thank you again for everything," he said to her as he showed her to the door.

"Thank you, too," she replied, "for studying with me and for sharing your food with me."

They both glanced back to the almost empty pizza box on his desk.

"Anytime," he said with a sleepy smile.

"Good night."

"G'night."

As he settled into bed, it dawned on Ryuichi that he wanted to tell her how he felt. His stomach tossed at the thought of what might happen to their friendship if he did tell her everything.

Would it even matter? After all, they were going their separate ways in just a few weeks.

He wanted to tell her, but not yet. He didn't want to alarm her during exams, should his declaration cost her the number one spot. She held the title for as long as he could remember, and didn't want to cost her a friend and her grades just because he couldn't contain his own feelings anymore. He would have to wait, possibly until after exams to finally tell her everything. It would ache for a little while longer, but at least he wouldn't cause her to trip at the end of their high school career.

As he lay in bed about to fall asleep, a thought struck him that kept him awake for a few extra minutes before fatigue set in:

"Why did she go through all that trouble for me tonight?"


	122. Chapter 122

**Chapter 122**

The next day, Shizue was running late again when she dropped Megumi off at the dorm. The moment Ryuichi opened the front door, she shoved the baby bags into his bruised chest, apologized for being late, kissed Megumi, and ran off, appearing to not have noticed Ryuichi's black eye or split lip. When she came to pick up Megumi that night, she gasped when she got a good look at his face.

"What the hell happened to you this time?" Her voice came out shrill as she grabbed his head.

"Well—"

"Was it thugs? Muggers? Yakuza? Sakai?"

He pulled her hands off of him. "None of the above," he grumbled, and slung the baby bags over his shoulders so they could head to the bus stop.

"Then what? Was it work?"

He pictured himself getting body slammed by the piano at Chagall Cafe and gingerly shook his head.

"I got time off work for exams, so no," he told her, still thinking she was crazy. "Come on or we'll miss your bus."

Shizue wouldn't stop asking him about what happened. On the way to the bus stop, he told her the story of how Sakai's friends were the ones who attacked him while Sakai hung back before stopping their assault. They sat down on the bench there, with Shizue checking on Megumi in her stroller.

"He _didn't_ attack you?"

"Weird, right?"

"But why?"

Ryuichi shrugged. His sister pulled Megumi's little hat with cat ears lower over her head.

"Man, and I was worried you tangled with the yakuza or something," she murmured to herself, confusing him to the point where he didn't bother to question her anymore.

"Uh, since you're still having trouble walking, maybe you should stay home today," Shizue said to him just as the bus turned onto their street. "I can make it home just fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's not as dangerous anymore, so it's no big."

She took the diaper bags from her brother. "Speaking of danger, Mom and Dad are coming home on Saturday, so maybe hold off on seeing them until you're all better," Shizue advised hastily. "You know how they get."

"Yeah," he agreed, getting anxious just thinking about it. "And, could you not mention anything about it to them for me?"

"Sure thing. You can just tell them you got hit in the face with a basketball during gym."

"That's—! Huh. I actually believe that more than what really happened."

His sister gave him a hug before she and Megumi boarded the bus. The siblings waved to each other through the window, Shizue mouthing for him to get better soon. Neither of them wanted to upset their parents, not especially after they just had a long overdue vacation.

Just as Shizue said, Toshio and Ayumi returned from their cruise on Saturday afternoon. Ryuichi called to welcome them home, telling them he was sorry he couldn't come visit as he was busy studying for exams. They seemed to understand and wished him good luck, but he detected the faintest hint of disappointment that they couldn't see their son after such a long vacation. He wished he could have gone to see them, but he settled for the relief he got knowing that their parents could watch over Megumi in his stead.

"And you still haven't told your parents about getting into Kawaguchi?" Mitsuru asked during a break in their studies.

"If I did that, they'd make me come over to celebrate, and I really don't have time for that," he said, wishing he could party instead. "We gotta make up for all the lost time."

He also didn't want to welcome them home with a busted face. Mitsuru didn't ask about it, and Ryuichi decided that her silence meant she picked up on his unspoken reason.

They only had two days left to cover everything else they hadn't gotten around to studying. Just watching Mitsuru work, he could already see that she knew pretty much everything they needed to know, whereas he needed help every so often when he kept forgetting or mixing up information.

Mitsuru couldn't stay the whole day Saturday since she had work late in the afternoon, but she allowed Ryuichi to hold on to her notes so he could consult them whenever he got stuck. He studied for hours, constantly checking Mitsuru's notes to recall all the details he missed and adding them to his own. When Mitsuru came home that evening, he welcomed her back with some tea and chocolate chip cookies he baked from scratch, both as thanks for her help and to try to cheer her up if things didn't go so well at work.

"That, and I really wanted cookies," he said when she asked about it. She gladly helped herself to some.

They took a short break and returned to their studies. Now that Ryuichi didn't have Megumi to worry about, he could pull an all-nighter and be able to sleep half of Sunday, then resume his studies afterward. He focused on the materials for the exams on Monday and Tuesday, figuring that he would have more time later to work on his other subjects.

During a break in his studies on Sunday, Ryuichi decided he needed to clean his room, especially if Mitsuru was going to be frequenting it. He vacuumed, dusted, tidied up whatever needed it, and though it was futile, attempted to flatten out the pages of his school books and notes that were soaked in the rain from his fight. He stacked them on top of one another, then piled on other heavy books and some of his weights.

As he thought about finding more heavy objects to stack on top of his ruined books, he recalled an unusual object he found at the bottom of his school bag when he was drying it out. He opened up the bottom drawer of his desk to take out the taser that was buried underneath all his books, glad that no one found it since he discovered it himself.

"Why do I even have something like this?" he asked himself aloud.

For the past few days he had been wondering about how and when he came to possess such a dangerous weapon. The initial shock of finding it had worn off days ago, but he still couldn't understand how he didn't notice the extra weight in his bag nor the odd way his books sat on top of it.

Ryuichi aimed the taser at his reflection in the mirror, trying to imagine shooting someone with it. He didn't think it would've been useful against Sakai's friends, since he only had one shot against multiple targets. Considering the rain that day, he wondered if he might have electrocuted them all if he used it, including himself.

"Yeah, this can't be legal." He stuffed the taser back into the bottom drawer of his desk, trying to figure out how he can get rid of it before he got into trouble for having it in his possession.

He went back to looking for heavy items he could use to flatten his books. His saxophone case came to mind, and when he pulled it out from under his bed, he was surprised to discover a few other cases behind it. When he reached for the other cases, his fingers brushed something rough. He pulled out a tattered tactical vest that looked to have been through a terrible battle.

Kneeling by his bed, he held up the vest to examine in the light. He saw dried blood, ragged tears, clean cuts, burn marks, and what appeared to be rips from an animal's claws that raked across the back. There were a number of pockets and pouches attached, and he found an empty candy wrapper in one and a few bullet casings in another.

"The hell?"

He started getting nervous as he took out the cases from under his bed. The smallest one held a handgun bearing the acronym "S.E.E.S." on the grip. With it was a red worn out armband that also said "S.E.E.S." on it.

"The heck is 'SEES'?" he muttered to himself as he put the handgun back into the case.

The other cases were much larger and heavier. The first of the two held two katanas, one shorter than the other, and both were inscribed with the phrase "Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection". They showed signs of use as if they had been used in a battle recently, with numerous dents and nicks in the blades. The material wrapped around the hilts were all frayed, but still usable.

He unsheathed the longer katana first, giving it a few test swings. It felt natural in his hands, like he had been using it for years. And yet, he couldn't recall using it much to practice kendo. The way it was badly damaged made him question how poorly he handled it, looking as though it had indeed seen the atrocities of war.

He tried the shorter one next. It was lighter, faster, and somehow more familiar than the other one. Of the two, the damage was much worse. The blade was bent, but still able to fit in the scabbard. There were plenty of nicks in the blade, and the tip had broken off, as if it had struck something solid.

Ryuichi wanted to have them both repaired, but gave up right away when he realized he didn't know where to send them nor how much it would cost. The shorter sword in particular might be beyond repair without the missing tip, filling him with a sorrow he couldn't understand. For now, he put both swords back into their case and set them aside.

The last case almost made him jump back when he saw the contents. It was a battered automatic rifle, filthy with dried blood and other unidentifiable residue. He didn't know where he got it or why, but he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. He didn't even want to touch it.

As he stared at the gun, he felt a familiarity in his hands. Without even holding it, they seemed to recognize the automatic rifle more than he did, like they knew how to operate it without him even needing to think. If his hands knew it better than his mind, then—

"SEES," he whispered to himself again. "SEES, SEES—The hell is SEES?"

The armband, the gun-shaped object, and the swords—Those items were the ones that resonated with him more than the others. He reached for the handgun again, his left hand outstretched when he paused, wondering why he wasn't using his right hand to grab it instead. Even thinking that, as he held the weighty handgun in his left hand, it felt perfectly comfortable. When he switched it to his right hand, it felt unnaturally heavy.

Someone knocked. "It's me," said Mitsuru. "Are you in there?"

He quickly started shoving everything back into their cases. "Y-Yeah! Just a minute!"

"I need to stop by my room to get my things. I'll be back in a bit."

"Sure thing! Um, take your time!"

All questions he had about "S.E.E.S." fled his mind. He was more panicked about Mitsuru finding out that he might be some kind of soldier or secret agent who might have taken countless lives and completely forgotten all about it. When Mitsuru returned, he had his kotatsu ready and his books spread out, his grin too big and stiff as he welcomed her. She returned his greeting and showed him the new study guide she bought on her way home.

"You seem tense today," Mitsuru said after getting settled at the kotatsu. "Are you nervous about exams?"

"Yeah, but that's normal, isn't it?" he asked, trying to play it off casually while pushing the cases deeper under his bed.

"I suppose so, considering the week you've been having," she added.

"You haven't had it easy, either."

"All the more reason for us to study."

They sat at the kotatsu bent over their books for two solid hours. Ryuichi listened carefully to Mitsuru and took any advice she had and any corrections she made, making mental notes to give himself ways to recall the information easier. She helped him more than he helped her, though he was more of a sounding board while she figured things out on her own. Every now and then he noticed that she would scribble something in her notes after covering something he had trouble with.

When Ryuichi leaned away from the kotatsu with a groan, his spine unleashed several satisfying pops.

"That sounds like we're due for a break," Mitsuru announced, stretching with a sigh.

Ryuichi was about to go make some tea when Kikuno stepped through his open door with a tray of tea and snacks ready for them. She brought cucumber sandwiches and little strawberry tartlets, pausing to pour them some tea before leaving them alone again.

"Whoa! How did she get the crust so crumbly?" Ryuichi asked in amazement after biting into a tartlet. "And it doesn't even break apart when I hold it! That's nuts!"

"It's actually our chefs who made it, and I don't think they'll be willing to part with their recipes," Mitsuru said to him.

"Oh, I totally get that. Dad's so protective of his recipes that I'm surprised he trusted me with them."

"He trusts his son, doesn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but that's because his original plan was for me to inherit the restaurant."

Mitsuru set her teacup down. "Does that mean you have plans of your own?"

"Yeah." Ryuichi took a sandwich next. "Mom and Dad aren't too happy about it, but I just can't see myself working at the restaurant for the rest of my life."

"Do you know what you want to do, then?"

"Not really. My best subject's English, so maybe I'll do something with that, or maybe music."

"English has some good opportunities in teaching and translating. If you choose music, does that mean I'll be seeing you on a stage sometime soon?"

He snorted. "Probably not. You can't pay me enough to dance around onstage in a glittery blazer with gelled hair and no shirt. But, you can always hear me sing empty promises at Chagall Cafe for free."

It was enough to get Mitsuru chuckling. "What about composing songs? I think the last time I saw you play at Chagall Cafe, you did a few songs that I was certain were not originally ballads."

Ryuichi grinned. "So you noticed?"

"How could I not? The Phoenix Ranger song is too recognizable to miss."

" _That's_ the one you recognize?"

"Indeed. I see the commercials sometimes and that song always plays. When I heard your rendition of it, I have to say I was quite impressed."

There she went heaping praises on him again. "What about you?" he asked, trying to not get too flustered. "If you didn't have to become the president of your company, what would you wanna do?"

Her eyes went distant. "Actually, I haven't given it much thought before," she told him.

Ryuichi rubbed his neck. "Is it because you figured you'd always be the head of the Kirijo Group?"

"The head of my family, yes, but not necessarily the president of our company. Though, maybe I was always resigned to the idea that I might one day stand in my father's place as the president of the Group. I just never imagined that it would be so soon."

Ryuichi sensed that he made a mistake, making her recall such a painful memory. To make it up to her, he sat down at his keyboard and began to play some light, relaxing songs to try to lift her mood.

"I always thought that most daughters of CEOs end up in arranged marriages," Ryuichi said while he played.

"I was almost in one."

"For real? No way!"

"Yes, _way_." She sounded so gleeful just then. "However, the man I was betrothed to was not someone I deemed fit to abdicate the Group to, even if he had the experience necessary to run our company."

He was curious about what sort of man the guy turned out to be. "That much of a douche nugget, huh?"

She let out a small chuckle. "Quite, though the Group did need someone to lead them, and he was the one they chose. My severing ties with him resulted in chaos within the Group, but I had some firm supporters, my grandmother among them even though she isn't part of the Kirijo Group. She was among the first who took to the idea of me becoming the new president of the Group instead of relying on someone else."

"Nice! Sounds like you owe her a really nice birthday present for that."

"That is going to be difficult to do."

"How come?"

Mitsuru let out a long sigh. "She wants me to find a good man who will make me happy," she replied, losing just a tiny bit of her poise.

"Oh, no," Ryuichi moaned. "Your grandmother sounds like my mom!"

They both exchanged looks of horror, laughing right after.

"It seems that all mothers want what's best for their children," Mitsuru remarked.

"And grandmothers," Ryuichi added with a shrug. "Now if only they skipped the whole arranged marriage thing first so you didn't have to go through all that."

Mitsuru let out another weighty sigh. "That might have been nice, wouldn't it?"

"Sounds like he really put you through a lot."

"He did. And not just me, but everyone in the Group, too."

"Yeesh. His résumé must have either been amazing or a load of BS."

He stared through the keyboard, not even seeing the keys anymore. "Um, just out of curiosity: Are you sure this is something you wanna be sharing with me?" Ryuichi asked her. "It all sounds like the kind of stuff you wouldn't share casually."

He could feel Mitsuru staring at him, as if thinking about somehow retracting everything she had revealed to him. "I'm not sure why I shared all this with you, to be honest," she finally said. "I suppose you just feel like someone I can trust, even though we've only started talking recently."

"Yeah?" He focused his eyes to make sure his fingers jumped up to the right keys. "I don't know why, but I feel the same way. Talking with you just feels, I dunno, familiar, like we've done it a lot before."

"Strange, isn't it?" she agreed. "But to be fair, we've known each other since kindergarten. Looking back now, I regret not getting to know you better before, despite being in the same class for so many years."

"Same here."

He heard the soft burble of tea being poured. "About what we just discussed regarding my arranged marriage, I ask that you do not repeat any of our conversation to anyone," she said. Her voice didn't waver.

Ryuichi transitioned into a new song without stopping in between. "I won't," he promised her. "And about us only becoming friends just recently—Better late than never, right? Just because we're going our separate ways doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"You have a good point. Then, when you start your classes at Kawaguchi, you can tell me all about college life."

"Definitely! I'll even get you a Kawaguchi hoodie that you can wear on your lazy days."

"I'd like that, thank you."

The way Mitsuru's voice perked up just then let him know that she was looking forward to the sweater—Or to lazy days ahead. Ryuichi seriously thought about telling her his feelings right then, the way things were going so well with them just talking during their break. After he finished a third song, Mitsuru decided it was time for them to get back to work, to which he could only agree and return to his spot against his bed.

"Tell me, Ryuichi: Did you already sing your song to your beloved?" she asked with a simper.

"Not that again!" he blurted out, his face blazing hot.

Laughing, Mitsuru waved him off. She was still wearing a smile as they focused back on their studies.

The first day of final exams arrived with the brilliant rays of unwelcome morning light. Ryuichi almost flew into a rage when he awoke to his alarm screeching at him to get up and do his workout. He nearly smacked it off his desk when he couldn't remember how to shut it off in his groggy state.

"Do you think you're ready for today?" Mitsuru asked on their way to school.

All he could do was let out a dry, miserable laugh.

The moment they separated to go to their respective shoe lockers, someone tapped Ryuich's shoulder. A boy he only recognized to be in his year flashed him a smile that he didn't like.

"You've been coming to school with Mitsuru Kirijo, right?" he asked Ryuichi. "Are you guys dating or something?"

Ryuichi instantly felt his muscles grow taut. "I don't think that's any of your business," he said as pleasantly as he could while turning back to his shoe locker.

"It's just a simple question," the guy said, speaking in the same light, "nice guy" tone Sakai used to use with him. "Anyway, does she have a boyfriend?"

"Why do you want to know? Are you planning on asking her out?"

"I think I might," the guy said with a shrug, tugging on his lapels. "But yeah, are you guys dating or what?"

Ryuichi hesitated. "We're not."

"Good! Thanks, buddy."

He gave Ryuichi a strong pat on the back on his way upstairs. Ryuichi watched him until he disappeared, remembering only then that the guy was the captain of the baseball team and of the debate team. All Ryuichi could see was a smarmy guy that he hoped Mitsuru wouldn't be interested in.

Mitsuru met him by his locker after changing into her school boots. "Ready to go?" she asked.

On their way upstairs, she asked him about the guy who approached him. She made it clear that she overheard their conversation, leaving Ryuichi feeling guilty that he didn't handle it better.

"There's no need to apologize," she said. "If anything, I apologize for him causing you trouble just to know more about me."

"Oh, it was no problem to me," he replied. "I'm not the one he was looking to take on a date. Though, I am pretty disappointed that I won't be getting a free meal out of him."

"A 'free meal'? What does that—"

Mitsuru stopped and clamped a hand over her mouth. She trembled with laughter, and as Ryuichi opened their classroom door for her, she steeled herself, putting on a stoic face that broke whenever tiny giggles spurted out of her.

"I'm going to be very upset with you if I start laughing in the middle of our exams," she murmured to him on their way to their seats.

"I'll be listening for it," he teased, relishing in her struggle.

About forty minutes into their exam, a snort cracked the air right in front of Ryuichi. Everyone looked up towards the front where Mitsuru sat, who stiffened in her seat as Ryuichi grew hot with embarrassment for her.

"Was that—?"

"There's no way—"

"Did she just—"

Ryuichi squirmed in his seat and put on his best look of idiotic horror.

"I-It was the chair," he uttered like a dope.

His classmates cracked up as he watched Mitsuru shrink down over her desk. He heard one student murmur "Every time" before the teacher told everyone to settle down.

"Okazaki, please gain better control of your _chair_ from now on," the teacher said with a sigh.

"Yes, Sensei. Sorry."

The chuckles and snickers died down. After a final disapproving look from their teacher, Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru seemed less tense now, not sitting quite so low in her seat anymore.

When their first day of exams concluded, Ryuichi left the classroom and saw the guy from that morning lurking just outside the hallway window. He spotted Ryuichi and came over while Ryuichi kept himself from groaning aloud.

"Is Mitsuru-san here?" he asked him.

"You just missed her," he said, trying not to sound pleased about it. "She had something to do."

Despite his answer, the guy still searched the classroom for Mitsuru through the open door. "Damn. Next time, then."

He left before Ryuichi could say anything more. As he watched the guy head down the stairs, Mitsuru came out from the girls' washroom.

"We should hurry so we don't miss the train," Mitsuru said to him. "I'm sorry to have to rush covering both tomorrow and Wednesday's materials today."

"It can't be helped," Ryuichi replied, leading the way to the stairs. "What can you do when you're a CEO in high school?"

The next time he saw the smarmy guy was on the train station platform on their way home. The guy was staring right at Mitsuru, then looked to Ryuichi with an accusing glare. Ryuichi could only think that he hadn't lied to the guy, since Mitsuru did indeed have something to do after school. He just didn't tell him that her plans were with him.


	123. Chapter 123

**Chapter 123**

Ryuichi returned to the dorm alone after Wednesday's exam. After seeing Mitsuru to her car waiting outside the school gates, he hurried away to avoid getting accosted by the guy who took interest in her the other day. He had to reassure himself that he didn't do anything wrong, that all he did was not tell him everything about Mitsuru's plans to study with him. It wasn't any of his business anyway, but now he questioned if his half-truth had only bolstered the rumors that suggested they might be dating.

He ate his Wild Duck meal in the stillness of his freezing bedroom. Halfway through his greasy burger, soggy fries, and blend of multiple soft drinks, Ryuichi already knew that it wasn't going to fill him up. After finishing up his food, he ventured into the kitchen to find something else to eat. All he could find were some ingredients to bake a cake.

"Cake it is," he decided, planning in his head to make some kind of chocolate abomination.

He opened the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator and gasped. Inside was a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, somehow unperturbed by the dorm full of starving teenagers. Cradling it in his hands, he raised it high over his head like a forbidden treasure lost to the ages.

But, whose bag of chocolate chips was it? Shrugging, he shut the fridge and tossed the bag onto the counter.

"If my food's up for grabs, then so is theirs," he grumbled without remorse.

He found a small cake pan, one that could make a cake big enough to satisfy two people comfortably or one person with a major craving. While the little cake baked, he found more ingredients to whip up some chocolate frosting before cleaning up. All the while, he hoped that his dorm mates wouldn't smell the chocolate until after the cake was safe in his room.

When the cake had cooled down, he cut it twice to create three layers. He slathered on the chocolate frosting between each layer, then coated the whole thing with whatever frosting was left over. He liberally sprinkled on some chocolate chips on top, then pressed them on thick into the sides. The cake came out significantly taller than before he cut it, since he accidentally made more frosting than necessary and didn't want any of it to go to waste. Satisfied with his work, he rewarded himself by dumping a handful of chocolate chips into his mouth.

He put the cake in a little cake box and brought it to his room. He hoped Mitsuru would like it, though he wondered if he made it too decadent for her tastes.

The front doors opened, and in came the familiar banter of the juniors. Ryuichi hurried to close his door, stopping to catch a glimpse of them.

"Do you guys smell that?" the pink girl asked her two companions.

"Smells like chocolate," the tired boy yawned.

"Chocolate? Did someone bake something?" The boy in the cap hurried to the kitchen and started searching.

"You seriously want to eat it after what happened with the spaghetti?"

"Heck yeah! You gotta admit, as spicy as it was, it still tasted pretty darn good!"

The tired boy followed him to the kitchen.

"H-Hey! Not you, too! What if whoever made it was trying to get us to stop eating their food?"

The obnoxious boy in the cap tapped his goatee. "Now that you mention it, there _was_ a sign on the spaghetti."

"There was? What did it say?"

Blue Cap opened and shut the oven in disappointment. "It said something like, _'Don't eat my food',_ or something like that."

Pink Girl groaned. "And you just ignored it?"

"You did, too. Remember?"

"I didn't see a sign!"

She let out another frustrated groan. "Look guys, we should just forget about the cake, okay? We've already eaten a lot of this person's food, and we should've asked first if it was okay for us to eat any. Let's just go find something at the convenience store."

Tired Guy checked the refrigerator. "Nope. Nothing in here."

"Lame!" Blue Cap squeezed in next to him to check for himself. "Who do you think baked?"

The girl sighed. "Uh, guys? Did you hear anything I just said?"

The sleepy boy stretched and yawned. "Maybe it's the really quiet girl with the short hair," he suggested.

"Hey, yeah!" The other guy straightened up and shut the fridge. "I bet she's the type who can cook anything!"

Pink Girl shook her head. "I don't know. She doesn't seem the type to like spicy food."

Blue Cap smirked at her. "Well, you look like the type who can cook, Yuka-tan, but we all saw how that turned out!"

"It wasn't _that_ bad!"

"Then how come you didn't eat it?"

As Ryuichi started to close his door, the front doors opened again, and in came the tall foreign girl with blonde hair and oversized headphones that she never seemed to take off. He noticed that she kept glancing over to the others in the kitchen, but didn't go over to join them. If anything, it looked to Ryuichi like she didn't want to be seen, the way she sped around the outer side of the partition between the lounge and the dining area to get to the stairs. As she passed by, he thought he felt a slight tremor in the ground.

While the group of juniors continued to search for the chocolate cake, Ryuichi closed his door to resume his studies. Except, he didn't feel like studying just yet. If anything, he felt like he could use a nap.

"We _have_ been studying a lot lately," he reasoned quietly to himself. "And naps are Mitsuru-approved, so..."

He grabbed his extra pillow to snuggle. Just as he began to dream, he jolted awake with his anxieties about confessing his feelings to Mitsuru, the guy who took interest in her, and the mystery of the weapons hiding under his bed.

"Then again, I gotta make up for last week," he shakily told himself and went to bury himself in his studies.

Focusing on tomorrow's subject helped him to forget all about his concerns for a few hours. When he needed a break, he kept himself busy by playing music. He switched between keyboard and guitar, playing some lively tunes and practicing troublesome parts that his fingers fumbled on.

After his break, he reviewed for Friday's exam to get ahead. Now that he had a chance to distance himself from his studies for a bit, he found it was easier to recall everything they learned in class and the details he saw in Mitsuru's notes. He did a few practice quizzes from his study guide and amazed himself when he scored in the nineties for each one.

"That should be enough for Friday's exam," he said to himself with a satisfied smile. "Now, back to tomorrow's!"

His guitar caught his eye. "After a short break," he decided, and went to play some more.

The next day after their exam, Ryuichi and Mitsuru barely took two steps outside their classroom door when the guy from Monday approached Mitsuru.

"Mitsuru-san?" he called out to her, making her turn to him. "Hi, um, are you busy right now?"

Mitsuru glanced back to Ryuichi, who shrugged.

"It won't take long," the guy insisted. Ryuichi could see his confident demeanor begin to crack. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Ryuichi was ready to put himself between the two until Mitsuru's stare stopped him.

"Very well," she finally said. "Ryuichi, could you wait for me downstairs?"

He knew what the guy was going to do, and he hated him for it. Ryuichi nodded, keeping his cool for Mitsuru as he told her he would see her downstairs. On his way to the shoe lockers, Ryuichi started mentally kicking himself for not telling Mitsuru sooner about his feelings for her. He had waited too long, and now someone beat him to it. There was no way he could confess now!

How could he even begin to compare to the captain of both the baseball and debate teams anyway? He knew there was nothing to compare, as he had nothing to offer but a few songs he stylized and called his own.

Downstairs, he took a moment to press his forehead to the cold metal of the locker just below his. Sighing, he dreamt up different scenarios in his head where he imagined himself stopping Mitsuru from falling for Mr. Awesome Pants. He took his time changing his shoes, sometimes getting so lost in his thoughts that he would pause midway through tying his shoelaces. When he was finished, he stood by the glass doors, staring outside at the warm sunlight while he waited for Mitsuru.

Five long, agonizing minutes later, Mitsuru came in from the club hallway and went straight for her shoe locker. Ryuichi was still sulking by the doors with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his bag tucked under his arm. He hung his head, wondering what happened between her and lover boy.

"Shall we go?" Mitsuru asked when she joined him by the door.

She said nothing during the walk to the train station. Neither did Ryuichi. At the train station platform, they stood side by side in silence while others began filling in, many of them students from their school. Some of the students were flipping through flashcards and had their faces in their notes. Others bemoaned the mistakes they made on their exam that they only noticed after passing their answers in.

"So..." Ryuichi wished he had said nothing at all, but Mitsuru was already looking straight at him.

"That was Yamaoka," she said, turning her attention back to the empty tracks. "He wanted me to go upstairs to the roof with him, but I told him that no one was allowed up there."

Ryuichi's lip almost twitched into a grin. "So, what happened? What did he want?"

Mitsuru sighed, holding onto her elbow. "When his original plan failed, he asked me to go to the courtyard with him. When we were alone, he told me he was infatuated with me."

"Wait, he actually said 'infatuated'?"

"No. He said he 'liked' me, but seeing as we've never really spoken before, I called it an infatuation because I don't think he knows me well enough to have anything more than a mild attraction to me."

Feeling hopeful, Ryuichi nodded. "I guess you let him down easy, then?"

"I did what I could, but he insisted that I at least give him a chance."

"Oh. And?"

She sighed again, more disgruntled now. "I told him I wasn't interested, and he started asking about you."

"Me?" He started to worry. "Why me?"

She dropped her voice low to what sounded almost like a snarl. "He seems to think that you and I are dating."

Ryuichi felt the blood drain from his hands and feet. He knew she was upset about Yamaoka speculating about the nature of their relationship, but in the back of his mind, he imagined the repugnance in her tone coming from the thought of them dating. It was enough to rattle him, where he began to consider aborting his plan to tell her about his feelings.

"You corrected him, didn't you?" Ryuichi asked cautiously.

"I did, but he wouldn't believe me."

It was Ryuichi's turn to sigh. "That's the crazy thing about people nowadays," he grumbled, masking his anguish with annoyance. "Even if truth slapped them in the face, the only things they'll believe are whatever they _want_ to believe, even if it's wrong. That's the only 'truth' they're looking for."

"Truer words have never been said."

Ryuichi cocked his head at Mitsuru, noticing that she seemed more agitated than usual. "Um, are you okay?" he asked softly.

Another sigh. "I guess I was just irritated that he dragged you into this," she told him. "He started accusing you of lying about me being busy on Monday, but when I explained that I had to hurry home to study before work, he wouldn't believe me about that, either."

He was pretty sure he felt a frosty wind coming off of her. "Well, if he can't handle that you were busy, then maybe he needs to check himself before going around blaming you for trying to live your life," he reasoned, wanting nothing more than to punch some sense into Yamaoka.

"He can think whatever he wants about me," Mitsuru hissed. "However, I will not tolerate him slandering my friend with baseless accusations."

Ryuichi was stunned, touched by her passionate anger for his sake. "Maybe _you_ should've been the captain of the debate team," he uttered through his numbed brain. "More importantly, thanks for having my back."

"You're welcome." Her face was still set in a hardened expression, and he could feel the cold, livid glare she fixed on the station platform. When she turned to look at him, he felt like he had been shot with an icicle to the chest. "But now, let us cast aside this trivial matter and focus on more pressing matters."

"Okay." Ryuichi paused for a sec. "So, are you all right?"

Mitsuru gave him an exasperated look. "Ryuichi, I said we should—"

"We were talking about what happened after Mr. Awesome Pants whisked you off to his garden of romance. Now we're talking about how you feel after the traumatic event. It's only fair that you get to talk about your feelings on what happened, since he just dumped his feelings on you without caring much about yours."

She looked upon him with an appreciative smile. "Personally, I don't think he really meant to come across as harsh," she said. "I think he might have just been nervous. It can't be easy, telling someone your feelings for them."

"I guess not, huh?" He shrugged. "I wouldn't know; I've never had the pleasure."

"Oh? Does that mean you don't plan on telling the girl you like anymore?"

All the blood that abandoned his hands and feet rushed to his face, making Mitsuru beam at him. He couldn't even look at her anymore.

The train's arrival spared him from giving her an explanation. She didn't resume their conversation once they arrived at Iwatodai, nor when they returned to the dorm. While Mitsuru went upstairs to her room for a few minutes, Ryuichi took up his guitar to try to relax before they studied.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Awesome Pants," he muttered under his breath while he settled on his bed. "But, maybe I shouldn't say anything after all."

After a few songs, Mitsuru came in with a tray of tea while he started up his rendition of "I Promise You This". He stopped after a few chords so they could study.

"Please, don't let me interrupt," she said, getting settled at the kotatsu. "I think we can spare a few more minutes before we begin."

Ryuichi didn't feel right, singing a love song after she had just turned someone down. He went ahead anyway, immediately noticing the change in Mitsuru since their chat at the station. She was more at ease, looking lost in an enjoyable thought as she idly sipped her tea and then cut herself a slice of the chocolate cake that Ryuichi baked yesterday. She poured Ryuichi some tea and cut him a slice of cake as well, so that both were ready for him when he finished the song.

Long after the song ended, Mitsuru was still lost in a faraway thought. She only stirred when Ryuichi sat down at the kotatsu and helped himself to the tea she poured for him.

"Still hung up on Mr. Awesome Pants?" he asked her.

Mitsuru frowned at him. "You're starting to sound like my grandmother and your mother."

He put on his best impression of his mother's nagging voice. "Well, you're already eighteen, so you should start thinking about having children—"

"Wh-What?"

"—remember, I want at least seven grandbabies, so hurry up and get on that—"

"S-Seven? Ryuichi—"

"—and make sure that you—"

"Ryuichi."

He put on a big grin. "What? Doesn't your grandmother skip the whole dating and getting married part, too?" he asked.

She finally cracked a smile. "It seems that all mothers and grandmothers are the same," she chuckled. "All right, we've had our fun. We only have two more days of exams, so let's make sure we give it our all."

It wasn't just two more days of exams. Their time was quickly getting cut down to only a week of school left, and after that, Ryuichi would only be in the dorm for another month. He was sure that Mitsuru wouldn't be spending much time there after graduation, as she would most likely be traveling for work. He figured he only had one week left to tell her.

He couldn't tell her that day, not after Yamaoka. He was shaken up, for sure, but with time running out, he needed to let her know. There wouldn't be another chance.

Saturday. He would tell her after their final exam. There was no getting out of it. He had to do it. He had to be honest. He knew he was saying goodbye to a good friendship, one that he cherished for only less than a month after more than a decade of being just classmates with her. Ryuichi wasn't sure if he was being selfish by forcing his feelings like that on her, but at least when they went their separate ways, he could be a little more at ease, knowing that he finally did something without regret.

But beyond wanting no regrets, he felt like she had a right to know. He wanted to be honest with her about his feelings, figuring they were good enough friends to be able to discuss it without things becoming too awkward between them. Even though they only started talking just a few weeks ago, he had a strong feeling that she wouldn't just shut him down the way she did with Yamaoka, so long as he didn't get too pushy.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt fear's daggers press their tips into his back without breaking skin. He started looking at the other possible outcomes, where Mitsuru might return his feelings, turn him down but remain friends, or completely reject him and never speak to him again. Even if she didn't feel the same way, the best he could hope for was for them to continue as friends.

The only trouble was, hope hurt. A lot.


	124. Chapter 124

**Chapter 124**

Ryuichi woke up hours ahead of his alarm clock on Saturday morning before the sun had even risen. He hadn't slept well in days thank to his plan swimming around in his head all week. It was all he could think about, where he had dreams and nightmares about it. He would often lose focus during his study sessions with Mitsuru, who took notice right away. When she asked about his odd behavior, he would just smile and say that he might have been studying too hard. She admonished him to sleep earlier and even cut their study sessions short by an hour or two.

During his workout that chilly Saturday morning, Ryuichi was so pumped up with nervous energy that he hardly felt his muscles burning with fatigue. He could do more reps than usual with his weights and had enough energy to go for a run around the neighborhood that he went at a sprint almost the entire way. When he got back to the dorm, he finally felt calmer and went to shower off.

"You're bringing your guitar today?" Mitsuru asked when he set his guitar down by the front desk.

"For work," he lied, starting to feel his nerves firing off again. "I haven't played at Chagall in two weeks, so I gotta start making money again."

"Is that so? Then perhaps I'll stop by to hear you play."

"You have time today?" His voice cracked in his excitement.

"Only for a little bit, I'm afraid," Mitsuru replied regrettably. "I have a meeting in the afternoon."

"I can arrange to have a car pick you up from Paulownia Mall," Kikuno offered. "You should enjoy some time off after your exams, after all."

Mitsuru approved of the idea and invited Ryuichi to join her for breakfast. As he sat down to eat with her, Kikuno took a sudden interest in him. She asked if his guitar strings were tuned, if he would like to drink a special tea to help with his singing voice, and encouraged him not to be nervous.

"Um, I'm okay, thanks," he said uneasily to her.

"Very well. Then please, eat as much as you like. You're going to need your energy today."

As Kikuno said that, Ryuichi felt an odd tug in his chest the moment his eyes briefly connected with hers. His breath caught in his throat, and he had a feeling she somehow knew what he was planning to do after their exam.

On the way to school, Ryuichi chatted with Mitsuru like normal, already missing their casual conversations. He had a strong notion that he was about to kill their friendship, constantly questioning in the back of his mind if it was worth doing. It wasn't too late to back out, since he had a good excuse for bringing his guitar. Eshima might be hoping for him to show up, anyway—

Shut up, he told himself. You're doing this, so don't wuss out now!

"Did you pull an all-nighter last night?" Mitsuru asked when they got off the train. "You look so tired today."

"I just couldn't sleep last night," he said, flashing her his weary smile.

"Were you worried about today's exam?"

"Kind of?"

"But you did well on the practice quizzes."

"I know," he yawned. "Tests just make me nervous."

She kept encouraging him, giving him reasons why he had nothing to worry about while being completely oblivious to the real reason that kept him tossing in bed all night. He just kept smiling and saying "Okay" and that he believed her, but she wouldn't dismiss his quick agreements so easily.

At school, he barely made it to his desk when Shiori came up to him with her own badges of a sleepless night under her eyes.

"Ready to kick ass today?" she yawned, wiping away her sleepy tears.

"I'm ready for a nap," he replied as he set his guitar case down.

"Ooh, are you playing at Chagall today?"

"That's the plan, but it depends on how bad I crash after this exam."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Dude, if I were you, I would choose sleep over work."

He could only chuckle. "Yeah, I'm starting to think that, too."

They wished each other luck before doing a little last-minute cramming. Mitsuru turned around in her seat to also wish him luck and to give him a final bit of encouragement.

"You're going to do well, Ryuichi," she reassured him. "You got into Kawaguchi, and you've studied very hard these past two weeks."

"Then maybe this is my chance to take your number one spot," he joked.

She chuckled. "If you think I'm just going to give it to you, you're gravely mistaken," she retorted with a grin.

He excused himself to get a drink from the water fountain. He walked right past the fountain and back down the stairs, gripping the small note he had in his pocket as he hurried to the shoe lockers. When he saw that no one was there, he found Mitsuru's shoe locker and slipped the note in, leaving the next phase of his plan up to whether or not she would comply with his small request.

At last, the final exam was distributed. Ryuichi's thoughts were drowned out from shuffling feet, papers fluttering from being turned over, and pencil lead tapping and scratching answers in rapid strokes. He took in a few deep breaths to focus, giving Mitsuru one last look before filling his ears with his own pencil scratches on his answer sheet.

Somehow, he managed to get Mitsuru off his mind while he read and answered the questions. If his foot bumped his guitar case, he was slung back to his worries of what was to take place after the exam. It took him several readings of a single question to finally push Mitsuru back out of his thoughts, making sure he tucked his feet under his chair so they wouldn't kick his guitar case again. They eventually did each time he got too uncomfortable sitting with his feet under him.

He finished his exam early—earlier than he was used to. He took the time to look over his answers, knowing that he risked second guessing himself. There were some answers he questioned, where his gut said one thing while his mind argued it was something else. He eventually went with his gut and changed an answer, unsure if he was going to regret it. He looked through and caught a few mistakes that he was certain were definitely not the right answer and made the changes. As he put down a new answer, he took notice of the others around him who seemed to be doing more erasing than writing.

"Time's up. Put your pencils down and pass your exams forward."

The moment the teacher called time, Ryuichi was almost hyperventilating when he realized there was no turning back. Sighing, he sat back and reached a hand over his shoulder to receive the answer sheets from his classmates in his row behind him. He ended up getting so lost in his thoughts that the student behind him had to tap his hand with the stack of test papers to get his attention.

Ryuichi apologized and quickly snatched up the papers to give to Mitsuru. When he saw her face, a lump grew in his throat, his chest tightened, and his hands became cold and stiff. He began to perspire, hoping she didn't notice.

"So, Ryuichi-kun? Are you gonna crash or play today?"

Ryuichi flinched and looked up to see Shiori already packed and ready to go. "Oh, uh, well—"

A sweat bead rolled down his temple as he watched Mitsuru begin to pack her bag. "I guess, uh—"

"We can go together, if you're planning on heading over to Chagall," Shiori offered, smiling. "I've been craving some of their danishes lately."

Panic slithered into his nerves and lit them up like sparklers fizzing all over his body. "Well, uh, actually—"

"Did you decide to just go home and sleep?"

Just then, Mitsuru stood up and turned around to eye him, listening for his answer. Ryuichi steeled himself and swallowed his panic.

"I need to use the toilet, so go ahead of me," he said more to Mitsuru than to Shiori.

He quickly packed his bag as the two left the classroom. Once they disappeared downstairs, he took his bag and his guitar and snuck up to the roof, where he quickly threw the guitar strap over his shoulder and strummed a few chords to make sure everything was tuned and his fingers warmed and loosened up. He pictured Mitsuru opening her shoe locker to see the note he left. Just thinking about it made him almost shit himself.

Or worse, she might just toss the note without coming to the roof in case it's another Mr. Awesome Pants waiting for her. But the worst possible scenario would be the one where Mitsuru actually did come to the roof in time to witness Ryuichi shitting himself.

"Just breathe," he told himself, and took a few shaky breaths to try to calm himself.

The rooftop was probably the dumbest place he could have chosen. The late February chill nipped at his exposed skin and numbed his fingers. He practiced the intro to the song to warm his fingers up again, then rubbed his palms together before warming them up with his breath. When his mouth went dry, he took out his water bottle to take a few sips of water, then sang a few notes to warm up his voice.

The roof door creaked open. Ryuichi straightened up and stiffened, his back to the door as he heard Mitsuru's familiar heels clicking a few steps towards him.

"Ryuichi?"

He turned, slowly, seeing the half of her surprised expression that wasn't hidden behind her bangs. Clearing his throat, he began to play the first few notes of "Her Own Way". Mitsuru gasped.

"Wait."

His hands froze. There was a look on Mitsuru's face that hurt him worse than her plea for him to stop his song. Anguish, fear, and confusion registered on her countenance, telling him that he had made an irreversible mistake.

Mitsuru's chest heaved as she took a deep breath. "Why?" she uttered, her voice strained.

He couldn't answer. There were too many reasons he could think of, and all of them sounded like excuses. He trembled so badly that he couldn't hold down a chord anymore. Standing before her left him feeling so naked up on that arctic rooftop that he began to choke on his own regret.

He cast his eyes to the ground in dismay. "Sorry. I'll just—"

"No." She took a tentative step towards him. "Wh-What I meant was, why only now?"

Confused, Ryuichi's shocked stare met her fearful eye as she approached, halting her advance.

"We were running out of time," he murmured, his voice shaking. "We had finals, and then Yamaoka happened, so this was the only time I could tell you I—"

He gasped, losing courage. Swallowing hard, Ryuichi steeled himself for what was to come. He sucked in a deep breath and locked eyes with Mitsuru. His whole body had gone rigid from trying to counter how badly he was trembling, but he was determined to do what he came to do.

"I like you, Mitsuru."

He squeezed his eyes shut. His own words plunged into his gut like a knife, and all he could do was brace himself for the worst. When he opened his eyes to slits, he saw Mitsuru now standing right in front of him. Her hand was outstretched, reaching for his hand that rested on the guitar's body. The fear was still visible on her face as her fingers closed around air. She pulled it back to grasp her other arm instead.

"I-I like you, too."

Ryuichi exhaled in relieved chuckles that came out like sobs. He broke into a smile, feeling his heart flutter with relief as Mitsuru turned away.

"But, we can't."

His heart burst. Any thoughts of comfort he tried to muster was like trying to clean up his splattered heart from the pavement with his bare hands, his fingers scraping rough concrete and smearing the stain.

A pained smile spread across his face anyway. "That's okay," he said, his mind hollowing out as he feared the worst.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I want to be with you, but the Group would never allow it. Our relationship could cast suspicion over why I called off my engagement, and the repercussions could affect you, as well. As much as possible, I don't want you to end up getting harassed for my sake."

With a nod, Ryuichi went over to his guitar case on the nearby bench to start packing up. It was his pitiful excuse to hide his face from Mitsuru.

"I understand," he replied in a morose drone.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. But, is it possible for us to go back to being friends?"

He heard her exhale heavily. "We can, but now that we're aware of each other's feelings, I don't know if things will go back to how they were before."

He closed his eyes, hanging his head. "Then, I shouldn't have said anything."

"I'm glad you did."

Ryuichi did up the metal clasps on his case, shutting his guitar away. He knew he was gutting himself, but not in the way that things were turning out.

"I still want to stay friends with you, Ryuichi. I don't want to lose your friendship over this." Mitsuru's heels clicked as she followed him to the bench. "Hearing what you had to say made me happier than I've ever been, and just knowing that my best friend feels the same way I do is the greatest thing I could ever hope for. I just wish we had more time together."

"'More time'? I thought you said we couldn't—"

She appeared on his right, still wearing the same anguished look that he felt. "I thought, if we had more time, we could at least be together while we're still in school," she explained. "We only have a week left, and it would be difficult to be together due to my work and you going off to college. If we still had school, the Group would simply recognize us as good friends and not try to interfere in our relationship."

Ryuichi felt his heart throb. "We still have a week. Can't we—"

She shook her head. "It's not long enough. It would only hurt more if we tried."

His shoulders sagged. "I should've said something sooner, then," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. His hands refused to warm up.

"It really made me happy, though," Mitsuru insisted, keeping her gaze locked on him. "I was afraid before, too, because I thought your song was meant for someone else."

Ryuichi looked to her with sorrow in his eyes. "You were the one I always thought about," he said quietly. "Nobody else."

Mitsuru held her arm again. He seemed to only wound her more with his words.

"Thank you, Ryuichi," she whispered, and looked away. "Truly, I'm very sorry, but I do want to remain friends with you."

It was the result he once hoped for, but now it hurt worse than he could ever imagine. "Oh, we're staying friends, all right," he agreed, putting on a bold face. "Who else am I going to gripe about college life to?"

She looked more at ease now. They both smiled at each other, but Ryuichi still felt like he had glass shards holding his mouth in a pained smile. Mitsuru told him "I'll see you at home" before heading downstairs first. She gave him one final glance before slipping inside the door. He didn't follow right away, taking a moment to collect himself while he attempted to process what had just happened.

Shiori was still waiting for him by the shoe lockers when he made it downstairs. He put on his best smile when she spotted him, tapping her foot impatiently as she gave him a dirty look.

"I—"

"I don't wanna know," she said, cutting him off. "Whatever you did in the toilet is your business."

He came up with an excuse anyway. "I think I need to go home and sleep because I fell asleep in there just now," he lied.

Her face fell. "You did? While standing up?"

"Nope. While sitting."

"Ew! Seriously, Ryuichi-kun? I said I didn't want to know!"

"You asked!"

Back at the dorm, he went straight to bed without changing out of his uniform. He fell onto his mattress facedown, and as exhausted as he was, he quickly discovered that he couldn't sleep. He had done something he never thought he would do. He hoped for the best while expecting the worst, and was rewarded with a result that caused him both excruciating pain and sublime joy.

He fully understood her reasons why they couldn't be together—Accepted them, even. He agreed with her, knowing that a week wasn't long enough if they tried. He kept telling himself that it was for the best, that her fans might lynch him if they found out, or that the Kirijo Group might also come after him for marring Mitsuru's pristine image when she was already struggling with work.

He couldn't cry. It hurt far beyond the healing power of tears, leaving him to suffer in his agony without relief. His joy held him back from despair, but in turn, it was a bitter happiness that he couldn't even relish in. She liked him, too. That was a fact. But, they couldn't do anything about it.

His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, but he wasn't in any mood to answer it. Whoever it was called him three times, four, and he caught it on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Little Bro! Are we celebrating your birthday tomorrow?" Shizue asked in her cheery voice.

Ryuichi rolled onto his back to stare blindly up at the ceiling. "I totally forgot about my birthday," he admitted to her.

"Yeah, it kinda sucks that your birthday's right around exams, huh? Anyway, Mom and Dad want us to come over to their place to celebrate. They want a list of all the food you wanna eat and what kind of cake to get."

He wasn't in any mood to name any foods right then. Still, he was urged to come up with a menu by later that evening so that their parents could get everything ready for tomorrow.

"They said to be there by seven, okay?"

"Sure thing."

Shizue paused. "Hey, are you okay? You don't sound so good."

"I just had exams."

"Oh, right. By the way, I didn't tell Mom and Dad that you got into Kawaguchi yet, so be sure to tell them, okay?"

He released a silent sigh. "Okay."

"Oh, and they said to invite Mitsuru-san! They said they haven't heard from her in like, a month!"

She reminded him again to give them the list of food he wanted by evening before hanging up. He wasn't listening, still shaken up from hearing Mitsuru's name after what happened not even an hour ago. He wasn't sure if he should try to invite her, as he was not ready to face her again just yet.

He got an email from his sister. It was another reminder to send his list of food to their parents as soon as possible. He wasn't in the mood the celebrate his birthday, but since his family was working hard to prepare everything for him, he knew he couldn't back out. For a long while, he stared at his phone, wondering if he should make an excuse to not celebrate at all.

He started flicking his phone open and snapping it shut, then clicked around on the little directional pad to highlight each individual icon on the screen. He stopped it right over the "Pictures" icon when his thoughts returned to Mitsuru. He replayed the memory of her reciprocating his feelings, drawing in a deep breath as he relived the moment.

 _"But, we can't."_

The cursed words that followed echoed in his ears, tearing fresh wounds into him. He rolled onto his side, still rubbing his thumb over the smooth button in the center of the directional pad. The "Pictures" icon seemed to dare him to click on it to see the lack of photos stored inside.

He knew there wouldn't be anything worth looking at in there, having spent his entire senior year doing nothing but studying, working at the restaurant, and babysitting. The nearly empty folder would have only served as a seething reminder that he did nothing noteworthy in the past year, save for the little outing he took with Mitsuru when they went to see their results for the college entrance exams. He didn't want to see those pictures just yet, needing more time away from her.

He let out another sigh and snapped his phone shut. He thought he was prepare for rejection, but not like this.


	125. Chapter 125

**Chapter 125**

After all the emotional turmoil yesterday, Ryuichi couldn't bring himself to care much for his birthday. He spent most of his Sunday morning and afternoon in bed, listening as the other dorm residents chatted in the lounge and left to enjoy their Sunday. He heard Kikuno wish Mitsuru a good day by the front door, making him tense up from just feeling Mitsuru's presence pass by his room. A car door slammed shut outside, letting him know that she was off to work or some other personal business.

Even with Mitsuru away from the dorm, Ryuichi didn't feel comfortable leaving the safety of his room. He could hear Kikuno washing dishes, thinking that if he made an appearance now, she might ask him how yesterday went. He just hoped that his absence at breakfast was enough to let her know it didn't go well.

By evening, Ryuichi had no choice but to get ready to head over to his parents' house for a celebration he didn't even want. He showered, dressed, then studied his face in the mirror. His black eye was completely healed, but he still had a small scab on his lip.

He begrudgingly practiced a few smiles. The first one looked like he was just pulling his lips back away from his teeth. The second attempt made him want to put his fist through his reflection. Before long, he was able to do a convincing smile that made him look like he was tired but happy.

Next was his voice. He tried a few basic greetings, speaking in a dead monotone. When he put a practiced smile on, it was a little easier for him to add emotion to his voice, hearing the inflection start off a little stiff. With more practice he sounded more natural, looked like he was happy, and hid any trace of his anguish behind his smile.

All that practice wore him out, but as much as he wanted to go back to bed, he got on his motorcycle to head over to his parents' place. The moment his parents opened their front door, they greeted him with a joyous "Happy birthday!" as they took turns squishing him in warm embraces. When they let him go, they got a good look at his face and gasped.

"What happened to you?" Ayumi touched her thumb near the scab on his lip.

"Oh, uh, P. E. class," he lied. "Basketball got a little out of hand."

Shizue nodded in approval of the lie while their parents ate the story up. As Ryuichi removed his shoes, he noticed right away that the house reeked only of what he could describe as "a party". Instantly, his nostrils were filled with the smell of different foods, with smoke and fried goods being the most prominent of all the scents.

There were burger patties sizzling in skillets on the stove, one of them oozing a molten, cheesy goo. There was pan-fried noodles on the kitchen table, along with smoked barbecue spare ribs, miso soup, some sushi in a plastic container that Shizue bought from a convenience store, his mother's okonomiyaki with a thick layer of sauce and mayonnaise on top (the way Ryuichi liked it), and a number of other dishes that proved to him once again that his family only knew how to cook for no less than a small army. Ayumi brought a bowl of salad to the table, which he was certain was her way of getting them all to eat more vegetables. She set it down on the corner nearest Toshio's seat.

Shizue hugged Ryuichi and greeted him a happy birthday before passing Megumi to him. His baby niece's face lit up as he held her, happy to see who Shizue swore was "her favorite uncle". He managed to smile for her, at least, making her giggle with delight.

"Anka!" Megumi cried.

Everyone gasped.

"Did she just say 'Uncle'?"

"Not quite, but almost!"

"Her first word!"

Ryuichi was too stunned to say anything. Megumi's one little word touched his heart, helping him thaw just enough to feel a tiny bead of joyful warmth in his chest. Just that one little word from his niece helped him feel like he might make it through the evening alive.

Meanwhile, Shizue jokingly complained about her daughter learning the word "Uncle" behind her back after trying to teach her to say "Mama" for months. When she kept repeating "Mama" to try to get her to say it, Megumi went back to babbling again. Groaning, Shizue peppered her daughter's mochi cheeks with kisses while their parents gushed over Megumi's first word and snapped some photos of them.

"Oh! By the way, Ryu-chan has some big news to tell you guys," his sister said to their parents.

"Tell us what?" Ayumi still wore her big smile, but the confusion was plain on her face.

Ryuichi bashfully averted his eyes with a smile. "Oh, uh, I got into Kawaguchi," he said. He got mobbed with hugs from everyone, including Megumi.

"We knew you could do it!"

"Congratulations!"

"You were worried over nothing!"

He couldn't share in their joy, but managed to keep smiling while dying inside. They sat him down on the couch to warm up with some tea while Toshio went back to cooking the hamburgers. Megumi sat on her uncle's lap until Shizue set her down on the rug to play so her brother could drink his tea.

Ryuichi diverted their attention from him by asking his parents about their cruise. Both Toshio and Ayumi had plenty of stories to tell and pictures to show. They passed around their digital camera to show them what had to be a few hundred pictures of every location they visited in Europe, along with shots they got on their ship. Ryuichi was surprised to see his parents ballroom dancing, his dad even wearing a suit for the occasion. He couldn't remember ever seeing his father in a suit, except for his parents' wedding pictures.

"Wait, who took the pictures if you're both in them?" Shizue asked them.

"One of the servers took them for us," Ayumi replied, making her children go "Ah, okay" in unison.

Their parents also brought back souvenirs for them, from wooden clogs with names they couldn't read to little snow globes with the Eiffel Tower. They had plenty of snacks and sweets for them to try, along with some decadent chocolates that Ryuichi thought could rival the ones Mitsuru gave him for Valentine's Day. The one souvenir that Toshio was particularly proud of was one he got for himself: An expensive cheese wheel from France that cost more than the other souvenirs combined.

When the food was ready, they all sat down at the kitchen table to feast. Despite having only eaten a single cup of instant noodles that day, Ryuichi wasn't all that hungry. His plate was unusually sparse with just a single spare rib, a small mound of pan-fried noodles, a little chunk of okonomiyaki, one piece of tuna sushi, and a burger with the smallest patty in the bunch.

"You on a diet or something? Eat up!" Toshio set down a plate of fries just for him, and although he wasn't in the mood to eat, Ryuichi was powerless to resist a fresh batch of fries.

"Don't forget the ranch dressing!" Shizue placed a bowl of it down next to the plate of fries. "Dad taught me how to make it!"

Ryuichi was genuinely shocked to hear that. "He actually taught you a recipe?"

"He sure did!" Shizue shared a proud grin with their father. "So, how is it?"

Ryuichi dipped a crispy fry into the ranch dressing and gave it a taste. Incredibly, as numb as his palate was from yesterday's devastation, he could taste it.

"It's good," he remarked with pleasant surprise.

Toshio patted his daughter on the shoulder and grinned. "Nice work," he told her. "And he's picky about the ranch, so you know you made it right."

"So, Ryuichi, what do you plan on studying in college?" Ayumi asked while they ate.

Ryuichi was busy chewing through a mouthful of okonomiyaki when his father spoke up first.

"As long as it's nothing dangerous like bodyguard work, then I'm all for it," Toshio grunted.

Ryuichi gasped and choked on a tiny shred of cabbage. His mother and sister started patting his back while he coughed, all three of them trying to dislodge the piece of food.

"So, what, you're fine if he goes into the porn industry?" joked Shizue.

Their father turned bright red with fury. "Hell, no! I just don't want him doing anything that could get him killed!"

"Toshio! Language!"

"Sorry."

Confused, Ryuichi tried to speak up but had another coughing fit when the piece of cabbage tickled his throat again.

"So, what _are_ you planning to study?" Ayumi asked him again.

His cough settled down enough to let him drink some soda. "I'm not sure yet," he told them all quickly before coughing into his elbow. "Maybe English, since it's my best subject, but what were you guys going on about—"

"What about business, so you can help your mom with the books?" Toshio suggested, cutting him off.

"Or music, since you're really good at that," Shizue added as she fed Megumi.

Ryuichi didn't like that they ignored his question, but didn't bother going back for it. "I'd rather keep music as a hobby," he replied as a low grumble, then jokingly murmured: "Besides, they only take hot people in the music industry."

Ayumi made a noise. "You're more than handsome enough to be a musician! Both of my children are perfectly beautiful!"

"Yes, Mom," the Okazaki siblings droned simultaneously with a roll of their eyes. Shizue giggled, and Ryuichi forced a small chuckle and a bitter smirk.

"Okay, so what kind of career are you thinking of doing?" Shizue asked, helping herself to a fry. "What do you want to do with English?"

"Dunno. Maybe work as a translator?"

"What about a teacher?" asked Ayumi.

The more Ryuichi thought about it, the more he realized he didn't want to do any of those things. He had no idea what he wanted to do, but he remembered what Mitsuru told him about Kikuno saying he might make a good bodyguard someday. He wondered if her maid had spoken with his family, seeing as his father was staunch against him going into that particular profession.

"Say something in English, then," Shizue said.

His mind blanked out. "Uh, what do you want me to say?" he asked, still speaking in Japanese.

"Anything." His sister scooped some baby food onto a little spoon and started moving it around like an airplane flying overhead to entice Megumi.

Ryuichi stared back at his family's expectant faces, getting nervous from just looking at them. In fluent English, he said to them: "The food is delicious. I just hope I have enough room to eat everything."

They applauded him, his father being the loudest of them all. Ayumi and Shizue asked Toshio to translate, and he told them what Ryuichi said.

"Just like your old man!" Toshio said in his happy, ragged bark. "And don't worry about eating everything tonight, because we're going to make sure you take plenty back to the dorm with you!"

Ryuichi let out a sigh. "That's fine, but you should know that my dorm mates have a bad habit of stealing my food."

His family burst into a small outrage. Food was serious business to them, and having it stolen was both a great offense and a major compliment.

"You must cook really good food if they're stealing it," Shizue remarked. She wiped baby food from around Megumi's mouth, and her daughter grabbed the spoon and began laughing while banging it on her tray, sending baby food flying everywhere.

"You should've put a sign on it to tell them not to eat your food," Ayumi admonished him.

"I did. I even made my spaghetti extra spicy to stop them, but they still took my food," Ryuichi grumbled miserably. "They even threw out whatever they couldn't eat because it was too spicy, so now I'm getting to the point where I might put laxatives in my food to teach them a lesson."

"Ryuichi, no!" gasped Ayumi.

"It'll be a hard lesson, but they're asking for it!" Toshio said in a hacking laugh.

Ayumi shot her husband a glare that made him flinch.

"Yeah, you should've just gone for the laxatives first," Shizue said, now cleaning up the mess Megumi made with her food. "Oh, topic shift: Did Mitsuru-san also get into Kawaguchi?"

Ryuichi felt his soul try to escape his body as he smiled through the agony. "She did, yeah."

His family all cheered for her success.

"But, she won't be able to attend because of work," Ryuichi added afterward, and their excitement died down.

"That's a shame she won't be able to go," Toshio said with a sigh. "My college years were some of my favorites, so I'm sure she would've enjoyed it."

Toshio was about to tear some meat off a rib when he chuckled. "But man, to think she was already busy with work and still went and took the college entrance exams for shits and giggles," he remarked with admiration.

"Toshio! Language!"

"S-Sorry!"

Ayumi looked to Ryuichi now. "So, how come you didn't invite her to join us?" she asked with a sly smile.

Ryuichi nearly choked on his burger. "Um, she's pretty busy, so she couldn't come."

"That's a shame. So, did you ask her out on a date yet?"

"Mom!"

"What's taking you so long? You're good friends, aren't you? What if she likes you?"

He wanted nothing more than to cry right then. The only thing stifling his tears was his curiosity on how his family knew that he and Mitsuru were such good friends. At least, as far as he could tell up until yesterday.

"Because that's all we are, Mom," he murmured into his burger. "We're just friends."

Shizue snorted. "Says the guy who had a crush on her since kindergarten."

"Kindergarten!"

"That long? What are you waiting for?"

Ryuichi was pretty sure his head was about to explode from embarrassment and anguish. "Can we stop? Please?"

Ayumi wanted to pursue the subject, but Toshio reminded her that it was his birthday and that they should leave him alone to let him enjoy his day. His mother listened. For now.

"Presents!" Shizue announced after dinner, and she hurried off to get her gift for Ryuichi.

They moved to the family room. Toshio took Megumi and sang and danced with her while Ayumi hung back in the kitchen to make some tea. It seemed to take her a long time just to pour hot water from the dispenser, but when Ryuichi went looking for her, his mother wasn't in the kitchen at all. She returned a few minutes later, and when they were all situated on the couch and love seat, Shizue thrust her lumpy present at her brother.

"Open! Open! Open!" she urged him with a big grin.

Ryuichi tore into the wrapping paper to see a heavy duty black backpack.

"Whoa, it's even got a pocket for a laptop." He opened up the many compartments, trying to keep himself busy so they wouldn't notice his lacking enthusiasm.

"Since you're going to college soon, I thought you could use something that'll help you carry all your books and stuff," Shizue said. "I used a tote bag, and trust me, it was _not_ worth how cute it looked when you're carrying heavy books."

"Thank you." He embraced his sister with one arm. "And seriously? A tote bag?"

"I was young and stupid but very fashionable! Learn from my mistakes!"

"Uh, 'fashionable'?"

She playfully smacked his arm, snickering.

"Okay, ours next," Toshio said, and Ayumi handed their son a card.

Ryuichi carefully opened the envelope and read the heartwarming message printed inside the card. Underneath it was another message written in his mother's hasty handwriting that he read aloud.

"'Happy birthday to our dearest son'," he said, noticing the big smiles on his parents' faces. "'Congratulations on getting into Kawaguchi University. We know that you will do well in college and would like to pay the tuition for your first semester...'"

His voice trailed off. As he tried to process what he had just read, he stared hard at the handwritten message, his mind shutting down from the shock. He didn't blink at all as he eyed the slightly smeared words.

"It's not much, but we were hoping it would be enough to get you started," Ayumi said to him.

His mind booted back up again. He skimmed the card multiple times, still not fully grasping the message until he took a deep breath and forced himself to read each character carefully.

"But, what about Shizue going back to finish her degree?" Ryuichi finally uttered after a time.

His sister waved him off. "I saved up enough to get me through the semester," she told him. "So I'm good to go."

Ryuichi still had other concerns. "And Megumi? Who's going to take care of her?"

"We will, of course!" Ayumi answered proudly. "The restaurant won't be ready for months, so we have plenty of time to watch her."

He stared at the card again. "But, don't you guys need this money for the restaurant?"

"We have more than enough thanks to Mitsuru-san," Toshio told him. "We gave your sister a chance to go to college, so we want to give you the same opportunity. It's not enough for your whole college career, but it's a start."

"But, I have money—"

"Save it," Ayumi snapped, silencing him.

"And don't go wasting it on parties!" Shizue added in a warning tone. "If I hear that you went partying and got a girl pregnant, I swear I will—"

"I swear I won't!" Ryuichi blurted out. His sister didn't let up her intense glare.

Toshio also gave him a stern look. "She's right, Ryuichi. If we hear anything about you getting out of line—"

Ayumi stopped him. "Just remember to have fun while you're in college," she said kindly.

"But Mom!" protested Shizue.

Toshio scowled. "What if he—"

"He won't," she said, shutting the two up. "Don't forget that he's the responsible one."

Ryuichi managed an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Mom."

Shizue snorted. "Don't forget boring," she teased, poking her brother's ribs.

He wanted to argue, but his sister had a point: He never really did anything anymore, and only did one risky thing that he still wasn't sure he regretted.

Still, he was grateful that they were looking out for him. "Thank you," he said to his parents as he gave them both big hugs. "I promise I'll study hard and make you guys proud."

With presents done, Ayumi brought out his birthday cake. It was a strawberry shortcake that Toshio criticized, saying it wasn't the kind of cake a guy would want.

"Couldn't you have picked a manlier cake?" Toshio asked Shizue.

"Actually, I asked for it," Ryuichi said sheepishly. His father could only utter a befuddled squeak in response.

Ayumi took tons of pictures of the cake before the candles were lit. She took pictures of Ryuichi with the cake, then had the others squish in around him. His family kept handing off the camera to one another to make sure that everyone was in the pictures. When they had enough, they lit the candles and turned off the lights.

His mom snapped more photos while everyone sang the birthday song. Ryuichi still didn't know what to do other than smile awkwardly during those long fifteen seconds, but at least getting blinded repeatedly by the camera flashes gave him a distraction.

"All right! Make a wish!" Shizue said once the song was over.

He thought of one, having only that particular one that came to mind. He concentrated hard on it and blew out the candles in a single breath. His family cheered.

After stuffing themselves with cake, Toshio and Ayumi started cleaning up together and shooed away their children when they offered to help. Megumi had fallen asleep on the couch, and while Shizue surrounded her with cushions, Ryuichi went to sit on the small deck outside the back door to cool off.

It was a small yard, with the rear wall mere steps away from the deck, but it was all the space he needed to take a break from his family. His respite was cut short when Shizue joined him, bringing some tea for them to share.

"So, I didn't want to say anything in there in front of Mom and Dad, but you seemed kinda down today," Shizue said quietly to him. "Everything okay?"

Ryuichi leaned his head back against the cold glass door. "I told Mitsuru I liked her."

His sister perked up. "And? What did she say?"

He could feel the tears start to burn his eyes. "She said we should stay friends."

Shizue settled back down. "I'm sorry, Ryu-chan. Man, dinner must've been a killer for you, huh?"

"Yeah. But, I told her how I felt, so I guess I have no regrets, other than the fact I destroyed our friendship."

"You don't know that. She said you guys should stay friends, right?"

His despondent silence seemed to answer her question.

"So, when did you tell her?" Shizue asked instead.

"Yesterday, after our last exam."

"Yikes. No wonder you were so down over the phone. I'm sorry, Little Bro."

He decided not to tell her the other part about Mitsuru reciprocating his feelings, knowing that Shizue would only urge him to keep trying to get her to change her mind. He didn't want to push it, fearing that he was only giving rise to hope for something that probably wouldn't happen anyway.

His family insisted that he take home a lot of food and share it with Mitsuru. When he tried to explain that she had a maid bring her every one of her meals, they still pushed bags of styrofoam boxes into his arms, saying that she could always eat more.

"Oh! Don't forget about the souvenirs!"

Ayumi gave Ryuichi two bags full of snacks, sweets, and non-edible goodies.

"The other bag's for Mitsuru-san, so be sure to give it to her," his mother said to him.

"Invite Mitsuru-san next time!" his family reminded him as he tied down half of the many containers on the back of his motorcycle. The other half would have to hang from his handlebars. The snacks and souvenirs went into his new backpack that Shizue got for him, making it easier to transport everything on the way home.

"And make sure to take her on a proper date!" Ayumi added, making both him and Shizue cringe.

While their parents smiled and waved, Shizue's expression was one of pity. He drove off, finding little relief in his escape from his parents. He couldn't blame them at all, as they had no way of knowing about the great self-inflicted wound he had suffered just the day before. He didn't even get a chance to staunch the bleeding, still hemorrhaging the more he relived the memory.

Back at the dorm, as he carried all the food and souvenirs to his room, he spotted a small box sitting just outside his bedroom door. On top of it was a light blue envelope, and he recognized his name written in swirly, cursive English letters that could have only been done by one person.

Sighing, he unlocked his door and stepped over the box so he could organize the many containers of food to fit into his itty bitty refrigerator. Some of the boxes would have to be stored in the bigger refrigerator in the kitchen, and he chose to sacrifice the noodles and the raw, cheese-stuffed burger patties. The noodles were doomed, for sure, but he hoped that his dorm mates' inability to cook would deter them from eating his burgers.

When he was ready, he brought the little box and the envelope into his room. He opened the box first, seeing a small, very lopsided little cake covered in chocolate frosting that was smeared unevenly, with one side higher than the other and the other showing bits of the yellow cake underneath. There was a crown of strawberries on top, which was the most appetizing-looking part of the cake. At the center of the cake written in a mess of blue gel icing read "Happy Birthday, Ryuichi!"

He opened the envelope next. Inside was a simple birthday card with a handwritten message in the same loopy, swirly lettering in English.

 _Ryuichi,_

 _Please forgive the sloppiness of your present. It was my first attempt at baking, but I wanted to make you something special for your birthday. I can assure you that the taste is still palatable._

 _Happy birthday, Ryuichi, and thank you for being a good friend to me. May all your wishes come to light._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Mitsuru_

He blinked, confused. "Was this supposed to be a birthday greeting or a disclaimer?"

Shrugging, he cut himself a small slice and tried it. The chocolate frosting was pretty thick and heavy, where he got stuck chewing it a little longer than necessary. He noticed that there were cake crumbs that speckled some of the frosting, and after turning the cake a bit, saw a few bald patches where the thick frosting had lifted away the top layer of cake.

The strawberries sat on little lopsided pillows of chocolate frosting, and one strawberry had fallen over at some point. Most of them were tilted, with only one that sat perfectly on its frosting throne, as though a professional had done it to make an example for Mitsuru to follow.

After slogging through his second bite of frosting, Ryuichi went to the kitchen to warm up his slice of cake in the microwave oven. The frosting became wondrously gooey, and the cake moist and with a light vanilla flavor. He warmed up the rest of the cake, unable to stop eating it. It was the best cake he ever had.

Ryuichi cut another slice and took a moment to stare at the cake. He thought about how busy Mitsuru must have been that day, but still took the time to make his present herself. Even though he initially thought that she couldn't stand the sight of him, he began to think that he was the one who couldn't bear to see her out of shame. He felt horrible for it, and found that he still wanted to see her again.

That night after a long, hot bath, Ryuichi lay in bed while staring into the darkness of his room, trying to latch onto one of the many thoughts that flew through his mind. He managed to snatch one out of the air, realizing that graduation was on Friday. His senior year was coming to an end, having gone by so fast that he couldn't even recall anything remarkable that happened that year, except for that thing he did yesterday.

Searching his memories, he felt like the past month was the only one he could properly remember. He made a good friend that month, though he wondered why it took them so long to become friends in the first place. The month quickly became so turbulent that he hardly had a chance to breathe. It was over too soon.

And now, he had to begin to prepare for the next phase of his life. In less than a week, he was going to graduate from high school and was going off to college. The future was coming up so fast that he couldn't tell if the changes were for the better or worse. All he knew was that he had no choice but to face it directly, with or without Mitsuru.

As he lay in the stillness, he heard a soft ticking noise, one he hadn't noticed before. Curious, he turned on the light and went searching for it. He stood still while holding his breath to try to pinpoint the sound, and traced it to his desk.

The first drawer he opened had a key ring with three keys he didn't recognize. He held them up to the light, trying to recall what they were for and noticed that one of them was for some kind of vehicle. As far as he could tell, his parents didn't drive that brand of car, and it definitely wasn't for his motorcycle, either.

He set the keys back down in the drawer. He pushed aside the little squid plushie he kept there to see a wooden box hidden underneath it with the letters "R. O." carved on the front. Intrigued, he took it out and opened it to find a silver pocket watch with a dragon on the front, his twin blue topaz eyes glittering up at him.

Lying back down on his bed, he examined the watch closer, admiring the silver chain and the small window in the face that let him see the little gears inside. He thought it might have been a family heirloom, but it looked too new to have survived a few generations. He soon came to the conclusion that he bought it but forgot all about it because he never had the guts to wear it in public. But damn, he even bothered to have someone carve his initials on the box? How much extra did that cost him?

The more he stared at the pocket watch, the more Mitsuru resurfaced in his thoughts. He knew he only had a few days left with her, and he knew that he should thank her for the present, but he didn't feel ready to face her just yet. It was still too soon for him, and it didn't help that graduation was rushing him to do something about it.

"'May all your wishes come to light', huh?"

He sighed, finally feeling his body grow heavy with fatigue. He checked the time on the pocket watch, then looked over to see his alarm clock change to midnight. Sighing again, he set the pocket watch down on his desk, turned off the light, and tried to get some sleep.


	126. Chapter 126

**Chapter 126**

The next morning, Ryuichi got dressed and ready for school a little earlier than usual. He stood in front of his bedroom door, school bag in hand, nervously drumming his fingers on his thigh as he took a few cleansing breaths.

"All right, you can do this," he told himself. "Just don't be a jerk, okay? You can do it."

He held his breath and stepped into the lounge. There, he saw some kid wearing the Gekkoukan elementary school uniform with an orange hooded vest underneath on his way out. The boy looked to Ryuichi, who was confused as to why there was an elementary school kid in the dorm.

"Good morning," the boy said, and left without waiting for a response.

Ryuichi belatedly called out a "G'morning!" to the boy, but the front door shut on his greeting. Scratching his head, Ryuichi set his school bag down on the front desk and headed to the kitchen, expecting to see the table set for Mitsuru's breakfast. All he saw was an empty dining table and Kikuno already washing Mitsuru's dishes.

The maid looked up from the sink and smiled at him. "Good morning, Okazaki-san," she greeted him. "And happy belated birthday."

Ryuichi cautiously approached the kitchen, looking to the stairs as he passed by. "Good morning, and thanks," he said uneasily. "Um, is she...?"

"Ojou-sama had to leave early for an emergency meeting with the Student Council. They only have a few days left to prepare for graduation, after all."

"Right. Graduation."

He was pretty dejected when he learned that he missed Mitsuru at breakfast. Instead of sulking about it, he went over to the refrigerator to make himself something to eat. His cheese-filled burger patties were all accounted for, but the noodles, unfortunately, were all gone. Too lazy to check the leftovers in the fridge in his room, he decided to cook two of the burger patties to have one for breakfast and the other for lunch.

"Did you like your present from Ojou-sama?"

His gut clenched. "Y-Yeah. I ate the whole thing."

"How wonderful! She was worried that you wouldn't like it. It was only her first time baking, and she worked very hard on it."

Ryuichi put on a wry smile. "Well, for her first time baking, it was pretty damn good."

Almost immediately after he finished cooking his burger patties, Kikuno snatched up the pan and spatula he used so she could wash them for him. Thanking her, he assembled his burgers to his liking, but ended up packing up both for lunch. He wasn't in the mood to eat right then, and he wasn't sure if he would be in the mood for them later, but as soon as he finished preparing his food, Kikuno washed the plates and utensils he used, too. He said another quick thanks to her on his way out.

"Okazaki-san?"

He paused just inside the front doors with his hand on the door handle. He didn't bother to look back.

"Hang in there," Kikuno said to him. He could see her smile clearly in his mind as he headed out.

The sun's rays soaked into his black uniform the moment he left the dorm. It was the kind of sunny day he was grateful for, giving him an excuse to wear his sunglasses to hide his eyes from other people's gazes and warm enough to fend off the morning chill. Birds sang their cheery songs, as if to ring in the first day of the new month. For most people, it was just another day like all the rest. But for Ryuichi, it was another step towards the last day he would get to see Mitsuru. For all he knew, his last day to face her properly had been two days ago.

Even though Kikuno said that Mitsuru had an early meeting at school, Ryuichi couldn't help but feel like she was avoiding him. All the mental preparation he did that morning so he could face her felt pointless, now that his new concern had surfaced. He knew for sure that he still wanted to stay friends with Mitsuru, but he wasn't sure how to approach her anymore if she wasn't ready to face him just yet.

At school, he figured he shouldn't go to his classroom right away. Mitsuru might be there, and he didn't want to bother her if she needed a little more space. Not only that, he wasn't in the mood to chat with anyone, like Mr. Awesome Pants, whom he suspected might still bear a grudge against him. For now, he headed upstairs to the roof, where he stared at the view of Tatsumi Port Island. He stayed there until the very last minute before the bell rang.

"Good morning, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said as he passed in front of her desk.

"Good morning," he replied. When he tried to smile, he found that he couldn't.

As it was the seniors' last week of school, there didn't seem to be anything more their teachers had to teach on their subjects. One determined teacher still squeezed in a lesson and even quizzed them on it at the end of class. Other teachers enjoyed chatting with the students about their experiences in college, from dorm life to the overwhelming independence they got when they moved out of their parents' house to exchange programs they participated in to see other countries. One teacher even encouraged those who failed to get into a university by telling her story of how she failed the college entrance exams twice but passed on her third attempt.

Ryuichi might have been more interested in the discussions, had he not been stuck in his little world of emotional turmoil at the time. He wasn't in the mood to listen to people talk, but at least with the teachers chatting away, he could keep his head down so he wouldn't have to stare at Mitsuru all day.

At lunchtime, Mitsuru turned around in her seat to look at him, wearing an expression that said she wanted to talk. Ryuichi met her tired eyes, seeing dark circles underneath them as her doleful gaze made his body seize up. He was about to ask if she wanted to talk somewhere when a member of the student council came to get her.

"Sorry, it really can't wait," the boy said.

Mitsuru looked to the boy with her mouth slightly agape, then to Ryuichi with apology in her eyes.

"If it's important, you should go," Ryuichi said to her, averting his eyes.

She looked as if she wanted to protest, but said nothing of it. She went with the student, leaving Ryuichi alone at his desk with his lunch. On her way out, he noticed that Mitsuru glanced back at him before closing the classroom door behind her.

He unwrapped his first burger and took a bite. At least today, he could taste it. He was sure the flavor had been there all along, but eating still felt like a chore.

Halfway through his burger, his classmates started heading out the doors. He looked out the windows to the hallway to see students from the other classes heading for the stairs. He knew what it meant, and his stomach soured just thinking about it: The exam results had been posted.

He really didn't want to go. He wanted to live in delusion by imagining that he made it to the number two spot. His mind wouldn't accept it, urging him to go check after he finished his burger. He made sure to eat a little slower, but even then, he still ate too fast.

On his way downstairs, Ryuichi kept telling himself that he had the best possible tutor help him study for those exams. All that thought did for him was make him worry even more, where he feared that his failure to even make the top ten would make it look like Mitsuru wasn't a good tutor.

Students were still crowded around the results by the time he went to check his ranking. As usual, Mitsuru's name took her rightful place at the top of the board as number one for the senior class. For everyone else, the new number one spot to strive for was number two that many clamored for.

"Congratulations," he heard Mitsuru say behind him.

Ryuichi tensed up, still searching for his name. "Where?"

She pointed at the board, as if he would find it easier that way. Ryuichi opened his eyes as wide as they would go and saw his name at number five.

"I made top ten?" He was still staring at his name on the board, trying to decide if he had seen it correctly.

"Congratulations," Mitsuru said again, smiling. "Despite all the obstacles you faced, you persevered."

Ryuichi turned to her. He was about to say something when he saw how pale she looked.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her.

She started back towards the stairs. "Just a bit tired," she replied hastily. "Good work, Ryuichi. If you would excuse me."

"Wait, I—"

Mitsuru made her escape, slipping through the crowds and back up the stairs. Ryuichi didn't even get a chance to congratulate her on her high score.

Their brief encounter left him even more unsure of what to make of their relationship. She was still friendly towards him, but she was quick to get away from him, too. Maybe she really wasn't ready to face him yet, either.

"For someone who made top five, you sure don't look all that excited about it," Shiori remarked when Ryuichi returned to his desk.

He ignored what she said. "How'd you do?"

"Twenty-third and damn proud," she said with a shrug. "I would've scored higher, but after burning myself out on college entrance exams, I'm surprised I did as well as I did, so I can't complain."

One of Shiori's friends came by to chat with her. While the two girls shared a laugh, Ryuichi's phone buzzed in his pocket with an email from Mitsuru.

 _"We have to talk. Meet me on the roof after school."_

Uh oh. His initial thought was that she wasn't able to keep up the friendly charade and wanted to break off their friendship completely. It made sense, after all, since she looked pretty stressed out and bolted after their brief chat downstairs. At least if they cut ties with each other, she would have one less thing to worry about.

He spent the afternoon classes eyeing Mitsuru while his mind kept racing in anticipation for a second rejection. He kept telling himself that it was better for them, that he should just agree for a clear severance and move on.

Ryuichi scrunched himself up in a tight ball at his desk with his face buried in his arms. Even though he kept telling himself to move on, he just couldn't. He hated the awkward air between them, hated to think that she really would turn him away. Every time he tried to imagine how her rejection would go, a single memory slashed through it:

 _"I-I like you, too."_

His heart was in Mitsuru's palm every time he recalled her words. He tried to cut the memory off right after that, before she squashed his heart and said those next terrible words that he knew hurt her, too. Just hearing those phrases in his mind was enough to make his chest feel like it was caving in all over again.

The final bell rang. Ryuichi sighed as he sat up to pack his bag. He slowly put one book away at a time, reluctant to go to the roof. If she had just rejected him right away the first time, he thought he might have been better off.

The same student council member from before approached Mitsuru. "Mitsuru-san, there was another issue we came across regarding—"

"Yes, Fushimi has already informed me about that," Ryuichi heard Mitsuru say. "I will be there in a minute."

The Student Council member left. Ryuichi continued to put his things away as Mitsuru stood up and faced him. Her pallor hadn't improved, and she seemed even more fatigued than when he saw her earlier.

"Forgive me, but I will be a little late," she said to him.

He shrugged. "you gotta do what you gotta do," he replied. "Will it take long? I can wait."

Why did he say that? Why must he invite more anguish?

Mitsuru held her apologetic gaze on him. "Not too long, I don't think," she said before looking to the door. The student council member stood there waiting for her. "I will try to keep it brief."

She left with the student to deal with more student council issues. Ryuichi continued kicking himself for agreeing to meet her on the roof when he had a chance to run. He said it, and he can't take it back. Now all he could do was head upstairs and wait.

The chain with the "No Access" sign in front of the roof door went ignored once more. Ryuichi stepped over it, and when he opened the door, he was met with freezing winds that he braved to wait for his proper rejection. The moment his backside touched the stone bench, he shuddered from the stinging cold.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Twenty. After forty-five minutes, he watched the clouds passing over Tatsumi Port Island head for Iwatodai. The immense shadow moved from the artificial island to the mainland while razor blades of sunlight pierced through them to shine over the city.

He waited some more, checking his phone constantly for the time. It occurred to him that the roof was quite possibly the worst place to do anything, wondering why they hadn't just agreed to talk at the dorm where there was hot tea and just as much privacy. He thought about shooting an email to Mitsuru to suggest they talk at the dorm instead, but worried that she might think he stood her up if she didn't get his message. That thought alone was all it took to keep him anchored to the bench.

After sitting out there for over an hour, he was so frozen from the icy winds that he was almost completely numb. His chin rested on his chest as he contemplated leaving when the roof door opened.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting!" Mitsuru called to him as she hurried over to him.

Shivering, Ryuichi raised his crestfallen eyes to her, seeing once again her pale face and dark circles under her eyes. All at once, he was flooded with the same anguish he felt only two days ago.

Breathing hard, Mitsuru seemed to mask her discomfort with a weak smile. She sat down next to him, and Ryuichi resisted the urge to scoot away from her.

"How was Student Council?" he asked numbly while she caught her breath.

"It's still somewhat in disarray, but we were able to resolve most of the issues," Mitsuru said with relief. "I take full responsibility, as my work keeps me away from most of my duties to the Student Council."

"Or, maybe the vice president could step up for a change," he muttered, feeling his irritation finally surface.

Mitsuru looked to him in surprise. "I, I suppose," she replied as she looked away.

The two fidgeted next to each other, neither saying anything for a time. Ryuichi continued to shiver from the cold while Mitsuru sat squirming, not from the weather, it seemed to him, but from some other reason. He suspected that the source of her discomfort happened to share his name.

He choked down his irritation for the moment. "Before I forget," he said, raising his thumb. "One: congratulations on scoring the highest on exams."

She smiled. "Thank you."

He raised a finger next. "And two: thank you for the cake. It was really good."

Her surprise came out as a delighted gasp. "You liked it? It came out all right?"

He nodded, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees while keeping his eyes down on the ground. "Yeah," he said, sounding breathless.

Shifting his eyes, he could see the elation on Mitsuru's face.

"To be honest, I didn't bake it myself entirely," she told him nervously. "As soon as the chefs saw what I was doing, they started helping me, but ended up taking over. The only thing they let me make from scratch was the frosting, and that was only after Kikuno made the chefs step back. They guided me from afar with the decorations."

Mitsuru folded her arms over her chest, looking as though her confidence was weakening. "It was only my first time baking—My first time cooking anything, actually," she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "But, I suppose getting help doesn't count, does it? If I made it myself, it probably wouldn't have come out as well as it did. The frosting might have ruined their hard work, but—"

Ryuichi rubbed a finger to his nose. "It was delicious," he said to her. "I'd offer you some so you could try it, but I ate it all."

"All of it?"

He nodded again. But, he knew they weren't there to talk about cakes or student council troubles. He just wanted to get rejected so they could be done already. His annoyance grew to frustration, growing like a big, red demon trying to rip his chest apart to make its escape.

"Thank you," Mitsuru said with a relieved smile. "How was dinner with your—"

"Is this why you asked me to meet you here?" he snapped. He regretted his harsh tone immediately.

She sat up straighter. "No, it's not."

Mitsuru got up and went over to the tall fence at the edge of the roof that overlooked the artificial island. Ryuichi remained frozen on the bench, sitting back and gripping his seat as tight as his numb fingers would allow without breaking.

Without turning around, Mitsuru spoke to him in a voice that was almost swept up by the wind. "I know that things have become difficult between us, so I wanted to know your feelings since we last talked."

Ryuichi lowered his face again. Her question was just so absurd to him that he let out a wry chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"All of it," he replied, shaking his head. "I don't even know how I feel at this point."

Mitsuru whirled around. Her hard stare returned. "I still fail to see the humor in all of this."

He had to collect himself first so his laughter wouldn't leave cracks in his very being. "It's just, I don't know what to think," he said. He leaned back on his hands to stare up at the clouds. "Back then, I was prepared for rejection and only dreamt that you might feel the same way about me. But this?"

With a ragged sigh, he threw his face back down towards the ground. "You were right that things would be different now that we know each other's feelings. I mean, I'm glad to hear that you like me, too, but I really wasn't prepared for that other part."

His painful smile faded. "I feel like I ruined our friendship," he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. "I feel like things would've been better if I hadn't told you anything, or if you'd rejected me from the start. The way thing are now—It hurts."

He wanted to cry, just to find some relief from it all. But he didn't. He wanted to just get it over with so he could run right out of her life and out of her memories to make the pain stop. If he had only kept quiet, he could have continued living perfectly content with their cozy friendship.

"I see. So you're hurting, too."

Ryuichi dared to glance up, seeing none of the pain on Mitsuru's face that he heard in her voice as she took a few steps towards him and stopped.

She grasped her arm. The agony became visible on her face. "You might've been right that the best possible scenario would've been to turn you down from the start, but I found that I couldn't do it," she admitted with anguish straining her expression. "I think I wanted you to know how I felt, too, even though ours would be an impossible relationship."

It seemed to Ryuichi that all they were doing was hurting each other. Even though she stood right in front of him within an arm's length, Mitsuru felt so far away.

"But, I want to give us a try," Mitsuru said boldly.

Her declaration stabbed a dagger deep into the red demon within him, slaying the anger he felt. Any words he could utter faltered, as he was too dumbfounded to find the right ones to say.

Mitsuru drew in a deep breath. "I've spent these past few days thinking about it, and even lost sleep on it, and in the end, I decided that I wanted these last few days with you, if you will have me."

Her hope was palpable, tinged with a fear he knew too well. Her words were too unreal, too dreamlike for him to believe. His lips just flapped wordlessly, his tongue somehow feeling too fat for his mouth. Mitsuru chuckled as he struggled to speak.

"May I try that again?" she asked with a timid smile. "I want to be with you, Ryuichi, even after graduation for as long as I can."

He still couldn't find the words to respond. He just stared at her, the numbness having spread from his body to his brain. He wasn't even sure he heard her properly, that his imagination had taken over again. But Mitsuru was patient, standing still with her anxious but hopeful smile as she gave him all the time he needed to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming.

"Wh-What about all that other stuff?" Ryuichi finally uttered in a dry rasp. "The Group, how hard it's gonna be keeping contact—"

"We can make it work," she insisted, sounding sure of herself. "We can call each other, send emails, chat over video calls—We have so many options at our disposal."

"But the Group—"

"We will have to keep our relationship hidden for now." Mitsuru sat back down next to him, making his frozen muscles stiffen even more. "No one can know about us, not even close friends or family."

Her eager smile quickly became a frown. "I'm sorry that a relationship with me demands so much of you, so I understand if you decline."

Ryuichi's lips flapped again, making him trip over any thoughts he could come up with. One finally surfaced enough for him to utter.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked, his voice cracking.

She crushed her arms to her chest. "Now, this will sound absurd, especially since we've only started to get to know each other these past few weeks," she said slowly, as though she was still carefully choosing her words as she spoke. "Whenever we parted, I would get this wistful sensation. It's as though your absence is foreign to me."

Mitsuru looked away as her face flushed a rosy hue. Ryuichi felt his heart throb in his chest.

"I feel the same way," he told her softly. "At times, I want to recall memories we've shared, but we haven't made them yet."

Mitsuru gave a single nod. "I've had moments like that, too," she agreed, still not looking his way.

"Yeah. And, not just memories of us going to school together, either. Like, us hanging out and doing stuff, like we were already dating."

Ryuichi rubbed his neck. "Ah, sorry if that came out weird."

"Not at all." With a sigh, Mitsuru turned her face towards his direction. "To be honest, I sometimes catch myself wondering if we had actually experienced casual outings together, apart from the day we went to see our college entrance exam results."

She lowered her hands to her lap. "These past few days made me wonder what it might be like if I hadn't turned you down. I soon realized that I wanted to experience it for myself instead of looking back on my life with regret.

"I also started to think that I should allow myself some fun, since I'm always so busy with work," she added, flashing him a tiny, mischievous smile. "I enjoy being with you, and I want to enjoy your company for as long as I can. It's not every day that you come across someone you get along with so well, and even though it won't be easy for us—"

"Whatever it takes!" he blasted, startling her. "I wanna be with you, too! I'll write letters, call you, everything! And I swear, I won't tell anyone!"

His heart hammered in his ears, drowning out the whistling winds and pumping warmth back into his fingers and toes. Mitsuru chuckled, bringing a little color back to her face.

"So, you're really okay with me, though?" he asked meekly. "I've never even been in a relationship before."

"Neither have I. But, I think we have the potential to have a good relationship, even a long distance one," she said, her voice bolstered with determination. "We'll have to work hard at it, especially due to our circumstances, but I think we can learn and grow from our experiences together, especially now that we have all the time to do so."

He realized what she meant just then—They were no longer bound by the week-long deadline. They still had to worry about the distance and hiding their relationship from everyone, especially from those who were opposed to it, but it didn't bother Ryuichi at all. He was just happy that all the weird air had cleared between them.

Ryuichi kept eyeing Mitsuru's hand in her lap. He was sure his face was close to purple as he reached over and held it, surprised at how soft, smooth, cold, and oddly familiar it was. He gasped when she squeezed his hand, and when he dared to look up, he saw that she was a brilliant shade of red.

"We won't be able to do this often," she warned mournfully. "It might even be dangerous for us to call each other by name."

He tilted his head at her. "Even though we've known each other since kindergarten?"

She frowned. "Yes, since it's only recently that I've begun to call you by your name," she reasoned.

Ryuichi hung his head. "Well, that sucks."

"It does." Mitsuru rubbed circles onto the back of his hand with her thumb. "But, your name is special to me," she said softly. "Even though I never used to call you 'Ryuichi' before, it always felt so natural, somehow."

Ryuichi grinned like a dope, wondering if she could feel the sudden surge of heat in his hand.

Smiling gently, Mitsuru lowered her voice. "I imagine that, if I were ever in danger, it would be the first thing I cry out."

"Yeah? How come?"

"I suppose it's the sense of security I feel whenever you're around," she replied, sounding sincere. "You protected me from that groper, and you even fended off five grown men all by yourself."

"Four. It was four guys. The fifth didn't want to fight."

"It was still a remarkable feat, considering the injuries you sustained."

She squeezed his hand again. "Ryuichi," she whispered, as if to test his name on her lips. "Let's make these next few days count. I don't know how often we will get to see each other after graduation, but I know that I want to have these days with you."

"These days and more," he corrected her, and she nodded in agreement.

"Yes." Mitsuru rested her head on his shoulder. "Let's do our best to build a future together."

They went home together shortly after, figuring that there was nothing suspicious about it due to them living in the same dorm. Their conversations were back to normal, but now Ryuichi was tempted to hold Mitsuru's hand during the train ride back to Iwatodai. He had to grip his bag on his lap to resist, and during the walk back to the dorm, he kept one hand on his bag, the other deep in his pocket.

"Do you have work today?" Ryuichi asked her once they were inside the lounge.

"I do, but not until later," Mitsuru replied with a yawn. "Is there something you would like to do?"

Seeing how tired she was made him rethink his suggestion to watch a movie together. "Actually, I was going to suggest you take a nap before work," he told her instead. "You look like you really beat yourself up these past few days."

She frowned. "I did. I felt terrible for what I did to you."

"Well, everything's all right now, so there's nothing to feel bad about anymore."

Grinning, Ryuichi motioned for her to head upstairs. "Come on. I'll have tea and a snack ready for you when you wake up."

After he glanced around to make sure that no one was in the lounge, Ryuichi took Mitsuru's hand and walked her upstairs to her room. They both blushed the whole time, and when they made it to her door, they lingered outside to chat a little more until they heard someone open the front door and slam it shut. Only then did Mitsuru bid him a hurried good-bye before disappearing inside her room.


	127. Chapter 127

**Chapter 127**

Every moment they had to spare, Ryuichi and Mitsuru did their best to spend time together. That Tuesday, with most of their classes having free time, everyone would turn around in their desks to chat with their friends. Mitsuru did the same, happily chatting with Ryuichi, who had trouble hearing her over the chatter and laughter of their classmates. When the student next to Mitsuru left his desk to join his friends in the corner, Ryuichi took over his seat so he could be closer to Mitsuru.

Yearbooks were handed out at lunchtime. The school was in an uproar with everyone running around, eager to sign their friends' yearbooks. Mitsuru got swept up in a torrent of her friends and admirers, all wanting to sign her yearbook and have her sign theirs in return. Ryuichi did his best to yell for everyone to get in a single file line so she wouldn't get overwhelmed.

"You're so protective of her," one of the girls on the fencing team playfully jabbed at Ryuichi while Mitsuru signed her yearbook.

"That's because he's her knight minus the shining armor!" another member teased, making Ryuichi blush.

After school that day, people were still hunting Mitsuru down to sign yearbooks. Ryuichi had to fend them off, telling them to try again tomorrow at lunchtime since Mitsuru had important matters to attend to right away. There were some who eagerly followed them to the car waiting for her outside the school gates, but when they saw Ryuichi get the door for Mitsuru, they backed off in defeat.

"Thank you, Ryuichi," she said as she took her seat. "It pains me to say that you might have to endure this for the next few days. At this rate, we might have to start paying you."

He gasped. "Does that mean you'll hire me as your bodyg—"

"No."

He snapped his fingers in feigned disappointment. "Darn. Well, good luck with all your meetings. Kick some ass today!"

She beamed at him in amusement. "I think I will," she said. "Will you be going to work, as well?"

"Yeah. I think Eshima-san's gonna kill me if I miss another day."

He started to walk off before the car pulled away. They had to at least put some effort into looking more like casual friends, even though he wanted to send her off with a hug.

At Chagall Cafe, Ryuichi found another new performer already on the piano. He had to stare at the new musician for quite some time to make sure that he wasn't listening to a recording, as he was playing an incredible piece that was a modern pop tune that he arranged to sound like a classical piece. The young guy moved his whole body to the song with the intensity of an earthquake, and yet he never missed a note.

The new musician was a middle school student wearing a black gakuran for his uniform. He had a pop star-esque look to him, youthful and fresh, with perfectly smooth skin, soft features, and a stylish bowl cut that had to have been done by a professional.

Shizue came by with a light smack to Ryuichi's arm. "Can you do that?" she asked him as she gestured to the new player.

"I can try," he said, though his voice shook like his confidence the more he listened. "I haven't done classical music in a long time, though."

Ryuichi learned that the new guy came in about two weeks ago. He surprised Eshima and the others at Chagall Cafe as one of the few musicians who promised musical skill and actually delivered. Shizue told him that he had been coming in every day after school since then, and was dubbed "The Prodigy" for his skill.

"Sorry, Ryuichi-kun," Eshima said after confirming that his music wouldn't be needed anymore. "But, I could use an extra pair of hands to serve customers. Are you up for it today?"

It was still money, though he would have preferred not having to deal with customers at all. Ryuichi wore a painful smile through those few hours of work, trying his best to tell himself that the new musician didn't steal his job, since he had to give it up for more important things. Still, he harbored some rancor towards "The Prodigy" and his ultra-talented songs.

When the guy began to sing while he played, some of the guests marveled at how high his voice was. Ryuichi bitterly imagined puberty kicking the boy hard and ruining his high, light voice, only for him to wonder if he might end up developing a rich baritone instead. No matter what Ryuichi tried to dream up, "The Prodigy" always ended up extremely popular, while he was completely forgotten.

Ryuichi returned to the dorm feeling very much replaced. He knew that someday, someone would eventually have to take his place at the piano while he was away at college. He just wished he could have done at least one final performance, as his own little sendoff for himself before passing the hard, wooden bench to another.

When he entered the lounge, he spotted the foreign girl with blonde hair hovering over the couch. She was carefully watching over the ever-exhausted boy, who was napping with his headphones on. When the girl noticed Ryuichi observing her, she backed away and retreated to the girls' washroom.

During the walk to school the next morning, Ryuichi and Mitsuru told each other about their day yesterday. They exchanged stories of successful negotiations, difficult customers, little mistakes they made, and Ryuichi feeling like he was replaced too quickly at the cafe.

"It's probably for the best," Mitsuru said to him. "Perhaps there's another cafe near Kawaguchi that might be in need of your talents."

"One can hope, I guess," he sighed, and spotted the group of juniors from their dorm about a block ahead of them. He saw the sleepy guy among them, yawning as he dragged his feet after his friends. The blond girl hung back a distance from the others, hiding behind buildings, mail boxes, and other students headed to the train station.

"By the way, I saw something weird yesterday," Ryuichi began, and told Mitsuru about the strange foreign girl who seemed to take a keen interest in the tired boy.

"Is that so? Interesting. Personally, I thought Arisato and Takeba were together," Mitsuru said.

Ryuichi looked to her in amazement. "You know their names?"

"Naturally. I have a binder filled with information on every resident in our dorm."

He shyly scratched his cheek with a finger. "Including me?"

She nodded. "The files said that Arisato, Takeba, and Iori are all in the same class, along with the girl you saw watching over Arisato."

They joined a group of students at the street corner just as the crosswalk light changed to let them cross the street.

"So, are Arisato and Takeba actually dating, or are they just friends?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru in a hushed voice. "I always see them with that loud guy, but the foreign girl just kinda watches them."

"It's hard to tell," Mitsuru said, appearing just as interested in their dorm mates as he was. "Though, if those two are just friends, then perhaps the other girl might have a chance with Arisato."

"But, the school year's gonna be over soon."

"Indeed, but there's always next year. They are juniors, after all."

She switched her bag to her other hand. "Before I forget: Are you free after school today? I was wondering if you could help me practice my graduation speech."

He leaped at the opportunity. "Sure thing. Where do you wanna practice?"

"We can practice in my room this time, if you don't mind."

Her room? "Great," he said with a shrug. "I'll bring snacks."

"There's no need," she replied. "Kikuno will supply us with the tea, and I believe she hinted that she would be serving scones today."

"Scones? Oh, I'm there!"

She let out a small chuckle. When Ryuichi glanced over to her, he thought she looked a little pale that morning. Must've been a trick of the light, he thought, and said nothing of it for the moment.

Throughout the school day, Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru seemed somewhat uncomfortable at her desk. She shifted around in her seat, squirming and writhing, and appeared sluggish all the while, as though her skeleton had turned to jelly. Whenever their classmates came by to chat and sign yearbooks with her, she perked right up and acted perfectly normal.

During break between classes, Ryuichi was surprised when some of their classmates asked him to sign their yearbooks and wanted to sign his. While he didn't have a long line of classmates like Mitsuru, he was overjoyed that there were some who hadn't forgotten that he existed.

"'Join kendo'," he read aloud after Shiori signed his. He made a face. "You're never letting that go, are you?"

Shiori held up a peace sign and grinned, just as the bell rang to start the next class.

At lunchtime, Ryuichi was prepared for another flood of students looking for Mitsuru when some members of the boys' kendo team sought him out. They shoved their yearbooks in his face and grabbed his to sign.

"Please, Captain! Just one more sparring match!"

"We just want something to remember you by!"

Ryuichi tried not to snicker as his mind brutally and shamefully interpreted their pleas as "Please kick our asses, Captain!". He did miss kendo, and he missed the guys, but he knew that they liked to fight dirty whenever they sparred against him. He just hoped he could back up his shameful interpretation of their requests with actual skill, since he hadn't practiced at all in so long a time.

"All right, but I might be a bit rusty," he finally told them all. The team swept him up and hurried him to the gym, where they lent him a spare uniform and equipment before hurrying to get changed themselves.

They didn't question him when he chose to change in the toilet stalls. After three years of having done so, it seemed that the third- and second-year members had taught the first-years well not to question Ryuichi's unusual behavior.

It had been too long since he last wore the dark uniform, and despite being a spare, it felt like he was the original owner. The protective gear fit him just fine, but the mask had a sour smell to it, as though the previous owner had sweat it in for days on end without wiping it clean afterward.

"I haven't really practiced kendo in awhile, so you might be disappointed," he told his old teammates again as they all warmed up and stretched.

"Hey! Where's Minato?" someone called out.

"Probably napping someplace," another grumbled.

"Again? What did he do? Game all night?"

"Sure, if that's what you wanna call it."

"Dude, no."

"Shit. We don't have a chance without him!"

The name sounded familiar to Ryuichi. "Wait, who?"

"Minato Arisato! Did you forget him already?"

"Wait, did you forget our names, too?"

"What's my name?"

"You're so mean, Captain!"

Kenta spoke up for Ryuichi. "Give him a break, guys! He probably can't remember Arisato because he had to quit before getting to know him that well. Remember?"

It made sense to Ryuichi. His entire senior year was just a blur of working at the restaurant, caring for Megumi, and studying for college entrance exams—And a lot of yelling, mostly done by his family. He looked to all the other teammates, able to name some instantly while others took a bit of time, but Minato in particular he couldn't remember all that much, except as the sleepy guy he usually spotted snoozing someplace or yawning nonstop. Could a lazy guy like that have been on the kendo team?

While they all took a moment to get their gear on, Ryuichi saw a number of other students gathering to watch their little exhibition. He even saw Mitsuru among them, getting a glimpse of her weary and pale face. She was surrounded by a cluster of students armed with pens and yearbooks, signing them as quickly as she could manage. Ryuichi wanted to go over to help her, but his teammates pulled him back.

"I hope you've been practicing, Captain," one of the guys said haughtily to him. "Cuz we're about to humiliate you!"

Ryuichi grinned. "I have a reliable source that tells me you guys have been slacking."

"What? Who said?"

He ignored their protests and began to arrange how they would spar. The rest of the team chorused that they wanted to just take him on all at once, which he shot down immediately.

The team split into two groups and formed lines on opposite sides of Ryuichi, leaving plenty of room for the sparring matches to occur between them. Ryuichi took a few deep breaths to focus, becoming more aware of his opponents and getting in tune with his body. Not only could he visualize his attacks, he could feel them without moving a single muscle. His body seemed to know what to do. His mind needed more time to process.

With Kenta as referee, the match began. Ryuichi's body reacted as his first opponent came at him. His own agility surprised him as he defeated the guy in four moves.

"Point, red!"

The next guy in the second line charged forward. Five moves later, Ryuichi won. No one bothered to reset and start a new match, instead sending a new guy out immediately to avenge the others. Stomp—strike—strike—clash—shove—Some took only two moves to beat. Within minutes, Ryuichi had defeated the whole team without getting touched, but they still continued their assault even after the scrimmage was supposed to be over.

"Hey! I thought we're done!" Ryuichi shouted over the clatter of bamboo swords.

"Not until we take you down!"

Two attacked at the same time. Ryuichi side-stepped one and tapped him under his arm. The other he had to dive out of the way. He rolled over his shoulder and spun, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

"That's not even kendo anymore!" some protested. "That's against the rules!"

"You guys started it!" Ryuichi yelled, taking down two more.

His shoulders burned. His hands grew numb with every bone-shattering strike. Even his bare feet numbed from stomping. He lost track of who he already defeated, only knowing to attack, defend, and survive. Everyone was just a blur of dark uniforms swinging bamboo swords. The cheers and shouts from their classmates drowned out the yells of the team. Ryuichi just kept fighting, his body's agility faster than his thoughts.

"Enough! That's enough!" Kenta roared over all the noise. He had to shove some of the guys away from Ryuichi. "Winner: Captain!"

Ryuichi's body buzzed with adrenaline. It wasn't until everyone else lowered their shinai that he finally did the same.

"See?" someone panted. "That's, that's what we, needed, against, Hayase."

Ryuichi, too, breathed hard. He felt like his mind had gone to sleep for those few minutes while his body took care of everything on its own. He barely had any memory of the match, only through the little twitches in his arms that reacted whenever he came close to recalling an attack.

Dark shadows flashed in his mind. All of them wore colorful masks as they leered down at him. Another flash, and he saw raw terror on Mitsuru's face as he rushed up to her, and in the next moment—

He grabbed for his right arm where the scar formed a ring around his bicep.

"What was—?"

The vision vanished as his teammates clapped him on the back, congratulated him, and vowed to defeat him someday. Those who came to watch the spectacle applauded and cheered. It took Ryuichi a moment to snap out of his trance, and he shyly waved to the crowds, catching sight of Mitsuru smiling and applauding with the others. When he tried to recall the vision he had, he found that not a trace of it lingered for him to grasp onto.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" someone asked him.

Ryuichi removed his mask, feeling the rush of cool air on his sweaty skin. "I-I don't know," he admitted.

"Yeah, right."

"Don't keep it all to yourself!"

"Tell us!"

He spent some of his lunchtime with the kendo team, all of them still determined to find out where he learned to fight and if he trained under a master. All he could tell them was that he joined kendo in his first year of high school and had no additional training whatsoever.

His teammates asked him to show them some moves, such as how he did that dive and roll when he was cornered. Ryuichi tried to break down how to do the moves in a few steps, but he couldn't remember how to do them. Even his body didn't seem to know what to do anymore, as though it just reacted without his command. The more he tried to figure out how to do the moves, the more they eluded him.

The team was understandably frustrated with him. He was frustrated with himself. While the team tried to replicate his moves during the scrimmage, he retreated to the locker room to wash up, change back into his uniform, and return to the classroom to finish his lunch. Mitsuru was already back at her desk and looked up when he crossed in front of her.

"I've witnessed your prowess before, but those were always controlled and contained within the parameters of the rules of a kendo competition," she said to him as he took his seat. "But to see the rumors fully realized firsthand—It was no exaggeration. You fight as though you've seen battle before."

She eyed his right arm. "Did you injure yourself during the exhibition? You suddenly grabbed your arm afterward."

He shook his head, keeping his face down. "No, it's nothing," he murmured. "But what about you? You're not looking so hot yourself. Did you catch a cold?"

"No, but I am a little tired."

"Oh. Should we cancel working on your speech later?"

"I can always rest afterward," she answered calmly. "This is the only day I can really work on it, so I would hate to lose today just for a nap."

Ryuichi frowned at her. "Okay, but don't forget to rest every now and then, will you?"

"I will, thank you."

But after school, she looked even worse. Her pallid visage alarmed him when she turned around to look at him after the final bell.

"Okay, you are _not_ okay," he told her. "Can you call Saikawa-san and have her pick you up?"

"There's no need," she said in a strained voice. She stood up from her desk, struggling to straighten up. "Now, shall we go?"

Mitsuru looked to be pushing herself too hard, and he couldn't understand why. When he noticed that she had a hard time keeping up with him, he slowed down to match her pace. On the way to the train station, she pushed herself again to walk faster, and on the train when Ryuichi insisted that she take the open seat, she declined and remained standing with him while strangling her hand in the overhead strap. When the train lurched forward on its way, he felt her lean heavily against him and remained that way for the duration of the ride.

It wasn't until they were only a block away from the dorm that Mitsuru finally asked that they stop for a moment. She leaned against the outer wall of a building, holding a hand over her mouth.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked her, growing concerned.

"I'm fine," she panted.

"Stop saying you're fine when you're clearly sick," he told her, touching her arm. "Come on, hang on to me and—"

"I'm all right, Ryuichi. I just need a moment."

"Will you stop that? Here, let's get you home."

He took her bag from her and picked her up. She threw her arms around him, mortified as he carried her the last block to the dorm.

"Wh-What are you doing? Put me down this instant!"

"And risk getting caught like this?"

"Then put me down or I will execute you!"

"Fine, but do it _after_ we get you home! Now get your keys ready!"

He heard her retch as she shoved a hand into her skirt pocket. She retched again as she thrust her key into the lock. Ryuichi nearly kicked the door open the moment she unlocked it, almost setting Mitsuru down in case someone was in the lounge. When it was all clear, he shut the door behind him with his foot and raced to the stairs and up to the third floor.

At her bedroom door, Ryuichi set Mitsuru down to help her unlock it. The moment they threw the door open, Mitsuru ran inside, retching again. Ryuichi remained outside, hesitant to follow. When he heard vomit splash into the toilet, he went to help her.

He found Mitsuru kneeling in front of her toilet. Setting their bags down, he knelt behind her to hold her hair and massage her back.

"I was hoping you wouldn't have to see this," Mitsuru uttered right before another wave of nausea made her gag.

"It's okay," he told her. "I'm more worried about you than I am about a little vomit."

"Then, you aren't disgusted with me?"

A bitter stench rose from the toilet and shoved its prongs up his nostrils, but he kept his expression placid. "Should I be?" he asked. "If I can handle my sister's periods, then I can handle my girlfriend's, too."

Mitsuru turned her head slightly to the side, still panting. "You knew what this was?"

Before he could respond, she stuck her face back into the bowl and hurled some more. Taking pity on her, Ryuichi kept massaging her back until she finished vomiting for the time being. He let her rest against him for few minutes before helping her to the sink to wash up.

She was so exhausted from the ordeal that Ryuichi had to carry her to her bed. He helped her get her boots off and offered her anything she might need. When she asked for nothing, he knelt down by the bedside and held her hand as she slept.

Kikuno eventually arrived with medicines and other necessities to ease Mitsuru's discomfort. She didn't seem all that surprised to see Ryuichi open Mitsuru's door to let her in, but she was quick to shoo him out.

"Thank you, Okazaki-san," Kikuno said to him as she ushered him out the door. "I'll take over from here."

"Oh, wait, my bag—" But the maid had already shut the door and was tending to Mitsuru. "Okay, I'll get it later."

He returned to his room, feeling badly that Mitsuru put in extra effort to go to the gym and watch his pointless sparring match when she wasn't feeling well. He couldn't understand why she was so stubborn about getting home sooner, especially since she was on the verge of throwing up.

Ryuichi went to rest on his bed as his thoughts went back to that odd vision he had after the match. He couldn't even recall what the vision was, only that he saw something that made him touch his arm. Just thinking about having that vision made him wonder if he was forgetting something.

He focused harder, touching his bicep where the clean scar circled his arm. There was something he needed to do very soon, but what?

His thoughts slingshot back to Mitsuru as he popped out of bed. "Maybe she could use some chocolate," he said, and quickly forgot about ever having a vision on his way out.


	128. Chapter 128

**Chapter 128**

The only time Mitsuru had to work on her speech with Ryuichi was late Thursday night after a long day full of meetings. Using Ryuichi's music stand as a podium, she stood before him and gave her speech in a bold, clear voice while Ryuichi relaxed on his bed, following along with the extra copy of her speech she gave him. At first, he couldn't find anything wrong until Mitsuru asked him to be as honest as possible, even for the little nitpicky things. After mustering up enough courage to give her a tiny critique and seeing how positively she responded to it, Ryuichi became more comfortable in pointing out other things he thought could be improved or didn't connect with other parts.

While they worked, they used red pens to mark down little notes, cross out sections, make edits, and scribble revisions. After a few hours and many fixes, both of their hard copies were covered in angry red battle scars, leaving little of the original copy left intact.

"Well now, I think it's much better than before," Mitsuru said with a satisfied smile. "Is there anything else that stands out to you?"

There was one, but he didn't think it was an important detail. He wanted to ask what illness her father died from, out of curiosity. As far as anyone knew, Takeharu Kirijo was said to have died from "sudden illness", without ever clarifying what it was. As much as he wanted to ask, he didn't, fearing that he might upset Mitsuru.

"That's all I can find," Ryuichi said with a yawn. The time on his clock read past two in the morning. "Hey, you should probably get some sleep soon. Can't have you looking like a zombie during graduation."

Mitsuru rearranged her papers again. "Just one more run through," she said, and began her speech again.

By then, Ryuichi almost knew the whole revised speech by heart. It wasn't particularly long, and despite the many alterations they made, he could almost mouth the words along with her. He yawned again during Mitsuru's speech, who was still going strong in voice and posture. The only indications of her fatigue were the little bags forming beneath her eyes.

"So, how was that?" she asked when she was through.

He gave her a thumbs up and a sleepy smile. "Do it just like that tomorrow and you're golden."

"Thank you." Mitsuru reorganized her notes, stopping as she fixed her tired eyes on one of the pages. "However, there's still one thing that bothers me."

"Yeah? Which part?"

Mitsuru took her notes and sank onto the bed next to him. "Now, this is going to sound strange, but for the life of me, I cannot seem to recall what illness my father died from," she said, shaking her head.

He stiffened, curious of how she could forget something like that. Not wanting her to feel badly for it, he instead said to her: "They must've kept you busy with family stuff around that time, huh? You even had to miss a lot of school because of it. Did you get a chance to come to terms with his passing?"

"I think I did, but like you said, I was kept busy during that turbulent time." She leaned with her back against his shoulder and sighed. "But, that's not the only thing I feel like I've forgotten. Lately, I feel as though I'm forgetting something important that I have to do, but every time I think I'm close to remembering it, something comes up and I forget all about it. I can't even begin to recall what it could have been. Isn't that strange?"

A chill raked its claws down his spine. "You, too?"

Mitsuru glanced back at him over her shoulder in awe. "Have you had the same feeling, as well?"

"Yeah, both the part about feeling like I'm forgetting something important and suddenly not being able to recall what it could be."

Ryuichi leaned his head back against the wall. "Not only do I feel like I'm forgetting something, I've also been having these weird visions. I had one after my sparring match with the kendo team, but I lost it right after. I've been trying to remember what it was ever since, but I just can't remember anything. I couldn't even remember it seconds after I saw it."

He let out a sigh. "Or maybe, it was just my imagination. It felt so unreal, but—"

"But it also felt like déjà vu," Mitsuru finished, her voice wavering. "I think I might have had a few visions like that myself, and like you, I can't even begin to recall what it was despite it being so clear in my mind only seconds before."

As she spoke, Mitsuru took out some note cards and scooted closer towards the head of the bed so she could work at the side of his desk. She began to take notes of the key points of her speech, murmuring to herself as she went through her entire speech again. At times, she would lean back against his arm, rousing Ryuichi from almost falling asleep.

"I almost forgot: My family's planning on doing a little celebration dinner thing tomorrow, and we were wondering if you'd like to come," Ryuichi said to her.

Her pen paused. "Dinner?"

"Yeah, if you're free."

He only saw the thick curtain of her bangs as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Well, I wouldn't want to intrude on your celebration with your family—"

"It's not an intrusion if we're inviting you, and they're insisting that you join us."

"Are they, really?"

"Really. Mom kept calling me all afternoon to remind me to invite you."

Her fingers circled around her arm. "Do they know about us?"

"I haven't told them anything," he said, smiling. "Oh, but my sister knows that I told you how I felt and that we agreed to stay friends, so she doesn't know about us now."

"I see." She let go of her arm. "I actually have a meeting tomorrow, but I can cancel it."

He sat up higher. "Wait, if it's work, they'll understand."

"And disappoint the people who could potentially be my future in-laws?" she asked, her voice warm with humor.

Ryuichi chuckled. "Ah, yes. They would never forgive you if you dare miss such an auspicious occasion filled with barbecue and burgers," he joked.

Mitsuru turned towards him, and he could see her tired eyes twinkle with excitement. "I haven't had your family's food in a very long time," she said, sounding like she was still contemplating his invitation. "And it doesn't look like I'll be sampling any until the restaurant has been rebuilt."

"All the more reason to come tomorrow."

"Indeed. But, of course, we cannot let them know anything about us, so I will only be going as your friend."

"That's fine," he agreed. "But, ah, if my family does try to get you to go on a date with me, I apologize for their behavior in advance."

That just made her smile even more. "It's nice to hear that they approve of me for their son," she said, and he could feel the joy radiating off of her.

Mitsuru didn't leave just yet, and he didn't make her go. At some point, he fell asleep while wondering how dinner would play out with his family, hoping that they would behave themselves for Mitsuru. When he woke up to the early morning, frosty blue world outside his window, he saw Mitsuru snuggled up against his side, her head resting against his shoulder as she slept.

Ryuichi smiled softly, feeling at peace with her there. He thought he would feel nervous having her so close to him, but her touch was so familiar and soothing. As much as he didn't want to, he knew he had to wake her up and send her back to her room. He wished she could stay, but he couldn't risk exposing their relationship or having rumors fly around about her spending the night in his room.

"Hey," he whispered to her. "Best friend. Wake up before the rumors spread."

Mitsuru snuggled against him even more, giving him a squeeze around his middle. "Okay," she mumbled, still half-asleep. Her eyes popped open, and she abruptly sat up with a sharp intake of air through her nostrils. Blushing and bewildered, she let him go.

Ryuichi couldn't stop smiling. "I haven't slept that well in ages," he said to her.

"Neither have I," she murmured, turning her back to him to gather her notes from the desk. "Sorry. I didn't mean to overstay my welcome."

"You're always welcome to stay as long as you like," he offered.

"Honestly, I've become so lax lately," Mitsuru murmured. "But, for some reason, I never feel as though I need to keep my guard up around you, even before we became friends."

It was Ryuichi's turn to blush. "I'm honored," he said. "I was still pretty shy around you even after we started talking."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I've always admired you, and you just always struck me as someone who deserved a lot of respect."

She zipped up her pencil bag. "I'm really not as deserving as you think."

"Well, to me you are."

He sat up higher on the bed. "You were always looking out for me so I wouldn't get bullied back then."

He noticed her shoulders sag a little. "But you still ended up getting assaulted by Sakai and his friends," she answered in a darkened tone.

"Not as often as they could have, though."

Ryuichi watched as she stood up. "But now, I feel really comfortable around you, like I can talk to you about anything," he said, smiling again. "So, the feeling's mutual, I guess."

She chuckled. "It's as if we're meant to be."

"Yeah. Exactly."

He got up and stretched as he walked her to the door. "You're gonna do great with your speech," he said, flashing her a tired smile. "You know it better than I know my dad's menu."

"It's thanks to all your help," Mitsuru replied with a nod. "Oh, before I forget: Since neither of us have any plans immediately after graduation, would you like to go someplace where we could celebrate, just the two of us?"

His eyes widened. "Like, a date?"

She flushed pink again. "If you must put it that way, then yes, a date."

"Okay, a date." He had to give it some thought. "How about a movie? It'll be dark, so no one'll be able to see us and think 'Oh, they're on a date' or something like that."

"A movie it is. We can decide which one to see when we get there."

Mitsuru took a moment to get her boots on. When she straightened up, she was a little too close to Ryuichi's face and flushed pink again.

"Stand up too fast?" Ryuichi asked teasingly.

She backed away. "Hm? Oh, no. It's nothing."

Shrugging, Ryuichi went to get the door for her. He noticed that she seemed oddly anxious, her expression a little tense and troubled while she kept shifting her eyes about.

"Um, good night," he said, and wrapped her up in a hug.

Mitsuru stiffened in his arms. It took her some time before she returned his embrace with a rigid one of her own. "G-Good night," she replied. "And, um, good morning."

As she pulled away, he saw what he thought was a mixture of confusion and disappointment on her face. Immediately, he had a brief moment of panic as he checked if he had an "early riser" that might have caught her attention. There was none, and when he looked up, Mitsuru had already left his room at a brisk pace. It was only after he closed the door that he felt adrenaline surge through his body.

"I'm such a dumbass," he muttered as he burst out of his room. He caught Mitsuru as she headed up to the second floor and called out to her.

"Ryuichi?"

Winded, he climbed the stairs to be level with her, his own face ablaze as his heart fluttered.

"Well, uh, you forgot something," he said hastily.

She blinked, confused. "Did I? What is it?"

He hesitated, bouncing slightly on his toes. "Just this," he said, and leaned in. He started aiming for her lips but veered right at the last second to plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

Panic and terror stuck thousands of needles into his skin as he fled back down the stairs, leaving her stunned where she stood. He dared to peek over his shoulder to see Mitsuru's hand over her cheek, her eyes bright with pleasant shock and an elated smile frozen on her face.

Back in his room, he stood with his back pressed against his door, giving his pounding heart a chance to settle down. He could still see the delight on Mitsuru's face in his mind.

"Yes!" He rewarded himself with a fist pump and dove face-first into bed. Even though he still had a few hours before graduation, he was too excited to go back to sleep.


	129. Chapter 129

**Chapter 129**

The Gekkoukan senior class marched into the auditorium in two lines, each class following their homeroom teachers. They headed for the empty rows at the front, with the second-years seated behind them. The first-years weren't in attendance, giving the proud families of the graduating seniors the remaining seats in the back. The teachers sat off to the sides of the students, either wearing solemn expressions while they kept watch over their students' behaviors. City officials sat near the front in their own section, looking just as somber as the teachers.

Everyone in the auditorium sat quietly, save for a fussy baby babbling and constant sniffles cracking the air. The sniffles were particularly grating, seemingly coming from every direction and happening almost every other second. It got to the point where Ryuichi wanted to stand up and chuck tissue packs at the offenders and yell at them to blow their noses.

Ryuichi tolerated the noise and remained in his seat in the very front row next to Mitsuru. Looking at her now, one wouldn't have known that she had stayed up late the previous night working feverishly on her speech. She was so serene, looking perfectly at peace as they waited for the ceremony to begin. He watched as she pocketed her note cards, her eyes focusing on a place beyond his own sight. He had no doubts that she was practicing her speech in her head.

"You're gonna do great," he reassured her in a small whisper. "As you always do."

"Yet I still feel as though I'm forgetting something important," she murmured back.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure, but it feels like it has something to do with today—"

"Please rise for the national anthem," a teacher with a gruff voice said into the microphone.

Mitsuru and Ryuichi fell silent, and everyone, including the families of the graduates, stood up and sang. Afterward, they were all told to sit back down. They were asked to stand again for the class song, then instructed to sit back down once more.

From there, the homeroom teachers of the seniors took turns calling each and every one of their students' names. Whenever a student's name was called, he or she stood, with most of them shouting "Hai!" in response. There were a few students who only stood without shouting, and even fewer who did not stand at all.

Once every single senior's name was called, a third-year student representative had to go up on stage to meet the principal at the podium to symbolically receive a diploma for the entirety of the graduating class. The students would receive their actual diplomas after the ceremony when they returned to their classrooms, to be given to them by their homeroom teachers.

Then it was time for speeches. The rotund principal gave his speech in a grandiose, slightly raspy, walrus-like voice that echoed throughout the auditorium. He sounded like he was genuinely enjoying the reverb of his own voice, putting so much feeling into his speech. Little did he know, many of the students, including Ryuichi, weren't paying attention.

A few more speeches followed, one from a city official and another from a student representative of the junior class. And then it was Mitsuru's turn.

"Next, a word from the valedictorian," the teacher with the gruff voice announced. "From Class D, Mitsuru Kirijo."

Mitsuru's heels filled the still auditorium with rhythmic clicks that seemed to command everyone to fall into absolute silence. Even the soft babbles of infants and rogue sniffles were quieted down, as if they knew to pay her proper respect. As Mitsuru took the podium, she thanked the teacher, gave Ryuichi a quick glance, and began to address the audience.

"This last year, I accepted an important responsibility as Student Council President," Mitsuru said into the microphone. Her gaze wandered around the room, pausing briefly on any student, teacher, or parent she happened to lock eyes with. "When I first addressed you from this podium, I spoke to you all about seizing opportunity while you had the chance."

Ryuichi nodded as Mitsuru paused slightly, both for dramatic effect and to meet his eyes for a fraction of a second.

"Well, it must have been fate that intervened and gave me an important reminder of this," she continued. "As many of you know, my father unexpectedly—"

Her stoic expression fell. Ryuichi tensed up, looking right at her with encouragement as she took a breath to steady herself. Their eyes met again briefly, and she looked back at the audience.

"—He unexpectedly passed away, due to sudden illness," Mitsuru finished, but there was uncertainty in her eyes. Ryuichi sensed that something was very wrong in the words she just spoke, feeling it even stronger now than he did last night.

"Sudden illness?" Mitsuru questioned her own words as she clutched her head.

The room began to murmur. One girl behind Ryuichi remarked in a haughty voice that she had never heard Mitsuru flub a speech before. Someone else expressed their concern for the student council president, hoping she was okay.

As Ryuichi repeated Mitsuru's words in his mind, he envisioned a dark night with a glowing, green sky. He was suspended from a high place, staring down at two men pointing guns at each other. There were gunshots, terrified shouts, Mitsuru's desperate cry—

Ryuichi held his breath, afraid to lose the vision. He felt dizzy for a few moments, and whatever he had just seen sent shock stabbing thousands of knives into his body.

"It's a big day," a boy reasoned to his friend. "It must be tough thinking about her father."

Ryuichi felt an undeniable truth burst within him: Takeharu Kirijo did not die from illness. He was murdered by Shuji Ikutsuki, the man who betrayed them and sought to bring about the Fall.

"I remember."

Mitsuru's utterance made him look up. Her face had gone pale and her expression wide with realization. She quickly composed herself right away.

"Yes, with my father's death, I lost my purpose in life," she said, deviating from her original speech. Her voice and expression became emboldened by what had to be the same truth that Ryuichi realized just then. "But now, I have something to live for. No longer will I run from the future. I will face it head on, carrying out my father's will. I am resolved, and without reservation."

Ryuichi's memories came flooding back all at once as he rose to his feet. He remembered everything now: Shadows, the Dark Hour, Mitsuru saving his life, being hired to be her bodyguard, the weapons under his bed, Personas, Nyx, the Fall, joining SEES, and especially their friends at the dorm. All the SEES members present in the auditorium stood and smiled to one another as they made their way to the front of the stage. Looking at them now, Ryuichi recalled their names and faces without hesitation.

"Iori! Take your seat! Takeba—"

"Yamagishi! Sit down now!"

"Sit down, Sanada!"

"Okazaki! Get back in your seat!"

Their teachers kept yelling for the small group to sit back down, but Ryuichi and the others ignored them, confusing everyone in attendance. Junpei welcomed the others with high-fives, and the team exchanged greetings and smiles and pats on the shoulders, acting as if they hadn't seen one another in years.

Up on stage amid the shouts and alarmed chatter, Mitsuru smiled down at them. "I owe it all to my invaluable friends," she said to the whole auditorium while the group of SEES members beamed up at her. "And we have promised never to lose hope, no matter what tomorrow may bring."

With that, Mitsuru leaped off the stage to join her friends. The whole room gasped in awe and shock as teachers raised their voices to regain order while the parents and students were in an uproar.

"Senpai," Yukari said to Mitsuru over all the noise. "We made a promise. Let's find Minato—And Aigis, too!"

"Yes," Mitsuru agreed, smiling at them all. "I can hardly wait. Everyone, let's go!"

Minato. Ryuichi couldn't believe that he forgot all about their leader. Looking around, he saw that neither he nor Aigis was among them, making him wonder if those two had gone straight to their meeting place.

Mitsuru took the lead charging out of the auditorium. Ryuichi caught sight of his family towards the back, with Shizue snapping pictures of him and his friends while their parents were red-faced with anger and embarrassment.

"What are you doing?" his father roared at him. "You sit back down right now!"

"Can't talk now! Sorry!" Ryuichi called back to him.

Somehow, their feet just knew where to go. They rushed to the school's main building and hurried up the stairs, their laughter and chatter echoing throughout the empty halls.

"What about Ken-kun and Koro-chan?" Fuuka asked.

"We'll probably meet them there," Ryuichi told her. "The others, too."

"Shinji," Akihiko sighed to himself, but as low and raspy as his voice was, he wore a big smile on his face.

Akihiko reached the rooftop first, throwing open the door to welcome the warm sunlight. There, they found Aigis sitting on the nearest bench, her hand resting on Minato's shoulder as he lay with his head in her lap.

"Heyyy!"

"There they are!"

"Minato-kun!"

"Aigis!"

Aigis raised her smiling face to her. "Everyone," she greeted happily. Ryuichi thought he saw tears glistening out of the corners of her eyes.

Minato didn't stir as they all approached. He was sound asleep, looking so at peace with a faint smile on his face. Yukari bent over him, smiling as she gently shook his shoulder to try to rouse him from his slumber. He continued to snooze.

"What a guy," Junpei marveled, making a face. "We're all happy to see him and he just sleeps like he's dead."

"Is he okay, Aigis?" Fuuka asked her.

"His vitals are a little weak, but with some rest, I'm sure he'll be all right," Aigis replied, the inflection in her voice now fluid and natural. "He was determined to meet everyone here today."

"Good!" blasted Junpei. "Because we are gonna par-tay tonight!"

"I won't be able to have a feast arranged for tonight on such short notice, but we can celebrate tomorrow," Mitsuru told them all.

"That's good enough for me! Let's practice for tomorrow's celebration with pizza!" Junpei cheered.

Mitsuru's eyes widened. "A practice party?"

"Why not, Mitsuru?" asked Akihiko. "It's weird if we don't celebrate today."

"After what we accomplished, we _need_ more than one day to celebrate!" Junpei goaded with a big grin.

Ryuichi tapped his finger to his chin. "If Junpei's paying for the pizzas, then I'll take—"

"No! Not that again! Buy your own pizza, Senpai!"

The others laughed heartily as the rooftop door opened again. Ken and Koromaru came dashing over, both breathing hard but all smiles. They were greeted with pats and high-fives as they came to see their slumbering leader.

"He's just tired," Yukari explained to them. "I think he's been sick these past few days."

"We should take him back to the dorm so he can rest," Mitsuru suggested.

"And party!" Junpei chimed in.

Aigis carried Minato in her arms as they snuck back inside the school. They heard rapid footsteps approaching, and the group ducked into the girls' washroom to hide. When the teacher passed by, they fled, making it to the train station safely while the graduation ceremony carried on.

"How is he able to sleep through all this?" Ken asked the others in amazement as they waited for the train to arrive.

"He slept through most of that typhoon last year, so maybe this is just white noise to him," Ryuichi figured, almost envious of his ability to sleep through anything.

They all clustered on the platform around Minato and Aigis. Their leader's face was ghastly pale, but he slept on, oblivious to his friends smiling at him. Junpei poked Minato's cheek with a finger until Yukari smacked his hand down.

"Ow! What was that for?" Junpei yelped.

"Just let him sleep, will you?" Yukari hissed, wrinkling her nose.

"Well, _sorry_ for having a sense of humor!"

Fuuka giggled at them. "Oh! Is it okay for the three of you to be missing your graduation?" she asked the seniors.

Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Ryuichi all exchanged glances.

"I never liked ceremonies," Akihiko grumbled.

"It's too late now for us to return," Mitsuru reasoned. "We would only cause more of a disturbance if we go back."

"Not like they can do anything to us anymore, anyway," Ryuichi said with a shrug. "We can pick up our diplomas another time."

The train arrived. People stared as Aigis carried Minato onto the train, followed by their friends. Even on the train, people didn't try to hide the fact that they were staring at the strong foreign girl carrying the sleeping young man. Even more astonishing was that the train shaking in transit didn't seem to hinder Aigis as she remained standing. Everyone else in their group took a seat or hung onto the overhead straps. Koromaru politely sat on the floor at Aigis' feet.

More people stared at the group as they made their way back to the dorm. They didn't pay them any attention, as they were busy discussing their plans for their pre-celebration practice pizza party and for the actual celebration the next day. They tossed around pizza toppings and dishes they wanted for tomorrow's celebration, and wondered if they could rent a karaoke machine. Everyone was in such high spirits that the laughter almost never stopped.

"How about you, Ryuichi-senpai?" asked Fuuka. "What do you want on your pizza?"

"Oh, none for me, thanks," he replied. "I'll just steal off of everyone else's pizzas."

"Huh? What for?"

"Got dinner with my family tonight," Ryuichi explained. "They're most likely gonna cook a ton, so they're expecting me to eat at least half of it."

"I'll split my pizza with you, so you can add your favorite toppings on your half," Mitsuru offered.

Junpei elbowed Ryuichi as they all entered the lounge. "Hey, how pissed are your folks gonna be for running off during graduation?" he asked slyly.

Ryuichi's face broke into a nervous smile. "Ah, haha, oh yeah, huh?"

He hung his head and groaned. "I am so dead..."

"Don't worry, Senpai!"

"I'm sure they'll understand!"

"You survived Nyx, so you can survive your parents!"

After offering up their less-than-comforting words, everyone turned to Mitsuru. She was on the phone with Kikuno, ready to give her their orders for the food they wanted. They swarmed Mitsuru, calling out their requests over one another while she struggled to keep up with each item they gave her.

"What on earth do you want with—?"

"Pleeeeeease?"

"—Oh, and can I get a side of—"

"—but grilled, not—"

"—I kinda wanna try some—"

"—Never had that before—"

"Wait! Not all at once!"

Ryuichi went with Aigis and Yukari to put Minato to bed. Yukari took their leader's keys and unlocked the door for them. Ryuichi turned down the sheets while Yukari removed Minato's shoes. Aigis set him down on the bed. As Ryuichi removed Minato's blazer, he noticed that his breathing was so light and shallow that he could hardly tell that he was breathing at all.

"Are you sure he's okay?" Ryuichi asked the others.

Aigis did a quick scan. "His vitals remain unchanged," she confirmed.

Yukari pulled the covers over Minato and brushed his bangs aside. "I guess he really is recovering from a bad cold," she said to them both. "He probably pushed himself too hard coming to school while he's sick. Let's let him rest and we'll come get him for the party later."

They all wished him a good night and quietly left his room. On their way downstairs, Ryuichi checked the time on his pocket watch, seeing that the graduation ceremony should be just about done by then. His gut clenched from just thinking about facing his family, and he counted down the hours when he would be due to meet with them for dinner.

Back in the lounge, everyone chatted animatedly all at once, trying to catch up after a whole month since losing their memories. They talked about how strange it was to not recognize one another, even after everything they endured together. It baffled them how they lived in the same dorm with most of them in the same school, yet they never tried to befriend each other, save for those who were in the same class.

"It's kinda weird that Junpei, Minato, and I still talked, but even though Aigis was in our class, we never became friends," Yukari said to the others.

"Yeah, huh?" Junpei cocked his head at Aigis. "How come?"

Aigis lowered her face and sat with her hands in her lap. "I was saddened when I realized that all of you lost your memories," she said mournfully. "I wasn't sure how to approach all of you, so I decided to just watch over Minato-san from afar."

Fuuka gasped. "You remembered everything? After all this time?"

"Yes." Aigis said with a weighty sigh.

"Wow." Ken planted his hands on either side of him, staring down at his feet. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Probably because we all would've thought she was crazy," Yukari murmured, sounding disappointed in herself. "Sorry, Aigis."

Everyone apologized to Aigis, who seemed to cheer up a bit.

"I'm just glad that everyone remembered our promise," she said happily.

Ryuichi prepared tea and sandwiches for everyone while they chatted on about their final battle, their lost memories, and anything else that came up. As he spread a light layer of mayonnaise on some bread, he glanced up to see Mitsuru standing by the window while talking on her cell phone, still organizing the preparations for both of their parties. He yearned to run up and hug her, but for now, he focused hard on the sandwiches for his friends to distract himself.

As he cut the sandwiches into smaller pieces, arguments flared up among the other SEES members. Akihiko and Junpei started bickering over which group had the harder fight, and the others tried to calm them down.

"Nuh-uh! Unlike you, we didn't have Mitsuru-senpai's ice—"

"—We needed everything to take on Nyx! At least you had Gems—"

"Um," Fuuka shyly attempted to interject. "Can't we all just agree that both sides fought equally hard and successfully prevented the Fall?"

"—You know what it's like to have five sweaty wrestlers paw at you? If Koromaru hadn't—"

"—Try having to listen to Nyx repeat 'The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed' every single—"

"—Ooh, big scary meanie said scary things to us! I'm shaking—"

"—She kept changing her Arcana and switching up her defenses!"

While the arguments continued, Ryuichi brought over the tray of tea and snacks and set them down on the coffee table. He straightened up and yawned just as Mitsuru finished her call and took her seat at her usual armchair closest to the front doors. Ryuichi served her first, and as she took the teacup from him, she nodded to him in thanks but quickly returned her focus to their friends' debate.

Ryuichi's heart ached. He couldn't tell if she remembered anything about their relationship before they lost their memories. For now, he kept his face neutral and went around to serve everyone some tea.

"Woof! Woof!" Koromaru wagged his tail as he looked to Aigis.

"Agreed," she said. "Just as Fuuka-san said before, both sides had their challenges, but ultimately, we all came together to defeat Nyx."

Before Junpei and Akihiko could argue otherwise, Yukari turned her attention to Ryuichi. "Hey, so, how was it on your end?" she asked. "What was it like?"

"Pretty scary, actually." He finished filling Fuuka's teacup and sat down next to her on the couch. "There were so many Shadows that I wasn't sure we could stop them all."

Junpei looked to Akihiko and grinned. "See? You had just one enemy to worry about, but we were surrounded."

"Okazaki-san, you were scared during our battle?" Ken asked in awe. "I couldn't even tell. You were so confident at the time."

"I had to be, considering I was leading you guys."

Ryuichi shifted his eyes to Mitsuru before looking away. "It was one thing to have to fight your enemies, look out for your teammates, and strategize in the heat of battle, but every time Fuuka said something about Mitsuru getting hurt, I nearly went running to make sure she was okay."

That seemed to make Mitsuru perk up a little. "Whenever it sounded like you and the others were getting beaten back, I had to resist the urge to check on all of you, too," she admitted, not looking proud at all.

The way their friends grinned at them just then made Ryuichi realize what they might be thinking.

"Sorry," Fuuka murmured, her shoulders sagging. "I tried communicating with one group at a time to avoid confusion, but then I'd forget and left all the channels open."

"Hey, everything worked out, so you're fine," Yukari reassured her with a smile.

"Yes, your help in our battles was undoubtedly vital to our victory, and to our survival," Mitsuru agreed. "You have every reason to be proud of yourself.

"The same goes for all of you," Mitsuru continued to say to the others. "No matter which adversary you faced, your efforts ultimately aided in protecting our world."

That was all it took to dispel the hostilities between Akihiko and Junpei. Ryuichi poured them both some tea, then finally poured himself some. The more he warmed up with hot tea, the sleepier he felt. His friends' discussions thinned out as sleep overcame him, but his dream showed him the lounge and everyone still chatting, as though he was still awake and watching everyone.

"Oh, shit! Chidori!"

The front door slammed shut. Ryuichi woke with a start, seeing everyone's stunned faces as they watched Junpei leave.

"Do you think she remembers him?" Ken asked the others.

"I hope so." Fuuka brought over a fresh pot of tea and began to refill everyone's cups.

"Yeah, but she might not be too happy that he ignored her for a whole month," Yukari said with pity for their friend.

Fuuka let out a sympathetic giggle. "Let's just hope she forgives him."

They started talking about other things while Akihiko went to the kitchen to feed Koromaru. Ryuichi sank back down in his seat, and within seconds he was in another dream with his friends' voices all around him.

Sometime later, he awoke to someone touching his shoulder. Blinking, he opened his eyes to see an empty sandwich plate and several empty teacups left on the table. He groggily raised his face to see Mitsuru standing on his right, looking down at him in earnest and trepidation. It took Ryuichi several more blinks and a sigh to wake up some more so his vision came fully into focus.

Groaning, Ryuichi pushed himself up off the couch. Without a word, he began collecting the teacups and plates onto the tray. He kept glancing around for any of the other dorm residents, seeing none.

"Nice to know they still trust me with their dishes," he sighed to Mitsuru on their way to the kitchen. "And I was having such a nice dream, too."

"Oh? What was it about?" she asked.

He carefully placed the dishes into the sink. "Well, I can't remember the details, but I think it involved Junpei, somehow."

Mitsuru frowned in disappointment. "Iori?"

"Yeah. I think it had something to do with Chidori." Ryuichi let the faucet run to fill up the teacups, glad that his back was to Mitsuru so she couldn't see his smile. "He was going on and on about how amazing she was, that they were going to build a future together, memories be damned, and then he said something like, 'If we're truly meant to be—'"

"—We'll find each other again someday," she finished for him.

As he turned, Mitsuru rushed into his arms in a tight embrace. Ryuichi nearly fell back into the sink from the impact, but he held onto her, relieved to finally be enveloped in her warmth again.

"I can't believe I forgot all about you," she murmured into his shoulder.

"Me, too," he said, disappointed in himself. "I mean, how could I forget all the times we hung out?"

"And all the times we had tea together?"

"All our study sessions."

"The first time you took me to eat ramen."

"The first time we went to see a movie—"

Ryuichi froze. All at once, he remembered flashes of creamy skin wrapped up in a crisp, white towel. A second later, the towel slipped away—

He quickly let go of Mitsuru and turned back to the sink, where he began to furiously scrub the dishes.

"Um, is something wrong?" she tentatively asked.

His skin prickled as she appeared by his elbow. He took care not to meet her eyes. "O-Oh, nothing," he squeaked.

"You can tell me, Ryuichi. We're the only ones here."

Squirming, Ryuichi braced himself for impact. "Then, do you remember our second date?" he asked timidly.

"'Our second date'?" She folded her arms across her chest and gave it some thought. "That was when we went to your house, correct? We made a pizza and baked a cake together, watched a movie, and—"

She almost slapped a hand over her mouth. All the blood rushed to her face in a deep shade of red. When Ryuichi turned to her, he noticed that she was looking awfully low on his person before throwing her gaze somewhere else.

"Funny how we forgot about that, huh?" he nervously said, forcing a laugh. "I mean, something like that is—"

Mitsuru didn't respond. Getting worried, Ryuichi shut off the faucet and dried his hands on a towel.

"Uh, Mitsuru?"

Still no reaction. Feeling badly for shocking her, Ryuichi took out his pocket watch in the hopes of distracting her from her embarrassment. He remembered now that it had been a present from Mitsuru, opening up the back cover to reveal the two dates hidden within.

"Can you believe it, though? I had a ton of hints about us, but I didn't even remember ever being friends with you at all," he said with a sigh as he showed her the dates. "Hell, I didn't even bother looking through my phone for all those pics we took together."

His own words made him get frustrated at himself. He snapped his pocket watch shut and grasped it tightly. "I'm the worst boyfriend ever."

Mitsuru finally blinked and took his hand, squeezing it. "Not in the least," she said, no longer beet red but now wearing a guilty expression on her face. "I should've remembered something, too. I found the CDs you made for me, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember that they came from you. Neither of them said who they were from, but I shouldn't have needed the reminder."

She put on a bitter frown. "In hindsight, it should've been clear to me who they came from, since you played the same songs on the CDs as you did at Chagall Cafe and during our breaks from our studies," she muttered under her breath. "Though, you play better than the recordings, but that still doesn't excuse why I didn't make the connection before."

Ryuichi let out a sigh. "At least yours wasn't as obvious. I should've realized that one of the keys I have was for your motorcycle," he grumbled.

A door slammed upstairs. The two jumped apart and held their breaths. Ryuichi felt like needles had been stabbed into his spine as fear made a cold sweat form on his brow. The two exchanged looks of terror, both afraid to breathe.

"You don't think someone heard us, do you?" Mitsuru whispered first.

"Or worse: What if they saw us?" Ryuichi murmured back.

Mitsuru grasped her arm. "I'm getting too careless," she muttered.

Ryuichi turned back to the sink to continue washing the dishes, though he just wanted the running tap to cover their conversation. "I'm supposed to be your bodyguard, but here I am, getting you into all kinds of danger," he said miserably. "But, if anyone asks why we were hugging, I'll just say that I was feeling dizzy and you caught me."

"Why would you feel dizzy?"

"Lack of sleep? Or perhaps I stood up too fast."

He glanced back over his shoulder to see Mitsuru weigh the excuses in her mind.

"That's not the only excuse we have to come up with for today," she said, taking up a hand towel to help dry the dishes. "We still have dinner at your parents' house tonight. I'm certain they will be looking for an explanation as to why we created such a ruckus today in the middle of graduation."

Wincing, Ryuichi dried his hands on his pants and fearfully checked his cell phone. He felt sick when he saw sixteen missed calls from his family and several voicemails. His phone beeped just then to add another livid email to make a total of thirteen.

"Better enjoy these last few hours," he sighed, putting his phone away.

"Why?"

"Because my family is going to murder me."

Together with Mitsuru, they came up with several different reasons for their odd behavior when they got up and left during graduation. They settled on one about an ailing friend who they needed to go see right away, claiming that he was gravely ill and decided that seeing him was more important than the graduation ceremony. As morbid a lie as it was, it was the best they could come up with for their situation.

That afternoon, a team of Mitsuru's maids arrived with several gourmet pizzas that they ordered, with unconventional toppings that only the Kirijo chefs would use to elevate the simple food. As everyone gathered in the lounge for part one of their celebration, Yukari and Ken came downstairs to inform everyone that Minato was still sleeping.

"We tried waking him up, but he just rolled over and went back to sleep," Ken reported to the others.

Junpei suggested that they all go up to Minato's room and start banging on pots and pans to wake him up, but his idea was quickly shot down. They all felt badly that their leader wasn't feeling well enough to join them, but they hoped he would have recovered enough by tomorrow for their second celebration.

"We'll just make sure to save him some food for when he wakes up," Fuuka said, and they agreed to set aside one slice from each pizza for their leader.

Amid the pizzas, the garlic breadsticks, the brownies, the chicken wings, and the cakes, Ryuichi and Mitsuru were both careful not to indulge too much. Their friends kept pushing food their way, even after Ryuichi kept reminding everyone about his dinner with his family.

"What's your excuse, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked her.

"I'm still quite full from the tea earlier," was all Mitsuru could say.

"Eat up, Ryuichi." Akihiko passed him another slice of prosciutto pizza.

Ryuichi had no choice but to eat it. He hated wasting food, especially since this one had top quality ingredients imported from Italy.

That evening, Ryuichi and Mitsuru got on their motorcycles to head over to Shizue's house— _His_ house, or rather, Mitsuru's now. Ryuichi barely had a chance to knock on the front door when it was thrown open. His family swarmed him, pummeling him with questions about his bad behavior at graduation and making sure he felt the sear of their wrath for embarrassing them.

As they raged on, Ryuichi stepped aside to reveal Mitsuru standing behind him, smiling as she showed them the cake box in her hands. The Okazakis calmed down and welcomed her with big hugs and broad smiles, their tones now light and joyous as they clustered around her. They apologized for their harshness and asked Mitsuru similar questions to the ones they asked Ryuichi, this time worded without the venom they spat on their son.

As Mitsuru told them the explanation they had cooked up that morning, Ryuichi took the cake box from her so she could remove her boots. His family barely gave her time to shrug out of her coat before they ushered her to the living room.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Ayumi said to Mitsuru after she finished telling the fabricated story.

They were all sitting down in the living room, everyone else having already begun to eat while Mitsuru's plate remained full and untouched. Ryuichi had to shoo away Otoro a few times when the little cat tried to steal one of Mitsuru's spare ribs.

"It's quite all right," Mitsuru told Ayumi. "He's resting now, so it seemed to be a false alarm."

And with that, the mood lifted and the celebration continued. Even after eating so much at the SEES pre-party, Ryuichi and Mitsuru were still able to eat a considerable amount at dinner.

"Pictures! Pictures!" Toshio brought out his camera and motioned for everyone to gather together on the sofa.

They took many pictures, and Mitsuru offered to take some of the Okazaki family all together. After a few shots, Ayumi and Shizue ushered Mitsuru back onto the couch to include her in more pictures. They used the camera's timer so that they all could be together in some shots. The camera perfectly captured the horrified faces of everyone after Ryuichi set the timer and banged his shin on table on his way back to the couch. They laughed when all they could see of him in the camera's little screen was his leg sticking up above the table. To spare her brother from more pain, Shizue volunteered to set up the timer for a do-over and handed Megumi over to Ryuichi.

"Okay, just the two graduates!" Shizue announced after they got a few successful pictures with the timer.

Ryuichi's family cleared out, save for Megumi, who was still sitting in her uncle's lap. Toshio took Megumi while Shizue snapped an excess of pictures of her brother and Mitsuru, telling them many times to press in closer until they were squished up against each other.

"Okay, that's plenty," Toshio said, taking his camera back. He then turned right around and continued to snap more photos while everyone continued eating and talking.

"So Ryuichi, when will you be moving into the dorms at Kawaguchi?" Ayumi asked, adding more yakisoba noodles to her plate.

"Oh, actually, Ryuichi will be moving in with me," Mitsuru said.

Ryuichi's family stared at her with their mouths agape. Panicking, he tried to remember if they already knew about his job as Mitsuru's bodyguard.

"I-Is that so?" Ayumi's shaky question was accompanied by her nervous smile.

"It's more convenient for him as my bodyguard if he lives in close proximity to me," Mitsuru explained.

"Still working as her bodyguard, huh?" Toshio clicked the tongs a few times before grabbing some more barbecue ribs.

"That's weird. If you were still working as her bodyguard, then how come you were working at Chagall Cafe?" Shizue asked her brother. She had to wave Otoro away from Megumi's baby food while she fed her daughter.

Ryuichi faltered, not having prepared himself for his sister's question. "Well, Mitsuru thought it wouldn't be fair to me to have to travel around with her for work instead of studying for finals," he reasoned out slowly. "She gave me the whole month off so I could study and finish out the school year. The only thing was, I wasn't getting paid, so Chagall was the part-time gig I took up so I could buy food and stuff."

Mitsuru seemed impressed with his answer. "Indeed," she said, confirming the lie. "Not to mention that we were both already drained from our college entrance exams. I was concerned that I was robbing him of his time to rest and study."

"Then, if you're going to be traveling with Mitsuru-san for work, won't that get in the way of your education?" Ayumi asked Ryuichi in a skeptical tone.

"I was planning to take online courses whenever I can, so that way I won't miss anything," Ryuichi said, hoping he sounded as convincing as Mitsuru.

"It was the best solution we could come up with," Mitsuru told them all. "Living on campus and having to commute from school to my home and traveling with me for work was too inconvenient. I do have some members of my maid staff who also live in my home, so it's not strange at all for him to move in with me. He will still be working towards his degree, and I will make sure that he doesn't shirk his studies."

It shouldn't have surprised Ryuichi, but seeing Mitsuru remain the same cool temperature even under pressure was something he always found enthralling about her. Meanwhile, his family exchanged looks of concern while Megumi babbled happily, as though approving of their plans.

"Won't it be too much trouble for you if he lives with you?" Ayumi asked Mitsuru. "As much as possible, we don't want him to be a bother to you."

"Ryuichi is a good friend of mine and a pleasure to have around," Mitsuru replied fondly of her bodyguard. "It will be just like living in the dorm again."

Shizue cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure about that?"

"I am. We've lived in the same dorm for over three years now, after all. I only apologize that he will have other duties to focus on in addition to his studies."

Ryuichi waved her off. "After all that studying for our entrance exams and finals, I'm ready to _not_ study for at least a year or two," he said with a sigh. "So traveling with you will be a nice break for me."

His family was still opposed to having him live with Mitsuru, so as not to bother her and so that he wouldn't put himself in any more danger as her bodyguard. But despite all their concerns, Mitsuru was able to turn the conversation and the mood around. They eventually wound up agreeing with her, saying that they hoped her good influence would rub off on Ryuichi, and that the traveling experiences would also be good for him.

When Mitsuru excused herself to the washroom, Ryuichi's family descended on him, telling him in firm voices what to do and what not to do to embarrass himself or them in front of Mitsuru or anyone else of her caliber. They advised him not to eat like a pig, to speak with respect, to carry himself like he was actually competent, to mind his manners, and to address Mitsuru properly with the respect that she deserved. Ryuichi's eyes rolled enough times for a full revolution around the earth.

"Guys, she's also my friend," he reminded them all. "We're cool with each other. She actually ordered me _not_ to call her 'Ojou-sama' because she hates it coming from me."

"So what? She's your boss and she's a woman! You can't treat her like she's a guy!" Ayumi hissed at her son.

"She's done a lot of good for us, so you'd better represent us well whenever you're around her," Toshio said gruffly.

When Mitsuru returned, Ryuichi smiled and went, "'Sup, Boss!", making his family groan and glower at him.

"Hello, Bodyguard," she replied, her smile and voice light with humor as she reclaimed her seat next to him. "Any dangers to report?"

"Just three hostiles."

"Three?"

"Yeah, but they'll only attack if I don't behave myself."

The evening ended with Ayumi handing them bags full of leftovers, telling them to share with their dorm mates and to keep their favorites hidden in their rooms. It seemed to Ryuichi like his family still hadn't forgotten about their dorm mates stealing his food, and their countermeasures were simply to make an excess of food to ensure that their son would have something to eat even after the others gorged themselves.

On their way out, Toshio made sure to give Mitsuru a big hug. "Your father would be very proud of you," he said to her. "You're an amazing young woman, and I'm sure he would want you to know that."

Ryuichi thought he saw Mitsuru's eyes glaze over with joyful tears. Toshio let her go so Ayumi could hug her next.

"We're very proud of you, too," Ayumi told her. "You're always welcome to visit us anytime. You're like family to us, so you be sure to come by whenever you get a chance."

"Thank you," Mitsuru humbly replied to the both of them. If she had any tears, not a single one of them fell in front of Ryuichi's family. As they got on their motorcycles to leave, Ryuichi saw Mitsuru brush her thumb over her eye before she put her helmet on.

Back at the dorm, they both put away the leftovers into the kitchen refrigerator, not even bothering to keep any for themselves. They knew they needed help eating it all on top of the leftover pizzas and the food they would be having tomorrow night. While they tried to fit everything in the fridge, Ryuichi told Mitsuru all about what his parents said about having to mind his manners around her.

"Imagine how they'll react when they find out you're dating a brute like me," Ryuichi said with a sigh.

"I have to admit, I almost wanted to tell them everything about us," Mitsuru said to him. "I feel guilty for having to keep it a secret from them."

"It's necessary, though," he reminded her. "We really slipped up earlier today, and I don't want to put you at risk again."

She passed him another container, her eyes downcast. "I know it's not fair to you to have to do this, but I'm grateful that you're so willing to make accommodations for me. I'm just sorry that it's so difficult being with me."

"Hey." He turned to her, looking her in her one visible eye. "You don't have to apologize. I'm more than happy to do it because—"

Ryuichi paused to take a quick glance around them. When he was sure they were alone, he leaned in and whispered to her: "—Because I love you."

He turned back to the refrigerator, sizzling with embarrassment. With a trembling hand, he reached for the container Mitsuru held out to him, seeing that even she had flushed red.

"I love you, too," she uttered in a tiny voice. "It's going to take me a while before I get used to saying it again. It's still embarrassing to say."

"And dangerous." Ryuichi covered up his nerves with a smile. "We'll just have to limit how much we say it, I guess."

"Yes, absolutely."

Mitsuru informed him that she had a week-long business trip starting tomorrow night. She also told him that he wouldn't be accompanying her as her bodyguard. His gut clenched at the thought of going a whole week without seeing her.

"It's of no fault of yours, Ryuichi," she reassured him. "Since you haven't been my bodyguard in over a month, we've already arranged others to accompany me instead."

He let out a woeful sigh. "Yeah. Guess it's no good for someone with dulled skills to go."

Mitsuru neither agreed nor disagreed with him. "It's no doubt that you'll have to go through some training to sharpen your skills again, but once you complete the training, you'll be able to accompany me just as before."

He wholly accepted the training, eager to get back into being a proper bodyguard for Mitsuru. She told him that she would make the arrangements for his training at a later time.

She also let him know that the maid staff would be coming late next week to move her things back to the Kirijo mansion. They would also do the same with his stuff, meaning that he had to start packing right away.

"No rest for the weary, I guess," Ryuichi said with a shrug.

When they finished putting away the food, they shared a quick good night hug, agreeing to rebuild their relationship back up slowly before they get too intimate again. Ryuichi would have liked to at least give Mitsuru a quick peck on the cheek, but they had already taken too many risks just by hugging and exchanging dangerous declarations of love.

He dragged his feet to his room, constantly glancing back at Mitsuru as she headed for the stairs. As much as he wanted to run up to her and give her another hug, he held fast and waved to her instead. When Mitsuru nodded in return, they went their separate ways.

Sometime during the night, Ryuichi awoke to Koromaru barking just outside his door. Tugging on a pair of jeans, he opened his door to see Koromaru shoot off towards the stairs, where he could hear the others screaming and yelling.

"C-Call an ambulance!"

"What should we do?"

"What's wrong with him?"

Ryuichi dashed up to the second floor. Minato's door was wide open, and everyone was inside, still in their pajamas and robes as they frantically yelled at one another. Some were in tears, others were shouting nonsense, and some tried to calmly regain control over the situation. Mitsuru was on her cell phone, calling an ambulance.

"What's going on?" Ryuichi demanded loudly.

Over by the bed, he found Aigis holding an unconscious Minato. "He's not breathing!" she wept.

Ryuichi laid Minato out on the floor and check him for a pulse. He began to do chest compressions on him, Minato's ribs cracking from the powerful repetitive force. He paused to check for a pulse again, finding none.

"Come on, Minato!" Ryuichi snarled through a clenched jaw as he pumped his chest again.

Amid the frantic yells and screams, Ryuichi refused to give up until Akihiko and Mitsuru pulled him away to let the paramedics take over. They all watched them put a breathing mask over Minato's nose and mouth, administered more chest compressions, checked for a pulse, a breath, a sign of life.

"What happened?" Ryuichi finally asked the others. He was still breathing hard from trying to revive Minato, still reeling with worry and fear.

Nobody knew what happened. Aigis had simply gone in to check on their leader during the night and found him unresponsive.

The paramedics took Minato to the ambulance to rush him to the hospital. Everyone got dressed and hurried after them, all filled with dread that the worst had happened to their friend.

At the hospital, the doctor was already waiting for them to inform them that Minato was pronounced dead on arrival. Aigis was the first to cry out in anguish, collapsing to her knees while a tearful Fuuka tried to comfort her.

"Let me see him!" Yukari pleaded with the doctor with tears running down her face. "Please, I need to see him!"

"You'll have to wait for now," the doctor said. "When they're ready, we'll let you in."

"Tell me you did everything you could," Akihiko growled at the doctor. "Tell me you at least tried to save him!"

"I'm sorry, but there was nothing more we could do for him."

Koromaru's whimpers came out like sobs. Ken fought back tears, but they fell anyway. Junpei tried to push his way into the emergency room to see Minato, but Akihiko pulled him back, ordering him to get a hold of himself when he almost got physical with the doctor. Junpei's desperate yells, cries, and tears shattered all of them, expressing their grief better than they could themselves.

Ryuichi pounded his fist into the ground over and over, as if he was still trying to pump life back into their friend. He couldn't see anymore through his tears, breaking down as he kept silently begging for all of this to be a bad dream. Mitsuru tried to be strong for all of them, holding back her tears as she comforted Yukari, who sobbed uncontrollably against her.

They had no explanation as to how Minato died. All the doctor could offer was to perform an autopsy to try to find the cause. Mitsuru spoke for everyone when she agreed to have the autopsy done, speaking in a voice that came out numb and emotionless.

They were all eager to get a definite answer, but all it did was fill them with empty hope. Even if they knew how he died, it was too late—Minato was already gone.


	130. Chapter 130

**Chapter 130**

Mitsuru couldn't linger the day they discovered Minato's passing. Just hours after receiving the news, she had to get ready for a series of meetings she had in the morning and afternoon. She showed up in the evening for their official celebration of defeating Nyx, but it was apparent that no one was in any mood to party.

All the food they requested the previous day was delivered by a team of maids. Everyone but Yukari and Aigis attended, but none of them had any appetite. They were still mourning the loss of their friend, and the colorful dishes, upbeat pop tunes from the karaoke machine, and the disco lights just mocked them in their grief. Those who managed a few nibbles only did so out of respect to show their appreciation for the food.

With no one eager to celebrate, the others returned to their rooms not long after the food arrived. Fuuka brought a plate of food upstairs for Yukari, but came back downstairs with it completely untouched, shaking her head. All she could do was give it to the maids and apologize to them for wasting their time.

After helping the maids put away the food, Ryuichi went to his room to quietly sit on his bed. His tears had stopped flowing hours ago, but he was still numb from the loss. He kept thinking to himself, "If only I'd questioned more", or "If I had just gotten there sooner", coming up with so many different ways he might have been able to prevent Minato's death.

Mitsuru stopped by his room before she had to leave for her business trip. When Ryuichi opened the door, they just stood there, blank-eyed, staring through each other until tears began to sting Ryuichi's eyes. He scrunched his face up, and he began sobbing all over again. Mitsuru tried to comfort him with a hug, but her tears soon soaked his shoulder.

Kikuno approached them. "Ojou-sama, it's time," she said. Her voice carried an apologetic tone that was heavy with guilt.

Ryuichi let Mitsuru go first. "Sorry," he murmured, furiously rubbing his tears on his sleeve. "Have a safe trip, okay?"

Mitsuru took a tissue that Kikuno offered her and dabbed away her tears. "You take care here," she said to him. "And look after the others, too."

He promised he would, and he saw her out to the awaiting car outside. He waved to her as the car drove off, unable to see her through the tinted windows.

All Ryuichi wanted to do in the days to follow was lie in bed and feel something other than numbness, depression, and guilt. Losing Minato was just as painful as losing Mitsuru's father, possibly even worse. It was all Ryuichi could think about, feeling like he had failed again to protect someone important to him. He kept thinking "Why him? Why not me?", but he never found an answer.

Aigis and Yukari took Minato's death the hardest. Neither attended the first day of the last week of school for the underclassmen, and they refused to come out of their rooms unless absolutely necessary. Ryuichi would leave food outside Yukari's door for her, only to come back later to find that she had taken a few nibbles here and there, just enough to sustain herself. He checked on Aigis a few times, but she would ask to be left alone for a while.

Everyone else in the dorm kept themselves busy, where Ryuichi hardly ever saw any of them. Junpei still went to school, but he would go straight to the hospital afterward to visit Chidori. Fuuka began dedicating her spare time to studying for her college entrance exams next year, and enrolled in a cram school to help her prepare. Ken and Koromaru kept each other company, taking walks around town and visiting the graves of Koromaru's previous owner, Ken's mother, and Shinjiro. When Koromaru would greet the other residents, they would pet him or give him some food, but none of them would cheer up. Seeing everyone so unhappy would make Koromaru whine and whimper.

Akihiko kept himself busy with more intense workouts. Ryuichi would sometimes find him in the lounge after coming back from a run, and other times he could hear the muffled battering of his punching bag up on the second floor. He never spoke beyond a grunted acknowledgment.

After a few days of grieving, Ryuichi remembered that the maid staff was coming later in the week to move his and Mitsuru's stuff to the Kirijo mansion. He still had no desire to leave his room, but he showered, dressed, and dragged his feet to the store to buy boxes, packing tape, and a marker. He began to pack away his many DVDs, since they were the easiest to handle first, but they all quickly filled up the first few boxes. As he started to assemble another box, Akihiko poked his head into his open door.

"Packing already?" he asked, taking a few steps inside. "You've got a whole month before we gotta move out. What's the rush?"

Ryuichi folded down the flaps on the box's bottom. "I'm moving in with Mitsuru," he said in a small voice.

"You are? Seriously?"

"Yeah. Since I'm her bodyguard, it's best if I live in close proximity to her."

Ryuichi let out a sigh. When he exhaled, it felt like his body grew heavier, threatening to make him sink to the ground.

Akihiko watched Ryuichi as he taped up the bottom of the box. "I've been meaning to ask, so I guess now's as good a time as any: You like Mitsuru, don't you?"

Ryuichi said nothing as he laid down a second layer of tape.

"What, you think I didn't notice?" Akihiko rubbed the back of his head. "Did you ever tell her about it?"

He wasn't in the mood to deal with him right then. "Yeah, I did," he answered, hoping he would just go away.

"And? What did she say?"

Another sigh. Ryuichi flipped the constructed box over and started putting more DVDs into it. "We agreed to stay friends."

Akihiko's stony face softened. "Uh, isn't that going to make things awkward between you two?"

"She was pretty cool about it, so I guess not."

"Are you sure about that? If I were you, I'd quit and work for someone else."

With his back turned to Akihiko, Ryuichi scowled as he reached for more DVDs. "Our friendship's in a good place where we can be pretty honest with each other," he said. "If she really couldn't stand having me around, she would've fired me by now. You know how straightforward she can be."

"I guess, but she's always been a little more lenient on you, though."

Ryuichi hung his head and let out a frustrated sigh, and Akihiko seemed to take it as a sign to retreat.

On a chilly Tuesday when Ryuichi went out to get more boxes and tape, he happened to cross paths with Shiori. He didn't smile, didn't try to go meet with her, but she looked upon him with sympathy as she approached him. That look alone was all he needed to know that she had gotten word about Minato.

"Hey there, stranger," she said kindly to him as they went together to the crosswalk. "Haven't seen you since graduation. Everyone was pretty shocked that you and the others pulled that stunt during the ceremony. Who would've thought the student council president would run off like that, right?"

She smiled for him. Ryuichi kept his face down and continued towards the store without saying a word.

"So, have you started packing for college?" Shiori asked.

They reached the street corner. Ryuichi touched his knuckles to the crosswalk button.

"Not really," he sighed.

"Where are you headed right now?"

"The store."

"What are you getting there?"

"Boxes."

"Oh, I get it. You haven't started packing for college yet because you're only starting just now," she figured with a big smile. "I gotcha."

When he didn't respond, her smile faded off her face.

"I've been meaning to ask, but, that junior who passed away—Arisato, right? He lived in your dorm, didn't he?"

Ryuichi drew in a deep breath. When he exhaled, he almost sobbed.

"Yeah, he did," he answered, feeling his throat tighten.

The crosswalk light changed. Ryuichi stepped off the curb and briskly crossed the street, wanting to get away from Shiori. She kept up with him, hanging near his elbow.

"He was also on the kendo team, right?"

"Yeah."

"I remember he fought against Hayase. He was probably the only one apart from you who had a chance against him."

"I guess."

Shiori wasn't backing down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He wasn't sure if there was anything to talk about. He would just be telling her the tale of how he couldn't resuscitate Minato. That thought alone was enough to remind him of how Minato's ribs cracked underneath his hands with every desperate thrust to restart his heart while everyone around him watched. For all he knew, he contributed more to his death than he did trying to save him.

When he didn't say anything, Shiori jogged ahead a few paces and stopped in front of him.

"If you've got a moment, do you wanna grab something to eat?" she asked him. "Come on. It'll be my treat."

Ryuichi raised his face to see her eyes filled with worry and care. He exhaled slowly and lowered his gaze again. "Sorry, but I—"

"Come on. You look like you could use a friend right now," she insisted, and started pushing him towards the strip mall.

They ended up at Hagakure, where they settled at one of the tables against the wall. After placing their orders, Shiori excused herself to use the washroom, and while she was gone, Ryuichi sent an email to Mitsuru letting her know that he ran into Shiori and got dragged to Hagakure for ramen. She responded almost immediately.

 _"Have fun,"_ was all she said.

Seeing her response made Ryuichi worry that he had angered Mitsuru, and he couldn't blame her for it. He questioned if he should just leave while he had a chance, but before he could get up, Shiori returned with a refreshed smile on her face just as their orders arrived.

"I was looking through my stuff yesterday to see what I should take to college with me, and nostalgia bombs were just going off everywhere," Shiori said after slurping up some noodles. "Like, it's so hard to believe that I had a life before studying for college entrance exams. I found a glow stick from the Risette concert I went to over the summer with some friends. We were lucky to get front row tickets, and I even got to high-five Risette!"

Nodding, Ryuichi nibbled on a piece of fishcake before replying. "Sorry, but who's Risette?" he asked.

"She's a new idol that's been getting really popular lately," she told him. "The great thing about her is she can actually sing. She's got looks like the others, but she's also got actual musical talent. She's the real deal!"

Shiori beamed at him. "How about you? I know you said you haven't really started packing yet, but did you come across anything interesting? Or do you have any fun memories that came to mind?"

Ryuichi licked the broth from his chapped lips. "I found some pictures from the trip we took to Yakushima," he said, starting to thaw a bit.

"Oh, cool! So, how was it? Did you stay at a hotel?"

"Well, no." He felt his heart ache. "Mitsuru invited our whole dorm to stay at her summer home by the beach."

Shiori gasped. "The whole dorm? At her summer home?"

"Yeah. Well, there weren't as many of us in the dorm back then, though."

"Man, I wish I lived in your dorm!"

She paused to take a bite from her onsen egg. "Sounds like you were really close with everyone at the dorm," she said to him, smiling. "I'm glad. I was worried that you were too busy with work and family stuff."

Ryuichi shrugged. "Well, it helps that we all lived under the same roof and went to the same school, so it was almost like we had no choice but to get to know each other."

He found himself telling her all about the things that they did while living in the dorm, minus anything related to the Dark Hour. He fondly recalled eating meals together, having his food stolen, studying in a big group for exams, hanging out while walking Koromaru, annoying the hell out of one another, and the time that Fuuka and Yukari almost set the building on fire from trying to cook. The memories kept pouring out, making him realize that, despite how busy he was, he was still able to make a lot of good memories with his friends.

"Sounds like you guys were more like a family," Shiori said, smiling.

"Yeah. I guess we kind of became a family," he said with a wistful smile. "The other seniors and I had the dorm to ourselves for a couple of years, and it was only last year that we got a bunch of new people."

"I heard that you had an elementary student also living in the dorm. Is that true?"

"Yeah, that's Ken-kun," Ryuichi answered after slurping some noodles. "Because of his circumstances, he came to live in the dorm over the summer and stuck around."

"What kind of circumstances?"

He told her about Ken losing his mother in an accident a few years back, and how he would have been all alone in the elementary school dorms over summer break if he didn't move into their building. Shiori was horrified by the news, but Ryuichi reassured her that they all got along just fine, "even if he was a little brat trying to be more mature than he really was".

"Yeah, some kids tend to do that," she sighed. "My little brother was like that, too. He kept trying to play like he was smarter and more responsible than me just because he got better grades. And then middle school hit, so that shut him up for a while."

They chatted for a little longer while they finished their food. Ryuichi felt an emptiness in his chest the more he talked about his friends in the dorm, telling Shiori about each person and having a fond memory or two for each of them. When he started talking about Minato, he found that one of the most important memories he had of him was something he couldn't talk about with anyone but Mitsuru. Just remembering what he did for them was enough to make him tear up again.

"A-Are you okay? Here, use these."

Shiori gave Ryuichi some tissues. He thanked her and took one, pressing it to his face to soak up his tears.

"Sorry," he uttered through a tight throat.

"It's okay." She put the packet of tissues back into her bag. "He must've meant a lot to you, huh?"

Ryuichi let out a shaky breath. "Yeah," he said with a tiny hiccup.

They paid for their meals separately and headed to the store so Ryuichi could pick up some more boxes. On their way there, they stopped by a self-serve frozen yogurt shop where they loaded up big cups with different flavors of frozen yogurt and several different toppings. They sat down at a small table near the door and were the only customers there who were willing to eat a frozen treat at the tail end of winter.

Ryuichi flinched when he tried to chew on a frozen gummy bear. He expected a chewy piece of candy but almost broke his tooth on what felt like shatter-resistant glass. He had to suck on the little bugger until it was warm enough to chew.

"Can I get something off my chest really quick?" Shiori said after they both had taken a few bites of their desserts. "I'll never forgive myself if I don't say it now."

Ryuichi nibbled on crushed bits of a chocolate and peanut butter candy bar. "Okay, shoot."

She made a show of inhaling deeply and exhaling through her mouth. "So, I know I'm stupid for saying this because I know I don't have a chance in hell, but here it is: I still like you even after we cleared things up about us being just friends," she said rapidly, staring hard at the table. "I never told you properly before, and that's my bad. I figured I could accept that you didn't feel the same way about me, especially since I know you like Mitsuru-san, so I thought I'd just be able to move on and we could continue being friends.

"But then, whenever I tried talking to you, I always felt like I was just a bother." Her voice became lighter, shakier, and as brittle as a sheet of melting ice. "I wanted to hang out with you, or at least be there for you if you needed a friend, but the more I tried, the more I felt like I was only pushing you further away from me. I know you were busy with work and family and all, but sometimes, I couldn't help but feel like I was just a nuisance."

Shiori was shaking now. "I thought I should give you some space every now and then, but then there were those times when you were alone or came to school covered in bandages. I wanted to make sure you were okay, but I was afraid that I was only going to annoy you again."

She had a pained, fearful smile on her face. "So, yeah," she finished awkwardly, still unable to meet his eyes. "That's pretty much it."

Ryuichi's breath caught in his chest. Hearing her say all those things made him feel horrible, seeing that she was always so nice to him and the only one among his school friends outside of SEES who never gave up on him.

He stuck his spoon back in his yogurt and left it there. He exhaled audibly through his nostrils, mired in his guilt for how he treated her back then.

"Thank you for your honesty, but I think you deserve better than me," he told her after a time, making her gasp. "I haven't been a good friend to you at all, even though you were pretty much the only one outside of my dorm mates who wouldn't quit on me."

A remorseful sigh escaped him. "I shouldn't have been such a jerk to you."

"You were having a rough year, though," she insisted. "Anyone would've done the same thing, so—"

"For a whole year, though?" he argued. "That's no excuse. I should've been nicer to you, especially since you were only trying to help me and be a good friend to me. I should've appreciated it more back then."

He bowed in his seat. "Thank you for looking out for me. And, I'm sorry for not being a good friend."

Shiori looked upon him with guilt and apology, her lips moving around like she was testing out the right words before speaking them. Wincing, she finally shook her head.

"I don't know how difficult things were for you last year, but it's not fair to you that I was hoping for too much," she said, also bowing in her seat. "I'm sorry if I was a bother to you."

"But you weren't." Ryuichi sat up with sagging shoulders. "You were being kind to me, and I was too caught up in all my issues to notice."

She sat up and waved her hand, as if she was clearing the awkward air between them. "How about this: Let's just start over fresh," she suggested. "So all that drama that happened between us? All gone. We're just two friends who love kendo."

She put on a bitter smile. "Then again, it's gonna be hard staying friends since we won't be seeing each other every day anymore, so..."

Her expression darkened even more. "Not to mention I totally embarrassed myself just now by telling you I still like you," she muttered, sinking lower and lower in her seat.

Looking back through his turbulent year, Ryuichi grew to appreciate what Shiori did for him. He had been so closed off about his life, too ashamed of his family's behavior and unable to discuss anything SEES-related with anyone outside their little group. But Shiori was always there, ready to chat with him, make him laugh, check up on him when he had injuries he couldn't hide, and even to keep him posted on the boys' kendo team. She was always trying to get him to hang out and live a normal high school student's life, one that was carefree and without Shadows or battle. He understood now that she genuinely cared for him.

He held out his fist to her. "Friends," he said, smiling softly for her.

Shiori stared at his fist for a time before finally touching her knuckles to his. "Friends," she agreed.

She was smiling now as they went back to their frozen yogurts. "So, now that we're officially friends, I think we're overdue for a sparring match."

"What, in kendo?"

"What else? I still gotta see if I can beat you now!"

"Oh, ho, ho, ho—No."

"What? You think I can't do it?"

He rapidly waved both hands in front of him. "N-No, I mean, I know you're stronger than my whole team, so I—"

"What, huh? You afraid to go toe-to-toe with me?" She had a huge, haughty grin on her face. "Bring it!"

Hanging out with Shiori felt like the relief he needed, if only for a short time. He was able to laugh a little bit, finally feeling something other than crushing despair, utter failure, and the seemingly never-ending numbness that refused to go away.

"So, about White Day," he asked her as they finished up their yogurts. "How do I return the favor for the chocolates you gave me?"

"Better not. I wouldn't want to ruin your chances with Mitsuru-san," she replied, scraping the bottom of her cup. "Speaking of which: Did you ever tell her how you felt?"

Ryuichi's expression darkened. "Y-Yeah, I did."

She gasped. "And? What did she say?"

He flashed her a shy smile. "We agreed to stay friends."

"Aw, I'm sorry. But hey, at least you tried, right?"

"Yeah," he said, glad that he could tell a half-truth to anyone who asked. "But I gotta say, that's been a pretty popular question lately."

Shiori looked to him with raised eyebrows. "Who else asked about it?"

"My sister, and just yesterday, Akihiko asked the same thing."

"The boxing champion guy? He really asked you about that?"

"Yeah." Ryuichi tilted his head. "Does that surprise you?"

"Kinda. I mean, if he's not the brooding type, he's talking about fitness and protein."

"'Brooding'? Nah, that's just his face."

Ryuichi was surprised that he was able to crack a joke so easily, especially one that got Shiori snickering.

She looked up, appearing to be searching her thoughts. "I only talked to him once, but a lot of the stuff he said about building muscle and nutrition was really interesting, and he seemed to be pretty cool. I thought he was going to be full of himself, the way he had so many girls after him all the time, but he's really passionate about fitness.

"Wow, I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover," Shiori said with a shrug. "So, why'd he ask if you liked Mitsuru-san? Don't tell me he likes her, too."

"I doubt it. I think he finds her a little scary."

"Well, she does have that aura."

She started to say something else but stopped, looking a little flustered. Ryuichi took a pen out from his pocket and asked Shiori for another tissue.

"Here, in case you want more fitness tips from Akihiko," he said as he wrote down Akihiko's number. "But be warned: Once you get him started, he has trouble shutting up about it."

Shiori glowed a faint pink as she gratefully took the tissue and thanked him.

They parted ways, with Ryuichi heading off to the store to pick up more boxes at long last. He learned that hanging out with Shiori was pretty fun, and he felt like he found a good friend in her. Had his life been normal, he thought it might have been nice to just hang out with her after school every now and then and just talk about kendo or gripe about school.

After the laughter subsided, he carried the warmth of their fun with him for a few blocks before he began to feel the cold creep in again. Reality sucked him back to earth, and guilt became a sword that was thrust into his gut for having fun shortly after his friend had died. It just didn't feel right, and he felt like he was starting to rot from inside from his guilt.

"So, how was your outing with Hayabusa today?" Mitsuru asked him when she called that night.

Ryuichi told her everything. He made sure to give every single detail he could recall, starting from the very beginning when they ran into each other. Mitsuru listened patiently as he talked about how they ended up going to Hagakure, and then getting frozen yogurt afterward, sparing nothing when he told her everything they chatted about. All the while, Mitsuru said nothing, the only sound on her end being the occasional slosh of water.

"And I swear, I have no feelings for her whatsoever," he said for the fifth or sixth time.

"I know," Mitsuru said, her voice echoing slightly. "You're very particular when it comes to women."

He heard no anger in her voice, no jealousy that tried to dig into him like thorns. He sighed with relief, grateful that she believed him.

"It sounds to me like you have a good friend in Hayabusa," Mitsuru told him as more water sloshed around her. "And I'm sure Akihiko will appreciate what you did for him, as well."

"Imagine if they have kids," Ryuichi sighed. "They're gonna be the buffest, fittest kids that every college team will want to recruit."

Their weak chuckles died down fast. Sullenness fell over them like a dense fog.

"Hey, how've you been?" he asked her. "It's been a few days since—you know. Have you had a chance to process his passing?"

"I'm all right," Mitsuru said with a sigh. "My work keeps me busy, so I haven't had a chance to fully dwell on it. I'll probably get a chance to when I come home."

Another gentle splash. "How are things at the dorm?"

He rolled over on his bed, staring at the pile of boxes in the middle of his room. "I don't really know," he admitted. "Everyone's pretty much doing their own thing now."

"And Yukari?"

"She hardly comes out of her room. I've been leaving food outside her door, but she barely touches it."

"I see. I've been trying to call her, too, but she never answers."

A hush fell between them again. Ryuichi looked to his empty shelves now, already missing how full they once were.

"What about Aigis?"

"She's still hurting, too. I don't think she's left her room even once."

He recalled how distraught Aigis was when the doctor told them that Minato had died. "This is gonna sound weird, but, I think Aigis was crying actual tears."

"Of course she cried. She has feelings like anybody else," Mitsuru pointed out.

"No, I mean, like she's capable of producing tears," he explained. "Did you notice?"

Mitsuru fell silent on her end. "Now that you mention it, I think I did see tears in her eyes."

They spoke briefly about Aigis' seemingly impossible transformation, both of them expressing their hopes that she was okay. Ryuichi let Mitsuru know as much as he knew about how their other friends were doing, how they were all coping with Minato's death in their own ways and that it felt like they were all drifting apart. He told Mitsuru that out of all of them, Junpei seemed to be the one surviving the best, since he kept himself busy seeing Chidori.

"So, any word on the autopsy?" he asked her.

Mitsuru's sigh crackled over the phone. "They couldn't find anything wrong," she told him, her voice heavy with regret. "It's as though he fell asleep and that was it."

"That's it? But, how could someone so healthy just fall asleep and die? Wasn't he just sick?"

"They didn't find anything wrong with him, not even a trace of a cold. The doctor said he would get a second opinion, but I don't know if they'll find anything."

More water sloshed. "Do you think something happened to him during our last battle?" she asked. "None of us could see what was going on after he flew up towards the moon, so I can't help but wonder if something happened then that caused his death."

"It's possible," Ryuichi sighed, pulling his blanket up and over his face for warmth. "But, he seemed fine afterward. At least, I thought he was."

Mitsuru couldn't stay on the phone for long, as she had another early flight to catch in the morning. Neither wanted to go, but they knew they had to at some point.

"I love you," Ryuichi said to her after bidding her a good night.

Mitsuru hesitated, then hastily whispered "I love you, too" before hanging up.

Ryuichi didn't go to sleep right away. He looked around his room, not liking how bare it had become in just the past few days. He thought about Mitsuru's suspicions of Minato's passing, wondering how exactly their leader was able to prevent the Fall when all of their efforts failed. It wasn't much to go on, but it was the only lead they had for now.

Ryuichi hugged his second pillow and sighed again. Even though he had only just spoken to her, he wished he could see Mitsuru already.


	131. Chapter 131

**Chapter 131**

Ryuichi got a little surprise on Thursday when some of the Kirijo maid staff arrived at the dorm with a moving truck. A train of maids and a few butlers marched upstairs with dollies, large, heavy blue cloths, mats, pads, boxes, rolls of tape, and so on. Ryuichi watched from his bedroom door in silent awe, already hearing them get to work dismantling Mitsuru's room.

A maid approached Ryuichi from the other side of the front desk. She had twin locks of pale, pink hair hanging on either side of her face and wore an apathetic frown with her bored eyes. Next to her was a short butler who stood as tall as Ryuichi's shoulder. He had a youthful face and kept his short, brown hair parted slightly off to the side. His bright smile made him look young enough to be in middle school.

"Ryuichi-sama?" the maid asked in a monotone voice.

Hearing the lofty honorific attached to his name filled him with unease. "Yes? And you are?"

Both the maid and butler bowed. "Good day to you," the maid said, still in her cold, monotone voice. "I am Harumi Ashikaga. I will be your maid from now on."

"Greetings, Ryuichi-sama. I'm Keigo Maeda," the butler said. "I look forward to serving you."

Ryuichi winced. "Hold up. What do you guys mean you'll be serving me?"

Both of them straightened up. "Ojou-sama assigned the two of us to assist you in anything you need," Keigo replied with a big grin. His voice was full of energy and excitement that threatened to burst out of him.

"Mitsuru did? But, she didn't say anything about you guys to me."

"Ojou-sama is a very busy woman, so please excuse her for not having a chance to inform you about us," Harumi said curtly.

The shorter butler cupped a hand around the side of his mouth. "Ryuichi-sama, please forgive Harumi-san's tone," he whispered to him, as if he knew what he was thinking. "That's just how she talks. She's not mad at you or anything."

Ryuichi still wasn't sure how he felt about all this. "Okay, uh, sure," he said, still confused that he was now the one being served. "But, you guys can just call me 'Ryuichi', so don't add the 'sama' part."

"That is not proper, Ryuichi-sama," Harumi said in her blunt drone.

"She's right, Ryuichi-sama," Keigo added.

"But, I work for Mitsuru just like you guys!"

Harumi's expression didn't change. "Then make yourself useful and help us," she said, and started towards the stairs.

Keigo made a strangled noise. "W-Wait, Harumi-san! He's not supposed to—"

"He is a butler of Ojou-sama's, isn't he?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, but—"

"Then what is the problem?"

Poor Keigo didn't have an answer. "I-I guess you're right," he sighed, giving up.

Ryuichi followed the two upstairs to the third floor. Large mats were laid down on the floor in the hallway and padded Mitsuru's doorway, and the team of maids and butlers had already begun to carry boxes of Mitsuru's stuff downstairs. He watched mournfully as they taped up the empty dresser drawers for transport, disassembled the bed, and packed away the tea sets in her display case.

Harumi picked up a box and dumped it into Ryuichi's arms. "Take this to the truck, Ryuichi-sama," she said, and gave Keigo a box, as well.

The other maids and butlers who overheard her appeared shocked that she told Ryuichi what to do.

"Oh, it's okay," Ryuichi told them all. "I mean, I'm a butler, too, so I should help out."

None of them seemed to agree, nor did they tell him he shouldn't help. It was only when Keigo set down his box and took Ryuichi's that they started encouraging him to leave the packing to them.

"It's okay, Ryuichi-sama," Keigo said to him. "Just leave this to us and we'll take care of everything."

Just then, Harumi dumped an even heavier box into Ryuichi's arms. "Since you're heading downstairs, you can take this to the truck," she said, and walked away before he could say anything.

"Please excuse Harumi-san's behavior," Keigo said to Ryuichi on their way downstairs. "She's one of those no-nonsense types, so she's not going to try to argue with you on trivial things."

"So, she's fine with me helping out and giving me orders, but she'll still call me 'Ryuichi-sama'?" Ryuichi grumbled, still unsure of what to make of his new maid.

"It's just how she is, but I'm sure she means well."

There were movers in coveralls outside with the moving truck, loading one of Mitsuru's fancy couches while trying to make room for more stuff. Keigo and Ryuichi set the boxes down on the sidewalk, where two maids kept watch over Mitsuru's other stuff and helped move the smaller objects into the truck.

"Since they're moving everything now, does that mean Mitsuru's not coming back here?" Ryuichi asked glumly.

Keigo adjusted his necktie. "It looks like it. When she returns from Okinawa tomorrow evening, she'll be heading directly to the Kirijo home."

Back inside the dorm, Keigo insisted that Ryuichi should go and relax in his room for now.

"We'll come for your things once we're done with Ojou-sama's," he said.

Ryuichi's heart sank. "Wait, already?" he blurted out.

His butler looked to him with apology. "Did Ojou-sama not tell you?"

"No, I mean, she did, but—"

He stared at his bedroom door. "I guess I just wasn't ready for it," he said with a sigh.

While the others continued to bring more things to the truck, Ryuichi wandered around the dorm. He saw Mitsuru's favorite armchair in the lounge, remembering the many chats they had over tea. On his way to the kitchen, he let his fingertips slide across the dining table, thinking about the meals he ate with everyone, and the quiet meals he had with Mitsuru every now and then.

The kitchen held so many memories of him cooking for everyone in the dorm, and he spent a few moments recalling some of the times he somewhat enjoyed cooking for them against his will. He almost chuckled when he remembered how Fuuka and Yukari almost burned down the dorm, and when he suffered from acute food poisoning during the typhoon.

He checked the rear storage room next. Both his motorcycle and Mitsuru's were still there, waiting for their masters to take them on another fun outing. Ryuichi wondered when he would get to ride with Mitsuru again, and if she would have time or be permitted to do so. Thinking of Mitsuru, he closed the door and headed upstairs.

Rows of closed doors greeted him up on the second floor. Junpei and Ken had gone to school, and Akihiko was out for the day. Ryuichi swept his gaze across all the doors, wondering what it might have been like if he had moved into one of the rooms there instead, where he might have gotten closer to the guys.

...Might have been close enough to save Minato.

Shuddering, he backed towards the common area. He put his hand on the table there and remembered some of the large study sessions he had with everyone, and the struggles he experienced trying to tutor his friends. He and Mitsuru couldn't study there in peace after everyone kept joining them, and they had to abandon it in favor of one of their bedrooms so they could focus on their subjects.

He smiled softly. Memories of Junpei's frustrated yells, people pleading for Mitsuru's help, and Aigis' inability to fully grasp the lessons flooded his mind. Akihiko would sometimes get mad at Ryuichi for answering questions right on his first or second attempt, whereas it took him a few more tries. Ken and Koromaru would mostly just sit nearby, watching a perfectly normal and chaotic study session for high school students that Ken might experience when he got to their age.

Ryuichi headed upstairs to the third floor. He had fewer memories at the tables there, most of them about studying again. He looked to the other closed doors opposite the hall from Mitsuru's room, remembering that Aigis and Yukari were still in their rooms. Fuuka had gone to school without them.

He recalled more fond memories when a group of butlers hauled Mitsuru's heavily-wrapped coffee table out through her bedroom door while tilted on its side. Ryuichi watched the coffee table go, bobbing slightly on its way downstairs. With it went his memories of all the times he and Mitsuru studied on her couches, watched movies on her TV, had tea and talked about battle strategies, important matters, and other interests that came to mind. He missed it all already.

Her giant mattress went next. It had been wrapped in thick plastic and taped up for transport. Ryuichi looked away and stepped aside to let them pass, hoping there wasn't anything incriminating on it that the maid staff might have found.

Looking back at the other doors in the hall, Ryuichi decided to check on the girls. He knocked on Aigis' door first, hoping for a response.

"Yes?" came her weary voice through the door.

"Hey, Aigis? It's me," he answered.

"Oh, Ryuichi-san. I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood to talk right now."

"Okay, but—"

"I'm sorry. Please leave me alone for now."

Ryuichi exhaled slowly, feeling badly for her. "Okay. Sorry."

He headed to the far end of the hall to Yukari's room and knocked. "Yukari? You okay?"

"Go away," she called from within.

"I just wanted to see how you're—"

"I said go away!"

Ryuichi backed off in defeat. "I'm sorry," was all he could say, and went up to the fourth floor next.

The command room was the same as always, except it was a little dustier than he remembered. Everything there remained untouched since the last time they were in the vast room, right before the final battle against Nyx. Ryuichi recalled how frequently they met there before full moon operations or for meetings, back when they had no idea that they were only bringing about the Fall thanks to Ikutsuki's manipulation. Just thinking about the Chairman filled him with a hatred that almost made him quake with fury.

Taking a few deep breaths, he shifted his thoughts to other memories he had in the command room. He remembered when Yukari called out Mitsuru on how the Dark Hour came to be and the experiments that her grandfather performed. He was furious with Yukari at the time, and was in awe at how Mitsuru remained civil with her, even when they took that trip to Yakushima. It seemed to him like theirs was a complicated relationship, making him curious as to how Yukari was able to reach Mitsuru and befriend her after her father died.

Ryuichi took a wide stance in the empty space behind the sofa. He held up his hand as if to brandish a fencing epee, but just stood there without moving. He thought about the times when Mitsuru taught him how to fence back in middle school. Back then, he used to be so timid and afraid that he might accidentally hurt her. Mitsuru taunted him a little, just enough for his anger to replace his fears. That was all it took to get him to become a decent opponent, even if he never won a sparring match against her.

He straightened up and went to look at the bank of consoles by the left wall. He remembered when Yukari was the first one in years to move into their dorm, and they were all eager to see if she had the potential. As much as Ryuichi wanted to see if the new members had the potential, he wasn't a fan of observing them while they slept during the Dark Hour. Doing so always made him worry about what the others saw when they had to observe him back in middle school, if he said or did anything in his sleep that they would much rather pretend never happened.

He sat down at the bank of consoles. Taking a key from his key ring, he inserted it into the console and turned it on. One by one, the screens flickered to life, finishing with the largest screen on the wall. Ryuichi played around on the console, looking at the files but not touching any of them, until he found an unusual folder he hadn't seen before.

The folder had some video recordings inside. Curious, he clicked on the first one, dating back to May of last year. The large screen lit up with the image of Ikutsuki sitting at the bank of consoles, talking aloud to himself about the large Shadow that took over the monorail that they were able to defeat. He started making a string of terrible puns, laughing all the while as he worked on writing his report. Hearing his laughter almost made Ryuichi punch the console.

The video ended. Infuriated that he had to see that despicable man again, Ryuichi took a deep, cleansing breath before clicking on the next video.

The image of a familiar messy room appeared up on the large screen. In walked Mitsuru and Officer Kurosawa, with Mitsuru telling the policeman that she suspected the owner of the room had been attacked, and that the room was left in such a dismal state after the scuffle.

Junpei came into view and cleared things up, shamefully admitting that his room was always that messy. Officer Kurosawa seemed to have figured as much the moment he stepped into the room and asked to be dismissed. Mitsuru apologized to both the policeman and Junpei, mentioning afterward that, because of her sheltered upbringing, she never realized that a messy room was normal for some.

Ryuichi's anger faded off, and a tiny smile cracked across his face. "So cute," he said under his breath as the video ended.

He clicked on another video. This one showed a girl's room with shelves full of flowers. Fuuka was the sole occupant of the room, freely talking about her woes of not having the most fit body to show off in a bathing suit. She took out an exercise machine she bought that worked out the wearer's abs. She put it on her stomach and couldn't stop laughing from how badly it tickled, resulting in a most awkward conversation with Mitsuru outside her door.

"Yes, I'm, I'm—hee-hee—Coming!" Fuuka cried out amid her giggles.

Ryuichi snorted. He covered his face, still chuckling as a flustered Mitsuru hastily told Fuuka to "Carry on" before apparently fleeing the scene.

"Dammit, I miss her," he sighed, and checked more videos.

The next one started off with Akihiko working his speed bag. Ryuichi had to rewind the video just to see the time it took place.

"Ten forty-one at night!" he exclaimed. "What the hell, Akihiko?"

All he could think about was his poor dorm mates who had to deal with listening to him batter his punching bags so late at night. He remembered when Mitsuru expressed how envious she was of him for getting a room so far from the noise, and now Ryuichi could see just how fortunate he was to have secured his bedroom away from the others.

He watched as Akihiko picked up a self-help book on dating from his desk. The advice he was given was to include humor when talking to girls. Ryuichi wasn't surprised when he practiced inviting someone out to his favorite beef bowl restaurant.

"Y'know, the Beef Bowl place?" Akihiko said in a shaky voice. "Hey, M-Maybe we could 'meet' up there."

Ryuichi cringed at the lame joke. "Ouch."

Frustrated, Akihiko slammed the book down on his desk. "What am I, the Chairman?" he snarled. "That's it. Screw this!"

He went back to his speed bag, and the screen faded to black.

Another video showed Shinjiro watching TV in the lounge with Koromaru. He was watching a cooking show, appearing to be taking mental notes when the girls returned from a day out. Shinjiro quickly covered his face with his magazine and feigned sleep, but Koromaru gave him away to Aigis.

"Dammit. I forgot she understands dog talk," Shinjiro growled under his breath.

Koromaru flattened his ears back and whined, appearing apologetic for outing him. Shinjiro forgave him right away, and promised to make him something later.

Ryuichi tilted his head as the video faded to black. "He called him 'Koro-chan'," he gushed before starting another video.

The screen lit up to show a view of Minato's bare bedroom late at night, with Minato himself sound asleep. There came a tinkling noise, followed by the door opening, and in walked Aigis who made note of her improved lock-picking time. She approached the bedside and scanned Minato's temperature, determining that there was no fever. She then vocalized that the pillow she put in the freezer wouldn't be needed.

"Okay, weird," Ryuichi remarked, making a face.

He watched as Aigis noted that there were only a few hours left before sunrise. After a bit of contemplation, she sat down on the floor facing the bed, deciding that she would stay and watch over Minato until then.

Ryuichi closed out the video before the recording ended. He sat there in confusion, unsure of what to make of what he had just witnessed.

To try to cleanse his mind, he skipped to a later video and saw Ken standing in his dark bedroom, practicing some fighting moves with a broom and wielding it like a spear. Ken told himself that he didn't have to practice in secret anymore, and that he chose a spear as his weapon so he could have an advantage in battle with a longer reach, especially against adults. Under the light of his small desk lamp, he spun the broom again and smacked his shin.

"That looked painful," Ryuichi said, wincing.

After rubbing his shin to ease the pain, Ken muttered "I hope I get taller soon" and went to his desk to drink some milk.

The next video he clicked on showed a pink room. He knew right away that it was Yukari's before she came on screen wearing a maid outfit that he recognized as the uniform of the Kirijo maid staff. She practiced serving customers, then bitterly imitated some things that the boys in the dorm might say if they saw her wearing the outfit.

Fuuka appeared on screen next, and after a short chat, Yukari invited her to try on a spare maid outfit. The screen faded out just before Yukari began to undress Fuuka.

Ryuichi shook his head. "These are getting to be a little risqué, " he muttered to himself, and clicked on another one.

The next video made him gasp. He saw his own room, his laptop open on his desk playing an instructional video with basics for ballroom dancing. He remembered that this particular moment took place shortly after the typhoon, after Mitsuru invited him to accompany her to Miyashiro's fancy garden party.

Ryuichi watched himself try to imitate the lead's movements in a waltz, spinning around and around in his room, trying to catch sight of his laptop screen to make sure he was doing the moves right. He narrowly dodged one of his dumbbells on the floor, lifting his foot above it as he passed by without missing a step. The song ended, and he finished the dance with a bow.

"Not bad," Ryuichi said to himself, now that he got to see what he looked like while dancing.

"Okay, hopefully that's enough to not embarrass Mitsuru tomorrow," he heard himself say. "Should I practice manners next? Or maybe take a break first?"

He glanced over to his charcoal suit that was laid out on the foot of his bed. "Hm. The suit's fine, but something's missing..."

He snapped his fingers and opened up one of the drawers in his desk. He pulled out a case and took out his old pair of glasses, wiping the dust off of them on his shirt. He turned around to lean back against his desk.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said to his old glasses, smiling with nostalgia. "Sorry. Laser eye surgery worked really well on me."

He put them on. Frowning, he took them off, then put them back on again. "Oh, right. I had non-prescription lenses put in, didn't I? Took me a while to get used to not wearing them anymore."

He went to check himself in the mirror. "Whoa. I look smarter!" he exclaimed, and kept turning his head to see his face from different angles. The Ryuichi in the command room eagerly agreed.

On the screen, Ryuichi went back to his desk. He held his left hand behind his back and bowed. "A pleasure to meet you," he said to an imaginary party guest. "May I have this dance?"

He straightened up and frowned. "Am I allowed to ask someone other than Mitsuru to dance? Is there even going to be dancing at the party?"

His expression soured even further. "Do I call her by her name, or do I call her 'Mitsuru-san' or 'Ojou-sama'?"

Sighing, he put away his glasses before typing something up on his laptop. "Break time!" he announced to no one but himself.

Ryuichi knew what was coming next. Bracing himself, he heard the familiar guitar intro of a boy band ballad begin to play. He watched as he picked up his fedora and began to follow the dance moves in the music video.

Ryuichi cringed when he saw his poor imitation. His languid moves were from unfamiliarity, but there was a slight swagger to his body, as though he acted like he knew what he was doing. He even tried to imitate each singer's voice when their parts came up, even pinching his nose to get the nasal quality of one of them.

He held his breath. The Ryuichi on the screen did some moves with his fedora, moving around his room, trying to look like he was gliding around effortlessly. He spun and smashed his toes into his dumbbell.

"AAAARGH!"

Wincing, Ryuichi sucked on his teeth as he watched himself flop onto his bed with his injured foot in his hands. Still groaning, he pulled off his sock to inspect his toes.

His bedroom door burst open. Junpei rushed on screen, looking ready for a fight.

"Duh, duh duh daaah! Junpei has joined the battle!" he announced. He wielded his half-full water bottle like it was the handle of a two-handed sword.

He looked around the room. Confused, Junpei lowered his water bottle and looked to Ryuichi. "Uh, you okay, Senpai? I heard you yell just now," he said to him.

Panic showed on Ryuichi's face. "Uh, c-cockroach!" he lied. "I-It flew at me, and I tried to run and ended up smashing... my... toe..."

He followed Junpei's gaze to his laptop, which was still playing the music video. A broad grin crept across Junpei's face.

"Oh, a 'cockroach', huh?" Junpei hooked his thumb into his belt. "I'm not one to judge, Senpai, but just don't let their fans hunt you down when you fumigate them."

Ryuichi threw a pillow at him and missed. Saluting him, Junpei turned and started for the door.

"The day is saved thanks to the valiant efforts of—"

"Shut up, Junpei!"

Still chuckling off screen, Junpei called out to the others. "Hey, guys! You gotta see this!"

Ryuichi hopped off the bed and limped after him. "Junpei! Come back here, you little—"

The recording ended. Ryuichi cringed from a double dose of embarrassment, both from reliving the event and from getting secondhand embarrassment as an observer. He uttered a groan and stretched to free himself from his humiliation before clicking on a video that he was not prepared to see.

The screen showed a view of Mitsuru's room, specifically the area with the couches and the TV and cutting off just short of her bed. He could hear the shower running for a few seconds before being shut off.

"Oh, no," Ryuichi uttered.

Mitsuru came into view wearing nothing but a towel. With her exposed skin still glistening with water and perspiration, she sat down on the couch and turned on the air conditioner with a remote control.

Ryuichi just sat there, utterly mortified but unable to look away as he watched Mitsuru flip through a fashion magazine she had bought earlier. He listened as she commented on an outfit or two, appearing intrigued by the selection, but also reminding herself to distinguish between outfits she could wear, and outfits she wanted to wear. His heart nearly gave out when she let out the tiniest, most adorable little sneeze he had ever heard from her.

"I knew this was a bad habit," Mitsuru murmured with a sniffle. "It's a good way to catch a cold."

She then decided to get ready for bed. She went off screen, and a second later, her towel was tossed onto the couch.

Ryuichi stared at the screen without blinking as the picture faded off. He was too scared to click on another video, not having considered that he might see something that might cause a drastic change in his relationship with his friends.

He considered deleting all the videos when one caught his eye: The time stamp read that it was recorded around three o'clock in the morning on graduation day. Curiosity won over, and he clicked on it.

He saw his room on the screen again, with him sitting up in bed, fast asleep with his copy of Mitsuru's speech on his chest. Mitsuru sat on the edge of his bed with her back pressed against his arm, writing down notes for her speech on note cards. She finished writing something and set her pen down with a sigh.

"All right. That should do it," she yawned with satisfaction as she raised her hands above her head and stretched. "I had to cut some parts since it was running a bit long, but I—"

She turned around to see Ryuichi already asleep. Lowering her arms, Mitsuru turned a little more in her seat so she could see him better.

"I guess I kept him awake for too long," she murmured to herself, dropping her voice low. "Still, it was nice of him to help, even though it was already so late."

Mitsuru folded her arms and tilted her head, still staring at him. She reached a cautious hand towards Ryuichi's sleeping face, but pulled back slightly, as though afraid. She reached over again and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. His ragged scar over his brow became visible.

"Even with that scar, he's still quite handsome," she noted, her smile just barely visible to the camera's view. "I wonder how he got it."

She examined his arms next. His sleeves were rolled up, showing more scars there.

"How did he get all of these, I wonder?" Mitsuru's shoulders deflated slightly. "Don't tell me they all came from his bullies."

She went back to the scar on his forehead. Leaning in close, she studied the jagged rip above his brow, her fingers poised to touch it. For a long while, she sat there, staring at his face, hers so close to his that Ryuichi thought she was going to kiss him.

She turned away. "I should go," she admonished herself, grasping her elbow. But she glanced back at him over her shoulder and didn't move for a long time.

Mitsuru stiffened when Ryuichi's face strained.

"N-No, please—!" he begged in his sleep.

"Ryuichi? What's wrong?" She took his hand. "Shhh. It's okay."

"I tried—I'm sorry I couldn't—"

She cupped his face in her hand. "What is it?" she asked him softly.

Tears began to roll down his face. "...couldn't... save..."

"Shhh. It's all right, Ryuichi. You did what you could."

"B-But—!"

Mitsuru wiped his tears away with her hand. "You did your best," she said to him, sounding like she knew what he was talking about. "That's all any of us can do, even if things don't always work in our favor."

She stroked his arm, still holding his hand. The tension in Ryuichi's face began to subside.

"Please, don't..."

"Don't what?"

He took a few breaths, but she didn't push him for an answer. "Don't go," he finally uttered.

Mitsuru shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere," she reassured him.

His face finally relaxed. "Thank you," he mumbled, and said nothing more.

Letting out a soft sigh, Mitsuru continued to stroke his arm. "That must have been quite a nightmare he had," she said to herself. "I wonder what happened in his dream that upset him so much."

She reached up to wipe the last few tears from his face. Glancing at the clock, she sighed again, then looked back to Ryuichi. "I'll stay a little while longer," she decided with a yawn. "Just until he feels safe."

Blushing, she settled into bed next to him. "Just for a little while, okay?" she whispered to him.

The recording ended. Ryuichi sat low in his chair, enamored with how Mitsuru took care of him that night. He had no memory of it, but the nightmare was a recurring one that he knew very well, and still got on occasion.

He let out a heavy sigh. Somehow, he no longer felt like erasing the recordings. They were precious memories of his friends that he was reluctant to let go of, snapshots of their time together in the dorm.

He dug around in Ikutsuki's room for a spare disc and copied all the videos to it. He checked to make sure that they all played, including the one video he didn't watch. When he clicked on it to view, he saw that it showed the third floor common area, with some of the girls and Koromaru taking notice of the hidden camera there. Yukari took it upon herself to inform Mitsuru about the cameras and request to have them all removed. Ryuichi guessed it either didn't go so well, or was completely forgotten.

Back downstairs, Ryuichi discovered that the moving truck had already gone. His room had been completely cleared out, as well, save for the furniture that came with it.

Ryuichi leaned against the doorway and stared in disbelief at his empty room. He didn't even get a chance to give it one last look over, feeling as hollow and as cold as his room was.

Harumi came up to him. "Ryuichi-sama, are you ready to go?" she asked him.

He wasn't. "I haven't had a chance to say good bye to the others yet," he said to her over his shoulder. "I'll head over to Mitsuru's place later on my motorcycle."

"Both your motorcycle and Ojou-sama's have already been taken there with the rest of your possessions," Harumi told him, and held out his jacket for him to take.

Ryuichi stared at his jacket and reluctantly took it. "Okay, I guess I'll just come by and see everyone later," he said with a sigh.

They rode a Kirijo car to the mansion. Harumi didn't engage him in conversation as he withdrew into his thoughts and sorrows of leaving the place he called home for the past few years. He clutched the disc with the recordings tightly, hoping his friends would forgive him for leaving without telling them first.

As they neared the Kirijo mansion, Ryuichi was unsure of whether or not such a place would ever feel like home. He didn't feel excited for it, but felt almost afraid of it, unsure of what he would be allowed to do there or if he would get along well with the staff.

The car pulled in through the gates and drove down the long driveway. The road darkened beneath the thick canopy of trees, but sunlight shined through at the far end. When the car pulled up to the front of the mansion, an older butler got the car door for him. Ryuichi thanked him as he got out.

"It was my pleasure, Ryuichi-sama," the butler replied.

On his way to the mansion entrance, Ryuichi was about to correct him when two maids opened the front doors for him.

"Welcome home, Ryuichi-sama."

Two rows of maids bowed to him as he entered the foyer. Hearing them all address him so formally made him shudder.

"Uh, hi," he said uneasily. "Just 'Ryuichi' is fine."

They took his jacket and offered him some tea and snacks. He declined, saying that he would just go to his room for the time being. They offered to bring him tea to his room instead, and he felt so cornered that he reluctantly agreed to it.

When he got to his new bedroom, he found the door unlocked. The maids and butlers were still working together to unpack his things, where they had already lined the walls of the front room with his shelves and were loading them with his DVDs. His exercise and training equipment were there, too, and appeared to have been cleaned, as well. Two butlers and a maid worked together to mount his flat screen TV on the wall, but his video games were nowhere to be seen.

Ryuichi was ushered to the bedroom portion of his room, where more maids and butlers were unpacking more of his stuff. He saw Keigo carefully folding and putting away some of his clothes into his new dresser. Some maids were hanging up more of his clothes and suits in the closet. Others busied themselves with connecting his video game system to the much larger flat screen TV there, with his DVD player already connected.

"Please forgive the noise, Ryuichi-sama," a maid said to him. "We should be finishing up shortly."

He turned to her to say it was no big deal when he saw the trolley of tea and snacks she brought with her. He understood now why they wanted him to have some tea first: so that they had a little more time to get his room ready.

From his seat on the couch, Ryuichi watched as everyone worked quickly around him. It felt like he had only just sat down when they finished up, and he thanked all of them as they bowed and left. He just hoped that his presence didn't make them feel the need to rush.

"Ryuichi-sama, dinner will be served at seven o'clock sharp," the maid from before said to him as she poured him some tea. "Until then, Ojou-sama wishes for you to relax and take your time getting acclimated to your new home."

She offered him the use of all the amenities in the mansion, telling him that he was more than welcome to use anything he pleased. She listed off some of the things he might enjoy, but Ryuichi felt unworthy of partaking of any of them.

"Is it really okay for me to use any of that stuff?" he asked while Harumi refilled his teacup. "I'm part of the staff, you know."

The other maid flashed him a smile. "It is encouraged that you do," she said. "Ojou-sama wants you to be able to call this place your home.

"If there is anything else you need, please feel free to call upon any of us, Ryuichi-sama."

He was too shocked to utter more than a few noises before the maid bowed and left. Harumi remained with him, and Keigo joined soon after.

"Ryuichi-sama, if you ever need anything, please feel free to call me or send me an email," Keigo said to him as he took out his cell phone. "Here's my number."

Ryuichi exchanged contact information with Keigo and Harumi, still feeling so out of place there.

"Is something the matter, Ryuichi-sama?" Keigo asked.

Ryuichi snapped his phone shut. "It's just, I feel weird," he murmured.

"Are you not feeling well? Was there something wrong with the sandwiches? Do you feel feverish?"

"I'm fine, Maeda-san."

Keigo smiled. "Just 'Keigo' is fine," he told him. "But, if you're not feeling well, then perhaps a nap will do you some good? You've had a busy morning."

"No, I'm okay, thanks." Ryuichi looked to Harumi next. "Ashikaga-san—"

"Harumi," she said stiffly.

Ryuichi hesitated. "Uh, right. Harumi-san. Um, so, how come even though I'm part of the staff, I'm being treated like I'm the same status as Mitsuru?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Ryuichi-sama," she said, her bored expression remaining unchanged. "You have a special bond with Ojou-sama, which gives you special privileges."

He blinked. "'Special bond'? 'Special privileges'?"

Keigo grinned. "Let's just leave it at that," he said.

Ryuichi wasn't done. "But I'm just like the rest of you guys," he said calmly and in a firm voice. "I even have training coming up soon."

"Yes, but not until Sunday," Harumi explained. "Ojou-sama wanted to make sure you had enough time to grieve and get settled here before your arduous training."

Ryuichi still didn't think it was okay for him to be given special privileges just because of his relationship with Mitsuru. He grew concerned that it would affect his ability to work with the maid staff.

"Just enjoy your break, Ryuichi-sama," Harumi said on her way out. "Ojou-sama will be returning tomorrow night, and she expressed her hopes that you would enjoy your new home."

"It's 'Ryuichi'," he called after her, but she did nothing to acknowledge him.

Keigo stuck around to serve him tea and snacks, even though all Ryuichi had to do was reach over and pluck a sandwich from the plate himself. He tried to make Ryuichi feel better about his unusual status, but no matter what he or anyone else said, he didn't feel comfortable being treated as if he had been born a Kirijo.

He realized that he would probably have to learn to be a refined gentleman, just like what his parents had been saying before. He imagined having to mind his manners all the time, dress up in suits every single day, even for casual days at home, and learn to eat without shoveling food in his mouth with his bare hands. He felt like several cords had coiled themselves around his body to restrict his movements and made it hard to breathe.

But, if it was for Mitsuru, then he was willing to go through with it. He picked up a sandwich and took a small bite, trying hard not to gorge himself despite wanting to just eat it in two bites. After three bites, he grew frustrated and popped the remaining chunk into his mouth.

"Would you care for some more sandwiches, Ryuichi-sama?" Keigo offered. "Or would you prefer something sweet?"

Ryuichi stared at the remaining snacks. "This is fine, thanks," he said to him. "You can go, Keigo-san. I'm just gonna chill here for a while."

He felt weird dismissing someone as though he had the authority to do so. Keigo bowed and left, and finally, Ryuichi was alone.

"I wonder if this is how Mitsuru felt, growing up here," he said to himself as he sat low on the sofa. "Knowing her, she'll probably say that I'll adapt soon enough."

After only twenty minutes in his new room, he already missed his old one back at the dorm. More than his room, he missed Mitsuru. Badly. She hadn't even been gone a full week, but being apart from her for that long after seeing her almost every day for more than a decade made him see just how much time they spent together in recent years, even before they started dating.

"Just one more day," he reassured himself, and decided to go explore his new home.

The Kirijo mansion was far bigger than he anticipated. Prior to moving in, he had only been to about four locations, and most of them were located near the entrance. Wandering the palace-like halls, he found some portraits of the previous Kirijo family heads—all males—with the same intense stares and cold expressions on their faces that Mitsuru inherited.

Many of them were already wearing Westernized suits from what he assumed had to be more than a hundred years ago, with starched collars and coattails. He soon found a portrait of Takeharu, which had to be somewhat recent, judging by his eye patch. The portrait next to his was of a stout man in a white jacket holding a smoking pipe. He still had the familiar critical look in his eyes, but there was also a haughtiness in his frown. Ryuichi somehow understood that this man was Kouetsu Kirijo, Mitsuru's grandfather, and immediately felt like he was someone he was fortunate enough to never meet.

Wandering around some more, he discovered the private theater he recalled Mitsuru mentioning not long ago. Inside were comfortable recliners, small tables by the arms of the chairs where snacks could go, and a large screen on the wall for viewing movies. He knew right away that he preferred it over a regular movie theater.

As he roamed the halls, he came upon the indoor swimming pool, the sauna room, a man-made indoor hot spring, an exercise room, a bowling alley, the ballroom, and the game room with a pool table, darts, and a bar. Despite all that, he was sure he had only seen a small fraction of the mansion. As impressed as he was with it all, he realized he couldn't enjoy any of it without someone to enjoy it with.

When he came across some maids, they both bowed to him and greeted him.

"Is something the matter, Ryuichi-sama?" one of them asked when they saw his gloomy demeanor.

He shook his head. "I'm all right, thank you," he said, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he passed by them.

His mistake while exploring the mansion was getting lost in his thoughts in an unfamiliar place. He was so caught up on thinking about Mitsuru and their friends that he didn't realize where he was. He found himself in an unfamiliar corridor, unsure of which direction the entrance might be.

"Crap. Where did I even come from?"

He wandered on. Eventually, he discovered the kitchen where the chefs were preparing dinner and thought that the dining room should be nearby.

Wrong. He eventually came across an older butler with a thick, silver mustache, who gladly showed him the way back to his room. Ryuichi realized that he was the same butler who opened the car door for him earlier.

"It was my pleasure, Ryuichi-sama," the butler said with a bow when Ryuichi thanked him.

He spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, since the couch was unpleasantly hard like it was made entirely of wood. He wondered if the others noticed that he was gone, thinking he should probably give them a call. But, he didn't feel like talking to anyone just then. They probably didn't want to talk to him, either.

A couple of hours later, a maid came to get Ryuichi for dinner. He sat alone at one end of the long dining table and was served a number of dishes that he was sure he would only find in a fancy restaurant. The dishes had names he couldn't pronounce properly, nor could he remember what their names were seconds after being told. The only one he remembered was Salad Niçoise for its easy name, but particularly after being told that it was one of Mitsuru's favorite dishes. He made sure to make a mental note of that.

After dinner, he picked up his dishes to take to the kitchen. The maids took them from him, saying that they would take care of it.

"It's okay. I should wash them since I was the one who used them," he said, but they refused to let him clean up.

"Then, is it okay if I go out for a bit?" he asked them.

"It's already late, Ryuichi-sama," Harumi told him, coming up from behind. "What did you want to do outside?"

He tried not to blush. "Well, uh, since Mitsu—Um, Ojou-sama is coming home tomorrow, I wanted to make her something to welcome her back," he said, struggling hard with how he should address Mitsuru. "I was planning to do a little grocery shopping."

The other maids eagerly showed him the fully stocked refrigerator and pantry at his disposal, telling him to use anything he pleased and to not worry about cleaning up, as they would take care of it themselves. He shook his head at the last part, still not feeling right about having someone clean up after him.

To welcome Mitsuru home from a long week of work and travel, Ryuichi decided to make her a cake. He thought she might want something light and decide on a chiffon cake, with just a touch of lemon with the vanilla flavor and peach slices for toppings. As he prepared the ingredients, he noticed that some of the maids and butlers were watching him work, feeling their gazes on his back.

He also remembered that White Day was coming up in a few days and decided to make some chocolates. All it took was for him to softly murmur "White Day" to himself to get the maids, butlers, and chefs pouncing on him. They started helping him out, finding any ingredients or equipment he needed and giving him suggestions for types of chocolate he could make. The chefs advised him on how to temper chocolate to give it a glossy look and a satisfying snap. They closely watched the temperature of the chocolate as he heated, cooled, and heated it again, keeping a laser thermometer on it throughout the process.

Any suggestions they had, Ryuichi considered. Any guidance they offered, he took. When they started taking over his project, Harumi made them all back off so Ryuichi could do it himself. He grew to appreciate her more from that one gesture and thanked her.

After filling the molds with chocolate, he took some of the fillings the chefs prepared for him and added them. There was crunchy puffed rice, hazelnut cream, gooey caramel, minty nougat, and little bits of toffee. He left them to cool in the refrigerator for about two hours, and when he came back, he found that the same people who helped him before were already there, ready to help again.

When the first chocolate popped out of the mold perfectly, they all cheered. Ryuichi cut it into pieces and let everyone try it before tasting a piece himself.

"It's delicious, Ryuichi-sama!"

"Ojou-sama will like this."

"Well done, Ryuichi-sama!"

"Thank, but I couldn't have done it without you guys," Ryuichi said shyly.

He let them try the others, wanting to make sure that everything tasted good. When everything was confirmed to be delicious, he shooed everyone out so he could decorate the chocolates, too embarrassed to show them any more of his feelings for Mitsuru.

Before they left, the chefs gave him several different boxes to choose from to fill with the chocolates. They supplied him with little foil fluted cups to put each chocolate in. The maids also stuck around to wash any of the other utensils or equipment he used, smiling while he decorated the treats.

When he found that he had one extra chocolate that wouldn't fit in the box, he ate it himself. Looking at the cake and the chocolates, he felt like something was off.

"It still feels like it's missing something," he said to himself. "Like, it's not enough."

The chefs and maids gave him more suggestions, but none of them sounded right to him. He thanked them and told them that he would figure something out tomorrow.

Mitsuru called him after midnight. He had just finished taking a bath and almost missed her call. He went diving for his phone on his bed, nearly losing his towel in the process.

"Hey, Mitsuru," he said as nonchalantly as he could manage. "How've you been? Work treating you all right?"

Ryuichi was almost in tears when he heard her voice. He asked her about her day, glad to hear that it went better than she had hoped. He asked if she had been eating well, getting enough sleep, and if she tried any new food she found intriguing. She insisted that she was eating proper meals, but admitted that she had some nights where she struggled with sleep.

"And you? How are you adjusting to your new home?"

He started out by telling her that he didn't know he would be moving out that day, nor did he expect to get his own maid and butler.

"Ah, yes, sorry about that. I thought it would be best if you had someone to attend to you, much like what you and Kikuno do for me," she explained. "I hope they've been behaving themselves."

He told her about how kind both of them were, and that he was grateful that she chose them for him. He also told her about how the maid staff wouldn't let him do any work, and how confused he was when they kept addressing him as "Ryuichi-sama". Mitsuru claimed that she didn't ask them to address him as such, and that they must have decided that on their own.

"And how is everyone at the dorm?" she asked.

Ryuichi told her what he knew, mostly talking about Aigis and Yukari since he knew that she was worried about them the most. Nothing much had changed, and he wished he had better news to report.

"I can't blame Yukari for being so upset," Ryuichi said in a somber tone. "She was probably the closest one to Minato out of all of us."

"I thought so, too. But, did you notice that Arisato and Aigis seemed to be getting pretty close back in January?"

He hadn't noticed anything. Looking back now, he started to recall seeing their leader spending more time with Aigis than he did seeing him with Yukari.

Ryuichi also mentioned the video recordings he found in the command room computer. Mitsuru was surprised to hear about them.

"Recordings? That's strange. I asked Arisato sometime last year to look into why the computer in the command room was acting up, and he never mentioned anything about video recordings to me," Mitsuru said to him.

Ryuichi made a face. "Either he didn't find the recordings or he kept them secret," he muttered.

"In any case, you and I have the only keys to activate the console, so no one should be able to view those recordings."

"Um, actually..."

He told her about making a copy of the videos. When she began to berate him for doing so, he explained that there was nothing too personal on them.

"Well, sort of," he said weakly, blushing when he remembered Mitsuru's video. "But, there was one with you and me in it, and I just couldn't delete it."

"Why not?"

"It's probably better if you see it for yourself. But I will say, it really made me happy."

He warmed up from just remembering the video. "Well, that and it made me miss you even more," he murmured, and his realization that she was still far away made his chest grow cold and empty again.

Mitsuru let out a sigh. "I miss you, too," she told him, keeping her voice low. "I'll be arriving late tomorrow night, so don't wait up for me."

He could tell she already knew he would stay up for as long as necessary, if it meant greeting her upon arrival. They reluctantly bid each other a good night, and Ryuichi said a quick "I love you" afterward.

"I love you, too," Mitsuru shyly whispered back. "Good night."

The moment they hung up, Ryuichi drew in a deep, cleansing breath. Just hearing Mitsuru's voice was enough to keep him going for another day, or at least for a few hours.

As he got settled into bed, he noticed that it felt more comfortable to him than it did that afternoon, feeling it form and support his body perfectly. It was far superior to the old, squeaky mattress back in the dorm, where he almost didn't miss it anymore. He still missed the dorm, but if he had the chance to move back, he was taking the new bed with him.

Though his new bed was luxuriously comfortable, Ryuichi still couldn't sleep in his new home just yet. It just felt too foreign, and it didn't help that he felt himself begin to sink back into his depressive state from being apart from Mitsuru and losing Minato.

He checked his phone. None of his dorm mates called or emailed him about him moving out. He wasn't sure if it was because they didn't notice, or because they didn't care. Whatever it was, his mind would only consider the worst scenarios.


	132. Chapter 132

**Chapter 132**

The next morning, Ryuichi woke up a little later than usual for his morning workout. It took him a few seconds to remember that he wasn't in his room at the dorm anymore, taking a good minute or two to look around. It was so weird to see a lot of his stuff in a new place, but after the initial confusion, he eventually got up to start working out.

Sometime during his exercises, someone came knocking at his door. Ryuichi stood up from his push-ups when he heard a key slip into the lock. The door opened, and in walked his butler.

"Oh! You're already awake! Good morning, Ryuichi-sama!" Keigo greeted with a bow.

Ryuichi returned his chipper greeting with a dry one of his own. "Um, g'morning," he murmured. "Keigo-san, do you always just let yourself into people's rooms like that?"

Keigo held up his keys. "Well, with the way your room's set up, I had to let myself into this one first so I could knock on that door to wake you," he explained, pointing to the door to the bedroom. "But, I guess that wasn't necessary since you're already awake."

Ryuichi opened up his bedroom door, noting just how closed off it was. "I'm used to waking up early, so that could be one less worry for you," he said. "I guess having to go through one room to get to this one is pretty inconvenient, huh? Wouldn't it be better to have a door installed so we could access this room directly from the hallway?"

"We'll have to ask Ojou-sama first."

"Yeah, definitely." Ryuichi closed the door. "I'll pay for it, too, since I'm the one who'll be using it the most."

"Ojou-sama won't allow that, but I'm sure she'll agree to having a door installed."

Keigo pocketed his keys. "Anyway, I just came to let you know that breakfast will be served in the kitchen whenever you're ready, Ryuichi-sama."

After explaining where to find the kitchen, Keigo left with another bow. Ryuichi bowed in return and thanked him, though he wasn't in the mood to eat. When he finished his workout, he showered and dressed, but wasn't sure what to do with himself now. He still wasn't hungry, but he also didn't want to stay up in his room all day, either. The thought of dealing with all the maids and butlers so early in the morning was too much for him, but he braced himself and stepped out of his room to see the maid staff cleaning the mansion in preparation for Mitsuru's return.

All the maids wore the same long, black dresses and white aprons as their uniforms. The butlers all wore coattails, neckties, and vests. To Ryuichi, they were all dressed a little too well to be doing any sort of cleaning, but there they were, sharing the responsibilities of dusting, vacuuming, polishing, mopping, sweeping, and scrubbing to get the place sparkling clean. When Ryuichi attempted to help with the dusting, the nearest maid stopped him.

"Ryuichi-sama, breakfast is waiting for you downstairs," she said as she took the rag from him.

"Oh, I'm not hungry yet. I don't mind helping," he replied, reaching for the rag again.

She held it beyond his reach. "We will take care of this, Ryuichi-sama. Please go downstairs and have breakfast."

He frowned at her. "Just 'Ryuichi' is fine. I'm not anybody worthy the 'sama' part."

A passing maid smiled at him. "To us, you are 'Ryuichi-sama'," she said. "Thank you for offering to help, but please leave this to us."

"But I'm an employee just like you guys," he protested, growing irritated.

Once more, they encouraged him to go downstairs to eat. He felt so ignored, even though they were addressing him directly and urging him to go and enjoy himself. He almost wished that they did ignore him, just so he could actually help out without any of them taking notice. He just wanted something to do to keep his mind and hands busy, wanted to be useful in some way. Living there for only a day made him feel like he was nothing more than a freeloader.

Dragging his feet, he headed downstairs in search of the kitchen, already forgetting the directions that Keigo gave him. More maids directed him to it, and he was quickly seated at the kitchen table where he was served a Western breakfast.

The meal was similar to what he used to cook to welcome the new dorm residents, and the same kind his dad used to make for him and Shizue when the restaurant started gaining popularity back in the day. There were blueberry pancakes, strips of crispy bacon, breakfast sausages that were drenched in syrup, hash browns, and fried eggs with runny yolks. Each time he finished something on his plate, the chefs eagerly refilled the empty spot. It took four fried eggs, six slices of bacon, and a hash brown for Ryuichi to realize what was going on and had them stop before they could add more. For dessert, they gave him a bowl of cubed fruit even after he refused any more food.

"We will take care of cleaning up, Ryuichi-sama," a maid said when he tried to take his plates to the sink.

He waddled out of the kitchen with a full stomach. "They did this so I wouldn't help out," he groaned as he rubbed his bulging belly.

On his way back to his room, Ryuichi remembered that he still wanted to find a suitable present for Mitsuru to add to the cake he baked for her. As full as he was, he hurried to his room, still unsure of what to get her. When he had his leather jacket, helmet, keys, and his new backpack his sister got him for his birthday, he went in search of the garage for his motorcycle.

After ten minutes of searching, Ryuichi gave up and called Keigo on his cell phone. He instructed him to wait at the front for someone to bring his motorcycle for him, then had to give Ryuichi directions to locate the front doors. Ryuichi could have sworn he heard Harumi's soft, sinister chuckle in the background at some point, but forgot all about it when he was finally on his way to Tatsumi Port Island.

The sunny morning was so warm and cheery that Ryuichi's mood lifted by the tiniest fraction. Or perhaps it was because he was free from the stifling mansion, where he felt like he had lost many of the simple freedoms he once had. He knew the maids and butlers were only trying to be helpful, but he missed being able to do things for himself. He began to understand how liberating it must have been for Mitsuru to ride her motorcycle.

He shifted his thoughts back to what kind of gift he should get for Mitsuru. He wanted it to be at least as good as the pocket watch she gave him, where it had to be something that expressed how he felt about her in his own way, but also wanted it to be useful to her.

He stopped by some jewelry stores, searching for something that might catch his eye. There were glittering gems, gorgeous necklaces, shimmering bracelets, dangly earrings, and watches with stones or crystals embedded into them.

None of them called out to him. They all just felt like decorations, and knowing Mitsuru, she would probably prefer something practical. She never bothered with anything flashy, as far as he knew, where even her dresses for social gatherings were often simple but elegant, with only light touches of jewelry and makeup.

No, Mitsuru definitely preferred something practical. If he was going to get her a gift, it had to have some kind of useful function to it. Too bad jewelry stores didn't carry wristwatches with grappling hooks in them.

"If you would like to have something engraved, we can also have that done for you," the clerk said to him with a kind smile.

Ryuichi thought about getting a simple ring and having it engraved with the same dates he had in his pocket watch, but then he felt like he was copying Mitsuru's idea. He also didn't want it to look like she was married, in case it caused her more trouble with the Board of Directors, but he wondered if she would seize the opportunity to mess with them a little bit by flashing the ring at them. He decided against it, knowing that it wasn't worth the risk.

After searching for a present for a few hours, he finally gave up and thought he should stop by the old Iwatodai dormitory to check on everyone. He wasn't sure if he would find anyone home, but as he parked in front of the building, he spotted Fuuka on her way back from school. She looked surprised to see him and jogged the rest of the way to the dorm.

"Ryuichi-senpai! When did you move out?" she asked him.

"Just yesterday," he said. "Sorry for leaving all sudden like that. I didn't think the maid staff would come so soon."

While Fuuka unlocked the front door, Ryuichi explained that he moved in with Mitsuru since he was going to continue as her bodyguard. Fuuka was understanding of the situation, and when she got the door open, she let him inside first.

Ken, Koromaru, and Akihiko were all in the lounge. Their sullen expressions didn't change until they saw Ryuichi walk in with Fuuka.

"Okazaki-san?" gasped Ken.

Koromaru barked and wagged his tail as he came up to Ryuichi.

"Hey, Koromaru," he greeted, giving his head a vigorous rub.

Koromaru's delight couldn't dispel the darkened atmosphere in the lounge. Ryuichi looked up to see Akihiko's scowl and Ken's somber expression.

"Hey, uh, sorry I just disappeared like that," Ryuichi said to them all. "It was actually a surprise for me, too—"

"Weren't planning to say good bye, were you?" Akihiko snarled under his breath.

Ryuichi felt his weak smile drop off of his face. "I wasn't even planning to leave yet," he said stiffly. "Mitsuru's maid staff came and got our stuff yesterday when I thought they were coming at the end of the week."

He scratched his head. "Look, I'm sorry I left without saying anything, all right? Everyone was out at the time, and—"

Ken's darkened expression drove a stake deeper into him. "You could've told us before that you were moving out already," he murmured accusingly. "You just left without a word—just like _him_."

He knew right away who Ken was talking about. "Hey, I'm still here," he reassured the others, keeping his voice light. "And how were we supposed to know that something was wrong? We all thought he was sick!"

"We should've known that him being tired all day was unusual," Akihiko grunted. "We saw him every day for a month before that. He was only getting worse and we didn't do anything about it."

Fuuka brought over a tray of tea for everyone. No one bothered to take a teacup when she offered, and no one said a word for a long while.

Ryuichi stood helpless, knowing that they were right. He should have done more, should have been more vigilant in looking over their leader. His guilt over Minato's death returned, filling him with a cold, toxic sludge that left him feeling emptier than before. Once again, another died because he didn't do enough.

"We all did what we could," Fuuka said to them all. "We couldn't have known that something was wrong—"

"Did we, though?" Akihiko growled at her. "We should've known that something was wrong. How could we miss something like that?"

"And we still don't even know why he died," Ken bemoaned. "It was like he just went to sleep and that was it."

Now even Koromaru flattened his ears back and whimpered. He padded up to Fuuka as she sat down on the sofa. He rested his head on her knee, still whimpering while she stroked his head. The life in her eyes had faded, and she said nothing in response to the others.

Akihiko bared his teeth and balled his hands into fists. "That was a shit thing to do, leaving without saying anything to us," he told Ryuichi. "Especially after what happened."

"But I told you I was moving out!" Ryuichi told him. "Remember? I just didn't know that it was gonna happen yesterday!"

"You could've at least left us a message," he argued. "Or were you too caught up getting served by a bunch of maids that you forgot all about us?"

Ryuichi looked to him in disbelief. "It's not like that! Look, I'm sorry I didn't say anything yesterday. Like I said, I thought they were coming by the end of the week."

Akihiko turned away. "Forget it," he grunted, and headed up to his room where he slammed his door. Without a word, Ken followed. No one spoke until his door shut overhead.

"What the hell was that even about?" Ryuichi snarled, still infuriated that Akihiko had given him shit for his mistake.

"I think we're still pretty shocked about Minato-kun," Fuuka said quietly to him. "When you disappeared yesterday, it felt like we lost another friend, especially since we didn't hear anything about it from you."

More guilt pooled into his stomach. "I'm sorry," he said again. "It was pretty crazy yesterday for me, and I wasn't sure what to say or if anyone even wanted to hear it. We've all gotten pretty distant these past few days."

"It's okay, Senpai," Fuuka reassured him, still stroking Koromaru's head.

Ryuichi sank down on the couch next to her, still feeling badly for keeping quiet about his abrupt departure. "How've you been?" he asked her quietly. "It can't be easy, trying to help the others when you're also just as confused as the rest of us, but I appreciate that you're doing so much for them."

"Thanks, but I'm really not doing well." She let her hand rest on Koromaru's back, looking so glum as she stared at his fur. "I feel like Akihiko-senpai was right that I should've been able to detect that something was wrong. But without Juno, I can't sense anything anymore."

Ryuichi looked upon her with the same guilt. "That's not your fault, though," he told her, even though it felt like he was saying it more to himself. "How could we know? He just looked a little sick, and that's pretty normal for anyone around this time of year."

"But he kept getting worse!" she yelped, startling him. "We should've done something!"

"But we lost our memories," Ryuichi tried to point out, feeling like he was making more excuses. "We didn't remember who he was, and we didn't think much of him being sick—"

"But after!" she cried. "After we remembered everything, we should've taken him straight to the hospital. We might've been able to save him if we'd just done that instead! We had all day, and we didn't... We didn't..."

Fuuka choked on her words as the tears fell. Ryuichi felt his own begin to fill his eyes. He couldn't make any more excuses. The others were right: They could have done more, but they didn't.

"I'm sorry, Fuuka," he said, standing up from the couch. "You're right: I should've done more. I'll see you at the funeral."

"That's not what I meant—"

He didn't wait for her to finish. He left the dorm in a hurry and didn't look back.

As he rode back to the mansion, Ryuichi's mind weighed heavily on his brief visit. Everyone's guilt was so cold and dark that he could feel it slither into his body and begin to pull his own guilt out from his navel. It mixed with their guilt, all of them bleeding freely while none of them trying to stop the hemorrhaging.

He recalled graduation day, remembering that they all just left Minato in his room and only checked on him occasionally while they had their stupid pizza party without him. Aigis would check on him periodically, giving them reports that Minato's vitals were stable, though still weaker than normal. She detected nothing else wrong with him, and they figured that all he needed was a little rest and nothing more.

What more could they have done? It wasn't like before, where he could see so many instances in Takeharu Kirijo's final moments where he could have done something to prevent his death. With Minato, the only options he thought could have saved him was to either take him to the hospital right away or have someone constantly looking after him.

He tore his attention away from his guilt, struggling to find something else to think about. After riding for a few minutes, an idea struck him.

"I think I know what to get Mitsuru," he said to himself, and rode past the mansion to head for Kawaguchi University, barely feeling the cold numbing his hands.

When he returned to the Kirijo mansion, Ryuichi drove around to the side of the building where he believed the massive underground garage would be, since he had always seen the cars go there after being dropped off. Thankfully he was correct and parked his motorcycle next to Mitsuru's. He entered the mansion through the connecting door, where he was met with maids and the older butler with the mustache.

"Welcome home, Ryuichi-sama," they all greeted him with a bow.

"Ryuichi-sama, the next time you return home, please leave your motorcycle at the front and someone will take care of parking it for you," the butler advised him.

Even though it was a simple mistake, it felt like he had caused them a lot of trouble. "Sorry, I didn't know," he murmured to them, bowing in apology. "I'll be sure to do it right next time."

When he straightened up, he saw concern on all their faces.

"Ryuichi-sama, did something happen while you were out?" Harumi asked in her cold voice.

He cast his doleful gaze away from them. "Everything's fine," he said. He could tell that none of them believed him.

They took his jacket, helmet, and his backpack containing a bag with two Kawaguchi University hoodies that he bought for himself and for Mitsuru.

"Oh, I'll keep this," he told them quickly as he reached for his backpack. "One of them's actually for Mitsuru, but I want to gift wrap it first."

Harumi handed his backpack over to another maid beyond his reach. "We will wrap it for you, so go ahead and rest in your room."

He wanted to be the one to wrap Mitsuru's present, but he didn't have the will to argue with them. "Okay, thanks," he murmured, and turned to leave.

They started offering him a late lunch, tea, snacks, and other things they thought might cheer him up or be of use to him, but he refused everything. They kept asking if he was feeling all right, or if there was anything they could do for him, but he just wanted to be alone for a little while. He didn't have the heart to tell them that, and instead said that he was just going to try to familiarize himself with the mansion a little more. They offered to have someone give him a tour, but he declined, making up some bullshit about learning better if he just explored by himself.

He sauntered off, keeping his head down and hands deep in his pockets. He didn't want to hide out in his room all day, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stand drowning in his guilt with no distractions. Walking didn't help much either, only allowing him to concentrate even more on his failures.

To get his mind off of his encounter with his old dorm mates, he tried to think about how he would welcome Mitsuru when she came home. She would be returning later that night, and he wanted to make sure that she had someone there to greet her with more than just a bow and a static greeting.

As he thought about how to greet Mitsuru, he wandered around the mansion, having no idea where he was. He had never entered his new home through the garage before, and none of the rooms or hallways looked familiar. The longer he took to find a room he knew, the more he sank deeper into his anguish from not being able to save Minato. It was yet another death that haunted him, making him question if any amount of training he endured would enable him to protect the people he cared for.

His body became heavy with renewed remorse as he trudged towards what he hoped was a place he knew. He came to the music room at long last, finding no relief as he sat down at the piano there. He glanced up at the Kirijo family portrait over the fireplace, seeing Mitsuru's father staring down at him as if reminding him that the tiny embers of a smile in his eyes could have returned if only he had protected him.

Ryuichi played songs of melancholy and defeat, the only pieces he could give as offerings to the late Takeharu and Minato. As he played, he felt as though his body refused to sit upright, where his face kept sinking lower until it just barely hovered over the keys. When he finished a song with a despairing chord, he let out a weary sigh.

"Ah, so it was you who was playing those sorrowful songs."

Confused, Ryuichi sat up and slowly turned to see who had spoken. He gasped when he saw what looked like a frail Mitsuru sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a copper kimono emblazoned with a shimmering crane. Her wine red hair had a few streaks of gray in it, visible even though she wore it pinned up in a bun. Her bright, auburn eyes looked upon him with curiosity and pity, and yet she seemed delighted to see him there. Thin laugh lines traced around her delicate lips, visible even though she wasn't smiling then. Apart from the wheelchair, the other main indicator that the woman before him wasn't Mitsuru was the beauty mark by the corner of her lip.

Ryuichi shakily got to his feet, still alarmed at the sight of this older, more fragile version of his girlfriend.

"Could it be?" the woman said in a light, airy voice unlike Mitsuru's. "Ah, I see now. You must be the Ryuichi Okazaki I've heard so much about."

She smiled, her warmth spreading to her eyes. "Forgive me for not standing. My name is Hanae Kirijo. I am Mitsuru's mother."

Shock wracked his chest, and he quickly bowed low to her. "F-Forgive me! I didn't realize—" he babbled, shaking too much to properly form words. "Oku-sama, I am Ryuichi Okazaki, Mitsu—Ojou-sama's bodyguard and butler."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Okazaki-san. Would you care to join me for tea?"

The maid attending to her wheeled her out of the music room and down the hall. Ryuichi followed, pausing at the door to glance back at the family portrait. He stared at the young woman sitting in the chair next to Takeharu, seeing how youthful she was and surprised that she seemed so much more energetic now compared to the portrait. The shock zapped him again as he hurried after her.

He was directed to the tea room where he and Mitsuru had spoken with Mitsuru's grandmother. Two maids assisted Hanae out of her wheelchair to sit in the farthest corner of the room, easing her down slowly onto the sofa and smoothing out her kimono for her. Harumi looked to Ryuichi and motioned for him to sit on the seat opposite from Hanae, to which he cautiously obeyed.

"I must say, I'm glad to finally meet you after reading all about you these past few years," Hanae said to Ryuichi as the maids served them tea. "All I had were the reports my husband sent me while I was abroad for my health."

Ryuichi sat there with his jaw hanging. Her airy voice echoed in his ears, but no matter how many times he heard her in his head, he struggled to grasp what she had said.

"Okazaki-san, is everything all right?" she asked him kindly.

He shook himself back to consciousness. "Hm? O-Oh, um, yes, my apologies, Oku-sama," he murmured, ashamed that he was stunned so badly. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself yesterday when I first moved in. I was not aware that you were also here."

She smiled at him. "It's quite all right, Okazaki-san," she said. "I asked Mitsuru not to mention me to you just yet. I'm only just coming off of a cold, and I did not wish to trouble you while you are still in mourning."

She took a sip of her tea. "That music you were playing earlier—it was so beautiful and so melancholic. Today is actually the first day since I fell ill that I was able to leave my room, and when I heard your music, I wanted to see for myself who was playing it."

Ryuichi bowed stiffly in his seat. "I-It is an honor to hear that from you, Oku-sama," he replied, still nervous that he was in her presence and having tea with her like a friend. "I would be happy to play more songs for you."

"Thank you. Perhaps when Mitsuru returns tonight, she would like to be welcomed with a cheery tune."

"Yes, of course, Oku-sama."

He sat back up, still trembling as he fought to catch his breath. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat while the source of his fear watched him carefully.

A maid handed him a cup of tea. Ryuichi took the cup, but he just held it, balancing it on its saucer with a shaky hand.

"Please, help yourself," Hanae said to Ryuichi. "I hope you like German chamomile."

The maid offered Hanae a plate of sandwiches next. She set her teacup down and took one. Ryuichi was offered the plate next, and he waved it away.

"Though this is only the first time we've met, I feel as though I've known you for years now," Hanae said in her airy voice. "Though I will admit, I always both dreaded and looked forward to reading the reports my husband forwarded to me from both you and Mitsuru."

Ryuichi was still rigid in his seat while she spoke. He remembered that he was still holding a teacup and took a sip, too scared to be able to taste anything.

"Although, reading about you is completely different from getting to know you in person," she continued, still beaming at him. "You're much quieter than what I envisioned.

"There's no need to be shy around me, Okazaki-san. Please, feel free to help yourself to anything here."

As if on command, he reached for a sandwich. He didn't take a bite from it, only stared at it as guilt stirred in his stomach. Even before he met Mitsuru's mother, he had already caused her so much trouble and grief, yet here she was, treating him like an honored guest. But, if she was skilled with social situations like Mitsuru, then she was probably covering up her hatred for him.

Ryuichi was almost hyperventilating in his seat. His guilt was corroding him from within. He couldn't understand why this woman was being so kind to him after all that he had done to her and her family. And her smile—All he could feel from it was a motherly love and warmth, and it made the tar-like guilt boil in his stomach.

It all became too great for him to endure. He set down both his teacup and his sandwich, then stood up and stepped off to the side of the sofa.

"Okazaki-san?"

Ryuichi placed one knee down on the rug, then the other next to it. He placed his palms flat on the floor, then bowed low so his forehead touched the rug between his hands.

"I am deeply sorry that I couldn't protect your husband," he said to her, fighting back tears. "If I could, I would gladly give my life in exchange for his."

He could feel everyone's horrified stares on him. He held his breath, waiting for Hanae's judgment. He imagined the worst, hoping that it would come swiftly.

"Oh, my. If you did that, my daughter would never forgive you."

He blinked, but didn't move.

"Okazaki-san, if you are looking for forgiveness, I'm am not going to give it to you," Hanae said, her airy voice too light for the weight of her words.

Ryuichi grimaced as his tears spotted the rug. "I understand."

"I'm afraid you don't. I am not going to forgive you for something that is not your fault. Therefore, there is nothing to be forgiven.

"Now, please sit back down."

Shaking, Ryuichi obeyed, taking a moment to blink away his tears. Harumi gave him some tissues, and he thanked her as he gratefully took them. As he smashed his face into the tissues, he realized that he felt too fiilthy and unworthy to be sitting there.

Hanae looked upon him with pity in her eyes. "It must have been difficult for you, especially after the Board of Directors unjustly blamed you for his death," she said, and motioned with a delicate hand for him to have some tea.

She put on a compassionate smile for him. "Please, Okazaki-san. If Mitsuru finds you distraught, she will be upset with me."

He let slip a tiny chuckle, surprising himself.

"That's better." Her smile softened. "Honestly, I don't know how I would have explained to Mitsuru that I made her bodyguard cry."

Ryuichi choked on his tea, the scalding liquid going up his nose. Coughing, he mashed his tissues to his mouth, and Harumi quickly took his teacup from him.

"S-Sorry," he sputtered.

Hanae nodded, looking more upset with herself than with him as she set down her teacup. "As I was saying before, I am not the one who can forgive you for what happened to my husband," she said in a motherly voice. "I never blamed you for his death, and neither does Mitsuru. I believe what you have been doing is projecting your guilt onto others, where you are imagining that we are blaming you for his death."

"Then, what should I do?" he murmured between coughs. "How can I make things right when I can't bring your husband back?"

Her gentle gaze pierced through him, making him shudder.

"You need to find it in yourself to forgive yourself," she told him simply. "You're the only one who can do it."

He immediately rejected the idea, thinking that she had to be crazy. How could he forgive himself? How could she, the wife of the former head of the Kirijo Group, not hold any grudges against him for the death of her husband?

"I know how it sounds, Okazaki-san, but I honestly believe that you are having trouble forgiving yourself," she said in a confident voice. "You might not be able to do it right away, but over time, you should be able to slowly let go of that guilt and accept that you are not responsible for what happened."

She let out a weary sigh. "I used to feel a similar guilt, and even now, I still feel it every once in a while. Due to my poor health, I couldn't be there to support my husband through his difficulties. I couldn't care for our daughter, either, since she was such a rambunctious child. It's not easy for someone in my condition to try to climb a tree after her daughter."

Ryuichi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unsure if he had heard her correctly. He wasn't sure if he should have laughed, either.

"I was saddened when I learned of his passing, of course, and the guilt flooded my very being," she continued, her smile fading a few shades. "I keep telling myself, 'If only I had been there' or 'If only I wasn't so weak', but in the end, I realized that there was nothing I could do for him.

"However, there was still someone I could help," she said, her voice growing bolder. "It's just a shame that it took my husband's passing for me to finally gain the courage and the strength to be there for our daughter. Because of that, Mitsuru and I were able to grow closer."

Her smile regained its luster. "Sometimes, when we're hurt so deeply by a tragedy, we struggle to find the good around us. Mitsuru struggled with this back then, where she refused to let herself grieve properly, even in private. She was undoubtedly devastated by the loss of her father and tried to push everyone away, but I'm grateful that she has friends as stubborn as she is who reached out to her."

Ryuichi lowered his tissue from his face, crumpling it in his hand. He took a deep breath, fighting back a sob as he slowly calmed down.

"I'm sure you will one day be able to forgive yourself," Hanae said as she gestured to the cake on the table. A maid stepped forward to cut a slice for her. "And I'm sure that my husband wouldn't want you to remain mired in a guilt that was pushed onto you. He would have wished for you to live a full and happy life, one that you could be proud of and live with no regrets."

She accepted the slice of cake, and the maid cut one for Ryuichi, too. He held the little plate in his hand, still clutching the tissue in the other. He was still thinking about everything Hanae had said, wondering what it must have been like for her to not have the strength to keep up with her family. All he could imagine was pure anguish and helplessness, yet somehow, she pushed through it, her smile so bright that the darkness couldn't snuff it out. He admired her for it, in awe at her strength of will and love for her family.

"Are you feeling better now, Okazaki-san?" Hanae asked, her smile so warm it enveloped him like a motherly embrace.

"Yes, I think so," he managed to say in a raspy voice. "I'm actually inspired by you, by your strength to overcome your own pain and to forgive yourself for something beyond your control. You're so strong, even though you say you aren't."

She let out a chuckle. "You're too kind, Okazaki-san. But, is there anything you would like to ask me? Anything that is still weighing on your mind?"

Ryuichi bashfully scratched his face. "Well, there is one thing."

"Go ahead."

"Well..."

He exhaled slowly. "Did Mits—Ojou-sama really used to climb trees as a kid?" he blurted out.

Hanae's face froze with humor for just a second, and then a hearty laugh escaped her.

"My, my! Is that what you've been wondering?" she chortled. Even some of the maids seemed to thin their lips to hide their smiles. "If you must know, she was such a handful, and not just by climbing trees. She was often a little too direct when she spoke to others, and her unrelenting harshness sometimes brought the other children to tears."

Ryuichi knew Mitsuru had a tendency to be a bit too straightforward at times, but perhaps the brutal candidness he experienced from others made her words seem more like encouragements to him.

The door to the room closed. Ryuichi looked up to see that all the maids had left. They were alone.

"But yes, as I was saying, Mitsuru did have a bit of a naughty streak in that sense," she continued to say. "And it seems that she still does, considering what happened last December."

Ryuichi felt his soul start to drift out of his body.

"I'm sure you are familiar with it, as you were the one to publicly declare your feelings for her first."

He thought his heart failed right then. His mind blanked out, his body tingled all over, and his fingers and toes ran cold.

Hanae ate a small bite of cake, savoring the taste. "If it had only been you to speak up, it would have been fine, but then Mitsuru reciprocated your feelings in front of Miyashiro-san. It took almost everyone's efforts to cover that up, and it wasn't easy with Miyashiro-san constantly harassing Mitsuru, myself, and the Board of Directors about it. My mother even had to intervene when he wouldn't back down."

Ryuichi felt light-headed. He wanted to lie down, but he remained in his seat, his stomach roiling and cramping with anxiety.

"It was fortunate we had my mother's help in that situation, as we had the support of the Nanjo Group thanks to her," Hanae continued. "Those months were a trying time for us, where the Kirijo family was being highly uncooperative, but I am grateful that we are still on good terms with the Nanjo Group for them to help us with Miyashiro."

A smile appeared on her face. "I would estimate that almost the entirety of the Kirijo family absolutely detested both Mitsuru and her father at the time. They were greatly displeased when they received no inheritance from my late husband, and began to show their true colors and expressed their disdain for both my husband and daughter right in front of us."

Ryuichi had another concern on his mind, but Hanae wasn't done.

"The way things are now, Mitsuru is doing her best to lead our family, even though they still hold a grudge towards her and her father."

She looked to him now. "I'm sorry to say this, but the relatives also know about you, too, and they also voiced their abhorrence for what you did. They spared no harsh words when they confronted Mitsuru about her feelings for you, even though they only have Miyashiro-san's word and no concrete evidence of what happened that day."

Each truth she dropped on him was like a sword piercing his chest. He felt like he was dying slowly, kept barely alive just so he could feel the sear of his sins.

"Even now, they still believe that both you and Mitsuru brought the Kirijo Group to ruin, but that just shows how stubborn and foolish they are," Hanae told him. "They're still bitter about the inheritance, and each of them still believe that they would have been a better president for the Group. However, if they had to choose between Mitsuru and Miyashiro-san, they would have chosen Miyashiro-san for his experience."

Her smile faded away, but a tiny light remained in her eyes. "As you already know, Yusei Miyashiro was supposed to take over as the new president of the Kirijo Group. No one among the relatives wanted him to lead us, but after learning that relatives were forbidden from becoming the president over the Kirijo Group due to Takeharu's will, they were forced to rely on an outsider to do so instead. Worse still, Miyashiro-san managed to procure some information about our past that he used to blackmail us."

"Blackmail?" Ryuichi seethed in his seat, containing his rage with a clenched jaw. "So, it wasn't because he was capable of running a company, but because he was blackmailing the Kirijo Group?"

"He does have managerial experience, but for the most part, the blackmail is what forced us to go along with his terms." Hanae paused to set her plate down. "We spent quite some time 'learning' more about Miyashiro-san, and when Mitsuru ended her engagement with him, we had to act fast to make sure that none of the information regarding Shadows or the experiments my father-in-law performed was leaked.

"The Board of Directors tried forcing Mitsuru to send a formal apology to Miyashiro-san in the hopes that we could still merge our companies together. They quickly changed their minds after we discovered that Miyashiro-san's company was deep in debt, along with many of his underhanded tactics to secure deals with other companies."

Hanae took a sip of tea. "And to think, my husband tried to free Mitsuru from all the burdens that his father placed on him, only for all of this to happen," she said with a sigh. "His will did relieve us of the debts that his father left him, but as you can see, Mitsuru is still struggling with so many other difficulties."

Ryuichi inhaled deeply. He released his breath as he thought about how many burdens she now carried, and how she never told him about how her relatives hated him for what he did.

"Is it really okay for you to be telling me all this?" he cautiously asked Hanae.

Her smile returned, warmer this time. "I probably wouldn't have mentioned it if Mitsuru didn't already hold you in high regards. After all, she told you about her engagement to Miyashiro-san, did she not?"

"Y-Yeah—I mean, yes, she did."

"Then I see no harm in sharing all of this with you." She took up her slice of cake again. "Mitsuru does not share her personal life with others so readily, so I can see that she has the utmost trust in you."

Sighing, Ryuichi hung his head. "So, should I even try to deny anything?"

"No need. It's best to save your strength."

He chuckled wryly, finally letting himself have a bite of his sandwich. Hanae beamed at him with a motherly smile.

"So, after all this time, Mitsuru—I mean, Ojou-sama's been dealing with all this?" he asked her.

"Please, call her by her name," Hanae said to him. "I know she is opposed to you addressing her as 'Ojou-sama'."

His eye twitched. "Um, okay, Oku-sama," he said shyly. "But, while I do not regret my feelings for your daughter or for what I did, I'm concerned about causing Mitsuru's relatives to hate her."

"In truth, they never liked the main family, so anyone who would be in Mitsuru's position would be despised, even if any one of them was in her place or whether or not you made your feelings known to them," she said as though it was a compliment. "They really are only after what Mitsuru has and never cared much for her. It's terrible, I know, but as long as she has her good friends with her, I am most certain that she will be fine."

There was that smile again. Ryuichi was starting to get unnerved by it.

"However, now that it has been made clear to her what they really think of her and of her boyfriend, I have no doubts that she won't forget it so easily," Hanae said, sounding proud of her daughter. "Some of them have already begun to try to get back into Mitsuru's good graces. I would be on high alert if I were you, in the event that they might try to 'befriend' you, too."

For the first time in his life, Ryuichi was more afraid of people who dared to call themselves his friends than he was of people who despised him.

Hanae cut a small piece from her slice of cake with her fork. "Not to worry, Okazaki-san. Mitsuru assigned two of the best of our staff to protect you from their advances. Though I will say, as the relatives have no actual evidence to prove that you and Mitsuru are dating, I advise you both to continue your charade of being merely bodyguard and charge, or friends at most.

"Furthermore, there is no need for you to worry about Mitsuru in regards to how she feels about her family treating her so poorly. All of this is a reality that she understood early on as a child. She was very much aware that her relatives would only ever see her as a commodity to use for their gain, which is why they had no qualms about her engagement to Miyashiro-san."

Her words clenched around his heart, knowing too well what that feels like.

"It's all right, Okazaki-san. With you at her side, she won't falter so easily."

She astounded him just then, the way she put so much trust in him to support Mitsuru. He wasn't sure how to respond, and instead cut a chunk from his slice of cake to eat, finishing it in only a few bites.

She finished off the last bit of her cake. "Hm, this reminds me of something Mitsuru told me not long ago," she said, smiling fondly. "She said that the tea you prepared and the meals you cooked were always delicious. Will we get a chance to sample your food one of these days?"

Ryuichi blinked. "Uh, sure," he said, caught off-guard by the change of topic. "I mean, I'd be delighted to. Although, it's probably not going to be anywhere near as good as anything Kikuno-san makes."

She surprised him by letting out a hearty laugh. "Forgive me, but I'm afraid you're mistaken," she told him, keeping her voice low. "The truth is, Kikuno-san lacks culinary skills."

Ryuichi nearly dropped his plate. "What? But, she was the one who taught me how to—"

"Did she actually teach you, or did she tell you to bake a cake without instructing you in how to do it?"

His eyes widened with realization. "She gave me recipes to follow and had me bake them all," he said slowly, recalling his "butler training" from a year ago. "But, she never corrected me on anything.

"But wait, she made us breakfast before!"

"Did she? Or did she have you cook it?"

He thought back again and gasped.

"Well, shit," he said without thinking.

He slapped a hand over his mouth and burned a brilliant shade of red. Hanae laughed, wiping a tear from her eye.

"F-Forgive me, Oku-sama—"

It's quite all right, Okazaki-san," she told him through her laughter. "Mitsuru did say that you were amusing, and I'm glad to finally see it for myself."

Blood continued to rush to his face. He could feel veins start to pop out on his neck and forehead from sheer humiliation and fear that he had offended her.

As Hanae settled down, her revelation to him regarding Kikuno's cooking skills sank in. All those times he thought she was an expert in cooking was nothing but a farce!

"Does Mitsuru know?" he whispered to Hanae.

"It's possible, though I wouldn't want to be the one to ruin her image of Kikuno-san just yet," Hanae replied.

She offered him some more cake, but he respectfully declined. "To be honest, part of the reason why we decided to make you Mitsuru's butler is because it was convenient that you lived in the same dorm," Hanae admitted to him. "Kikuno's other tasks were keeping her busy, and it was easier to have someone prepare tea for Mitsuru who was already constantly by her side. We were just relieved that you are actually skilled with cooking.

"Although, Kikuno-san tells us that your flavor profile often leans towards the more decadent tastes."

He let out a hollow chuckle. "W-Well, um, at least Mitsuru didn't starve?"

"True, true."

Ryuichi couldn't believe that he was actually starting to feel a little more relaxed around her. His heart was still racing, but at least she didn't seem to hate him for any reason.

Hanae let out a satisfied sigh. "She's much happier now, I've noticed," she said, looking up from her tea to eye him. "Thank you for not only supporting her, but also for being a good friend to her."

He bowed in his seat. "She's been a good friend to me, too, even though I've caused her a lot of trouble," he told her. "I intend to continue to be there for her."

"Thank you, Okazaki-san."

"Please, feel free to call me 'Ryuichi'."

She gasped in delight. "Very well, Ryuichi-san," she said, smiling again. "I'm happy that my daughter found someone who cares deeply for her."

As if on cue, a knock came at the door, and the maids returned. Hanae looked to them with a slightly disappointed smile.

"Oh? Is it that time already?" she asked. "Very well."

She refused the wheelchair, wanting to walk for herself. Looking at her now, she seemed to have regained some vitality from their chat, though she still needed some help from the maids to stand from the couch.

Hanae glanced over to Ryuichi again. "Do you like your room, Ryuichi-san? I picked that one in particular because I thought you might prefer to be closer to your charge."

He was surprised to hear that. "It's like a room in a castle," he told her, smiling bashfully. "Um, thank you. You have excellent taste."

He stood and bowed to her. "Thank you for the tea, and for the advice," he said.

"And thank you for the enjoyable afternoon," she replied. "I hope to hear more songs from you."

"Yes, and I'll be sure to cook for you occasionally, as well."

"I look forward to it."

She left the room, and Ryuichi let out a sigh while the maids cleaned up after them. He started to collect the plates with them, but they waved him off and suggested that he go and enjoy the rest of his day.

"One day I'll forgive myself, huh?" he muttered to himself as he left the room. "I wonder about that."

He kept replaying his conversation with Hanae in his head. All he could think about was what she said about the guilt she felt when she couldn't do anything to support her family. He wondered how anyone could hold her accountable for something beyond her control, that she couldn't possibly be expected to care for someone when she had such poor health. She didn't choose to be ill, and yet she still blamed herself.

"But, that's the difference between us," he muttered under his breath once he was back in his room. "I'm not ill. I don't have an excuse. I should have protected your husband."

He leaned his back against his door and sighed. "I couldn't even protect our leader. There's no excuse for that."

He went out onto the balcony from his bedroom, leaning against the balustrade as he stared at some gardeners at work down below. Before long, Keigo knocked at his door, asking if he would like any tea or snacks. Ryuichi told him that he just had tea with Hanae, and that he wasn't hungry yet.

"Ryuichi-sama, I know it's hard losing a friend, but it helps if you keep yourself busy," he advised. "How about you do something to keep your mind off of things?"

"Every time I try to clean, I get told to leave it to the maids," he reminded him.

"Ah, right. Then, how about a movie? There's a private theater, and we can bring you snacks."

He suggested many other activities Ryuichi could do, but he declined them all. Another maid approached them and offered more things he could do if he so wished. When he declined those as well, she asked if he was all right. He told them both that he was tired and wanted to rest in his room for a little while.

Around ten o'clock at night, Ryuichi went downstairs to the music room with the cake he baked the previous night and Mitsuru's present. The Kawaguchi hoodie was now in a box and tied up in a red, satin ribbon, the packaging looking far more expensive than the present itself. His gifts were nothing compared to everything that Mitsuru, Hanae, and the staff had done for him, and he knew he could never repay them for any of it. Still, he wanted Mitsuru to have the gifts, wanted her to have something to let her know that he missed her dearly.

While waiting for Mitsuru, he sat down at the piano and began to play a song quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone, especially Hanae. Every now and then, he would glance up at the Kirijo family portrait, an instant captured of when the family was together with hope for the future in their eyes. He still felt guilt stab its talons into his gut, but he shook it away, wanting to welcome Mitsuru with a smile.

Somewhere not far from the music room, a grandfather clock chimed to announce that it was eleven o'clock. Ryuichi listened for the front door opening, for the twin rows of maids greeting Mitsuru upon her arrival. He hoped that she would come by the time the chimes ended, but he was still alone in the silent music room with the occasional maid or butler checking on him.

He continued to play another song, nodding off from exhaustion over his guilt and his excitement to see Mitsuru again. He played "Kiss of the Rain" three times in a row, wanting it to be the song she heard when she came home.

"Welcome home, Ojou-sama," came the maids' greeting from down the hall.

Ryuichi snapped awake when he heard them. He started up the song again, hearing the familiar sound of high heels clicking on tiles. Her footsteps ended just outside the music room threshold, remaining there as he continued to play. He could feel Mitsuru's aura on his back, strong but gentle, the way he always felt her. Part of the way through the song, he slowly twisted around to look at her.

There she stood, wearing a black pantsuit with high heels and looking weary from the long week of work and travel. Little bags hung beneath her dim eyes, and a heavy sigh laden with fatigue and relief escaped her. He felt a change in her as she smiled, an expression of elation replacing the exhausted one she wore only a second ago.

Ryuichi stopped playing. He stood up from the piano bench and returned her smile.

"Welcome home, Mitsuru," he said softly to her.

The two crossed the room and collided into each other with a hug. Ryuichi didn't mind the pain, and Mitsuru didn't mention it.

"I'm home," she said with a sigh. For the first time since moving in, Ryuichi could say that he was, too.

...

The next day, they laid Minato to rest. There were so many people who came out on that sunny Saturday to see their friend off. In a single year, Minato had made a good number of friends, many who wept throughout the funeral. There were Gekkoukan students, some of who Ryuichi recognized as the timid Chihiro from the Student Council, the pompous Hidetoshi, some boy in Minato's class who Ryuichi didn't know, a rotund guy who Ryuichi recognized from his year, Yuko and Kazushi from kendo, and of course everyone from SEES. Toriumi-sensei, who was Minato's homeroom teacher, hung in the back, but some of the students went over to speak to her, sharing their memories of Minato.

There were some members of the kendo team who came by, and some from the Photography Club who paid him a visit. Mamoru Hayase from their rival school's kendo team stopped by and engaged in conversation with the Gekkoukan kendo team, recalling that Minato was fearsome in their kendo match against each other. The elderly couple who owned Bookworms lamented to Ryuichi that they had often seen Minato sort of like a son to them, and that he saved their beloved persimmon tree that grew in Gekkoukan High's courtyard. Even the priest who performed the rites spoke of Minato as though he knew him personally.

Among Minato's friends was a curious, eccentric young woman with short, white hair and a blue dress who didn't seem too upset about Minato's passing. Rather, she kept trying to strike up conversations with other people to inquire about what happens after one's death, and even asked if it was possible for someone to return from it.

There were many others who Ryuichi didn't recognize, wondering what kind of life Minato led during his one year in Iwatodai. Without a doubt, he was so beloved by all his friends, and he would be dearly missed.

Ryuichi and Mitsuru couldn't stay long after the ceremony, as Mitsuru had more work to be done. He could see in her somber eyes that she wanted to linger for a little while more, but she had her family's company to think about.

As they waded through the sea of black suits and simple black dresses, Fuuka called after them. They turned around and saw her slipping her way through the crowds, and the remaining SEES members were right behind her.

"I know this isn't really the time to bring it up, but shouldn't we at least have a final sendoff for ourselves since we'll all be moving out of the dorm by the end of the month?" she asked timidly.

Ryuichi had forgotten all about the dorm being closed down on April first. There was no more Dark Hour, and thus no need for them to stay there anymore.

Mitsuru looked to be caught off-guard by her question. She took a moment to think about it before finally saying: "Does March thirty-first work for everyone?"

Most of them didn't look eager to join, particularly Yukari.

"I have cram school that day," Yukari murmured, and turned to leave.

"Yukari," Mitsuru called after her, but she didn't even look back.

No one else said anything, nor did they try to voice whether or not they would attend the sendoff party. Ryuichi couldn't even find the urgency to speak up or try to encourage them.

Next to Fuuka, Junpei bobbed up and down on his toes.

"Come on, guys!" Junpei said, somehow full of pep. "One last hurrah for old time's sake! It's what our leader would've wanted!"

When the remaining few looked uneasily to one another, Junpei whirled around to face Mitsuru, flashing her his mischievous grin. "Hey, Senpai? Will there be sushi?"

Managing a forced chuckle, Mitsuru returned his grin with a weak smile. "Always focused on the important parts, aren't you?" she asked, getting back a rapid series of nods from him. "Very well. I will make the arrangements for sushi."

With their plans set for the end of the month, Ryuichi and Mitsuru headed directly to Mitsuru's meeting. Ryuichi spent the duration of the meeting in the car while Mitsuru, Kikuno, and another maid went inside the building to conduct business. They dropped him off at the Kirijo mansion afterward on their way to the next meeting, and with nothing else to do, Ryuichi decided to cook dinner for Mitsuru.

The chefs and maid staff supported him, offering him the best ingredients he could hope for so he could prepare the curry rice. He realized that he had taken over their jobs, and when he expressed worry for them and for what Hanae would eat, they told him that they would take care of Hanae's meal. That night, after Mitsuru finished her plate of curry rice, Ryuichi was informed that Hanae would have liked to try his cooking. He couldn't stop apologizing for not thinking to make enough for her, as well.

Early the next morning, Ryuichi stopped by Mitsuru's bedroom to give her the White Day chocolates he made for her. When she didn't answer, he figured that she was busy getting ready for work and headed downstairs with his box of chocolates and his bag, saddened that he might not get to see her before he left for his training. He was pleasantly surprised to see her already waiting downstairs in the foyer, wearing her new Kawaguchi hooded sweater. He set his bag down by the front door and turned to her.

"Um, happy White Day," he said when he gave her the box of chocolates. He was almost shaking with anticipation, worried that she wouldn't like them.

Mitsuru smiled when she opened the box to see all the decorated chocolates inside. She selected one with a little red heart on it and gave it a taste. The bliss on her face almost made him moan with relief when he saw that she liked it.

"C'est magnifique," she said after her first bite. "I hope the maid staff didn't give you a hard time when you made all this."

"They were very helpful, and so were the chefs," he said, grinning. "But, uh, let's just say the chocolates came from everybody."

Looking around, Ryuichi noticed that the maids had cleared out, giving them a little privacy so they could bid each other a proper good bye. He pulled Mitsuru into a warm embrace, the two sharing a quick kiss that sent electricity and ice to tingle all throughout Ryuichi's nerves. His brain went numb for a few moments, offering him a tiny respite from all the anguish of the past week.

Mitsuru sighed into his shoulder. Her embrace lacked fervor, and Ryuichi knew that his did, too.

"It wasn't your fault," he told her.

She sighed again. "Nor was it yours."

He had trouble believing it. "I just don't get how they couldn't find anything even after two autopsies," he murmured into her hair. "Was there anything we could've done to prevent his death?"

"I don't know. I just can't stand how helpless I feel, not knowing why he died or if we could have saved him."

Mitsuru stepped away, slipping her arms off of him. She was so crestfallen, looking almost the way she did after losing her father with her shoulders sagging, her hand grasping her elbow, head slightly bent down, and her eyes lost in a daze. Seeing her so defeated made Ryuichi think that he should postpone his training for a day or two, just so he could be there for her.

"Are you going to be okay here?" he asked her carefully.

She kept staring through his chest. "I'll be fine," she reassured him in a fading voice. "Will you be all right?"

Ryuichi let out a sigh. "I think I'll be okay," he replied, unable to smile. "I'm gonna miss you a lot, though."

"I'm going to miss you, too." She stepped forward to embrace him again. "We barely had any time together since I returned."

"Yeah, but it can't be helped." He held her tight. "Is it going to be like this from now on?"

"It could be, I'm sorry to say."

"Then, we'll just have to make sure that every moment we get to spend together counts."

They kissed again, keeping it sweet and brief.

"I expect you to come back in one piece," Mitsuru told him firmly. "So no new scars on your body."

Ryuichi touched his forehead to hers. "I'll try," he said, giving her another peck on the lips. "Don't work yourself too hard, okay?"

"I can't guarantee that, but I'm sure Kikuno will remind me."

They heard footsteps coming towards them. They let go of each other, Mitsuru adjusting her outfit while Ryuichi ran his fingers through his hair. Keigo appeared, spying Ryuichi's bag by the door.

"I'll take your bag to the car for you, Ryuichi-sama," he said, flashing them an apologetic smile as if he knew he had interrupted something. He slung the strap of Ryuichi's bag over his shoulder and took it outside. They waited for him to return, not wanting to show any intimacy while he was around. When he came back, he just stood there and smiled, waiting for Ryuichi to take his leave so he could walk him to the car until Harumi showed up and dragged him away.

Mitsuru touched Ryuichi's arm. As he turned back to her, she pulled him into one final kiss.

"I love you," she whispered to him. "Come home safely."

Ryuichi blushed, smiling for her. "Will do. And, I love you, too."

As he headed out to the car, Ryuichi kept glancing back at Mitsuru. He saw the sorrow in her eyes and wanted to run back and hold her in his arms to try to take away her anguish, but he knew that he needed his training so he could finally stand or walk two paces behind her as her bodyguard again.

When he got settled in the car, he rolled down the window to wave to Mitsuru. He turned around in his seat to see her wave back, both of them still waving long after the car had been engulfed under the dark, dense canopy of trees. Even when Mitsuru was beyond his sight, Ryuichi kept waving, not yet ready to say good bye again so soon.

At the darkest part of the driveway, Ryuichi rolled his window back up and sighed. He was grateful to still have Mitsuru, but he also thought about their friends, wondering if they were still upset with him. He wasn't sure what he could do to fix things between them, hoping that their fractured friendship was only a temporary issue. He knew they were all distraught after losing Minato, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were blaming him for his death.

This was the future that they fought so hard for. To Ryuichi, it was miserable, cold, lonely, and agonizing. It wasn't the ideal life he had hoped for, but it was worse than what he expected. He knew he could endure his new life as long as Mitsuru was there, knowing that he would cherish even the tiniest shred of time they could spare together. If their friends could find it in themselves to forgive him for not saving Minato, he knew that his life would be a little more bearable. He just wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself.

Towards the end of the driveway, the sunlight began to shine through the tinted windows. Ryuichi looked to the light, watching as the gates up ahead opened for them. The car didn't have to slow down to stop for the gates, and accelerated on its way out, leaving the Kirijo mansion behind.

He didn't bother to take one last look back at the Kirijo home. He knew now that he had a home to return to, and more importantly, a family who cared about him. That thought alone was enough to give him a bit of comfort amid his grief and his guilt, giving him the strength to endure the next two-and-a-half weeks of training away from Mitsuru.

It would be a long wait until the sendoff party at the end of the month, but more than anything, he looked forward to seeing Mitsuru. Right now, she was the only thing he lived for, the only person he could face in spite of his failures. He couldn't wait to see her again, and he took comfort in knowing that Mitsuru felt the same about him.

 **Arc 6 End**

 **(Stay tuned for the Epilogue)**


	133. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

On March 31st, most of the SEES members gathered at the dorm to celebrate its last day open. It was the end of an era, and they felt that it was only right to have a little farewell party in the place that they were all able to call home for a little while.

In addition to the celebration, there was another purpose for meeting up again: To return their Evokers to Mitsuru. There was no point in keeping them anymore, now that the Shadows were gone, and so it was decided that they would surrender them to her. Aigis brought Minato's Evoker, having kept it after his passing.

Two members decided to skip out on the event, making excuses for not going despite having been notified more than two weeks ago. Akihiko told them that he was going to be busy at the gym, and Yukari left them a message saying that she had cram school that day. They left their Evokers behind for Mitsuru to collect, and neither had any reason to return to the dorm, as both of them had already moved out.

The others still had their little party, though it was a bittersweet one. They spent the afternoon and evening chatting and reminiscing while feasting on the sushi Mitsuru provided for them. Even though they were missing some members, they were still able to enjoy one another's company.

Just before midnight that night, they all turned their attention to the news report on the TV. They all had a strange feeling come upon them, like a slab of glass cracking within their chests. The next thing they knew, the reporter announced that it was March 31st again. Confused, they checked their phones for the time and date, and sure enough the little screens all read midnight on March 31st.

As strange as the situation was, Aigis decided to return to her room to go to bed. Ryuichi asked Mitsuru if she wanted to return home, but she decided to stay until she was certain that everything was all right. She called Yukari and Akihiko to check on them, and the others stayed in the lounge, trying to figure out if there was some sort of glitch with their phones or if the news report had been mistaken.

Without warning, the floor beneath the dining table opened up like two heavy iron basement doors, revealing a stairway leading downstairs. A girl emerged with a black mechanical body and a white arm, appearing to be an android much like Aigis. She wore a skirt of feather-shaped metal pieces in red and steel colors for armor and wielded a golden war hammer. She had short, black hair and wore a red and gold visor over her face.

She attacked. Without their weapons or Evokers, they all fell to her with little resistance. Fuuka managed to slip away to get Aigis, who came and summoned Pallas Athena to attack the intruder. Her Persona then transformed into Orpheus, and everyone stared in bewilderment as their late leader's Persona subdued the girl. Shortly after, Aigis collapsed.

While Aigis was still unconscious, Mitsuru and Fuuka worked to repair any damage she suffered in her battle with the strange girl. Despite attacking them before, the girl gave them some armor to put on Aigis, as though expecting her to go into battle when she woke up. Mitsuru complied, though she was reluctant to do so.

Akihiko and Yukari were called to come in, but didn't arrive until morning. Both were agitated for being summoned, clearly not wanting to be there, but they were instructed to help the others guard the girl in shifts. She eventually introduced herself as Metis and kept calling Aigis her sister.

Shortly after Yukari and Akihiko arrived at the dorm, they found that there was no way to leave. None of the exits would open, no matter how much they rammed themselves into the doors or tried to kick them in. They tried the windows, and even threw a chair at one, but they wouldn't shatter. With no way out, they decided to ration the little food they had, which wasn't much beyond instant noodles and rice.

When Aigis regained consciousness, Metis informed them all about something called the Abyss of Time. According to her, "The Abyss of Time below is causing a space-time distortion", which was the apparent cause of March 31st repeating itself and preventing them from leaving the dorm.

With no effort at all, she broke through the chains they had restrained her with and took them through the large doors in the dining room floor. The stairs took them to a vast desert with doors propped up on the sand. Metis explained to them that the Abyss of Time was its own entity, but for some reason it branched out to the dorm.

She told them that the flow of time there was not normal, and that she planned to eliminate them all to eradicate the Abyss of Time. The others didn't take her plan too well, and instead decided to investigate.

Mitsuru stepped up as leader and assigned roles to everyone. Aigis was appointed as the new leader in battle, due to her gaining the ability to change Personas like Minato used to. Junpei and Koromaru were sent to see if the Abyss of Time connected to any other parts of the dorm. With Ryuichi's help, Mitsuru searched Ikutsuki's old room in the command room to see if there was any information there regarding the Abyss of Time.

Aigis took a team with her to investigate the Desert of Doors just below the dorm. There, they found a dark figure enter one of the doors, and the team followed it. They ended up in a hallway that looked to have come from the dorm, with the same plain walls and the green carpet patched with yellow. Every so often, they came across a hole in the ground that led downwards to another hallway.

Down and down they went, fighting Shadows along the way. At the bottom, they came across some powerful Shadows. The dark figure from before ran by, and when Fuuka tried to identify it with Juno, she couldn't get a clear reading. It ran off, and they tried to pursue it when the Shadows attacked. They defeated the Shadows and came to a door standing on a platform, with sand spilling down from overhead and a giant, ornate pendulum swinging nearby.

The rest of the SEES team joined them by the mysterious door. When they entered it, it took them to Paulownia Mall. They noticed it was unusually hot there for a spring day, and when they ran into Officer Kurosawa, he scolded them for cutting class. They tried telling him that it was spring break, but he told them that it was actually June. In fact, a calendar in a store window indicated that it was June of 2009. They had been transported into the past.

With nothing more to do, they re-entered the door they had come in from, only to find themselves back in the dorm. They came out from Ryuichi's old bedroom door and appeared in the lounge behind the front desk. They couldn't access his room anymore, but they now had direct access to Paulownia Mall where they could stock up on supplies if needed.

Since they had no idea how long they would be trapped in the dorm, they all decided it was best to do a little shopping. Those who had already moved out had to buy bedding for their bare beds or futons to sleep on. Medicines, toiletries, clothes, and weapons were on their shopping list, and they were fortunate that there were some discount stores in the mall to help with their sparse budget. Any money they got from battling Shadows was put towards sustaining them, and they had to make sure to set aside some funds to pay for the expensive foods at the food court for their meals.

When they had a chance to talk about their situation, it became apparent that this Abyss of Time was like an upside-down Tartarus. The similarities were too much to ignore, especially now that they were back to fighting Shadows again with their Personas. Yukari complained that she had been ready to face the future and not look back to the past, only for them to be hurled back into a situation similar to what they experienced only last year.

There were still several doors to explore in the Desert of Doors. Aigis took another team, and when they saw that shadowy figure again, they pursued it through a different door. Once again, they continued deeper and deeper down through the Abyss of Time and came upon another set of powerful Shadows. The shadowy figure fled again, and after their battle, they came to yet another door, just like the one that took them to Paulownia Mall.

This time, the door didn't take them anywhere, but showed them a memory from the past. It showed Ken sitting in the police station, having just lost his mother. His claims of a monster destroying his house and killing his mother were dismissed by the police officer there, who told him that a car had crashed into their house instead. When the memory finished out, the door disappeared.

No one knew why they had viewed such a painful memory for Ken, but he was strangely calm about it. Metis suspected that the door "reflects the mind of those who enter it", and gave an example of how everyone's desire to get supplies opened a way to Paulownia Mall, which then gave them direct access from the dorm. She then explained that, with everyone sharing the same desire to escape from the Abyss of Time, there must have been a reason why they observed that particular memory of Ken's, and that there could be more memories they had yet to see.

Each door they entered in the Desert of Doors took them to a new memory. Akihiko's showed them the day that Mitsuru recruited him to join SEES. Junpei's revealed that he had run from his drunken father and ended up at Paulownia Mall the day Akihiko saved him during the Dark Hour.

It was around that time when Aigis noticed that Metis, despite being a humanoid android like her, was full of emotions, much like a normal girl. Compared to her, she was lively and spunky since they first met, whereas Aigis took several months to awaken to her emotions.

At some point, Metis pointed out that she got a strange feeling whenever she stood in front of Minato's bedroom door. For some reason, there was now a white-blue light emanating from it. When they tried to open it, they found the door to be locked, and no one had the key. No one wanted to try to break it down, as though it was a sacred place they shouldn't disturb.

There were more memories to see. Mitsuru's surprised her when she saw her father alive and well on the day she accompanied him, some bodyguards, and a scientist to investigate Tartarus about ten or so years ago. Ryuichi wanted to say something to try to comfort her, but he wasn't sure what to say after something like that.

Mitsuru was able to compose herself with Junpei's help. He pointed out how cute she had been as a child, and Mitsuru playfully fired back by asking if that wasn't the case anymore. While the others chuckled at Junpei's panicked reply, Ryuichi silently thanked Junpei for cheering her up.

"Thank you for holding back," Mitsuru whispered to Ryuichi when they were resting back at the dorm.

Ryuichi studied her face carefully. "Are you okay, though?" he asked her, not at all surprised that she was aware he wanted to help her before.

"It's fine. It just surprised me; that's all."

Ryuichi wanted to do more to comfort her and offered to make her some tea. She agreed to it as she walked away, letting him know that she didn't want to talk for the moment.

The next memory they came across was Ryuichi's. He held his breath when he saw his middle school self fleeing up the steps of Naganaki Shrine, all beaten up and filthy with blood and grime and dirt. A goopy Maya Shadow chased after him and slashed his calves with a knife. Little Ryuichi pitched forward and fell, his glasses cracking from the impact. As he lay there, ice exploded upon the Shadow, encasing it in a small iceberg.

A younger Mitsuru hurried to him, looking him over. "Are you all right? Here, give me your handkerchief so I can try to stop the bleeding."

Ryuichi remembered being so terrified back then. Not only had he survived the worst day of his life, he got chased by a monster and was rescued by his crush, who saw him get pantsed only hours prior. He sympathized with his younger self, watching as Mitsuru tied both his handkerchief and hers around the gashes on his calves. She helped him to a sitting position and handed him back his cracked glasses before straightening up.

"Akihiko. Akihiko, come in," she said urgently into her radio. "Can you hear me?"

She went over to inspect the Shadow, still sealed in ice. Static crackled over her radio, and she asked Akihiko to repeat what he had just said. She turned and started heading back to Ryuichi, still trying to explain her situation.

"I'm at Naganaki Shrine," she said. "Yes, he's safe, but—"

Ice cracked. Little Ryuichi looked up to see that the Shadow's hand wielding the knife had broken free from its frigid prison.

"—what was that? You're breaking up," Mitsuru said, not having heard the ice cracking.

The injured Ryuichi staggered to his feet. Mitsuru saw him and ordered him to sit back down. She hadn't noticed the Shadow at all.

"Look out!" Ryuichi cried, and ran over to shove her out of the way.

A glint of metal flew through the darkness. Ryuichi suddenly clutched his stomach, the knife handle sticking out next to his navel. As he collapsed, Mitsuru quickly fired several rounds from her Evoker. The memory closed out with the Shadow getting crushed with ice.

The door disappeared. Everyone looked to Ryuichi with questions plain on their stupefied faces. All he could do was avoid all their gazes and smile shyly.

"Guess I owe you all an explanation," he said, and they decided to head back to the dorm to talk about his memory over tea.

While Fuuka made tea, Ryuichi started to tell the story of how that day played out for him. He explained his family situation at the time, the struggle with the rain drenching him and forcing him to change into his gym uniform, and how he was helping Mitsuru getting some supplies for their next class when his bully pantsed him. They were horrified to hear that, even after humiliating him during school, his bullies still beat him up afterward and left him unconscious in an alley on Tatsumi Port Island. The part that silenced them was when he tried to take his own life by jumping on the train tracks, only for the Dark Hour to save him.

Ryuichi noticed that Mitsuru was squeezing herself around her middle the entire time. She was exceptionally tense, but he understood why. He made sure to keep his hand away from her so she wouldn't be tempted to hold onto it to try to comfort him.

"So, you weren't part of SEES at that time?" Ken asked him once he was through with his tale.

"No, not yet," Ryuichi said. "It was after Mitsuru saved me that I decided to join."

"Does that mean your reason for working for Mitsuru was because she saved you?" Akihiko asked next.

"Pretty much." Ryuichi smiled painfully, noticing that Mitsuru still appeared sullen. "I mean, how could I not want to serve someone who saved my life? I'm just lucky we ended up being really good friends."

"I never would've guessed that you tried to take your own life, since you always seem so happy," Fuuka said glumly to him.

"Well, my life got a lot better since then, so I was just happy to have gotten out of my old life," Ryuichi replied. "At least, until last year happened."

Yukari looked to him with curiosity. "So, even though all of that happened to you, you didn't look back at your old life?"

Something about how she said that struck Ryuichi as odd. "I didn't really want to look back. I was a lot happier when I was able to get away from my family, and things only got better from there," he answered, and Yukari seemed to draw some reassurance from him.

Before they could ask any more questions, he made a show of standing up to stretch and forced a yawn. "Anyway, I'm beat," he said to them all. "I think I'm gonna sleep upstairs in the command room tonight, so whoever's on watch before me, you know where to find me."

He was grateful to have an enclosed space all to himself for a change. Since he couldn't access his room anymore, he had been sleeping on the couches in the lounge for what felt like weeks now, mostly to keep watch over the giant doors in the dining room floor. There was almost no privacy there, but at least now he had a chance to be alone for a little while.

He got to thinking about the night that Mitsuru saved him from that Shadow. He had a feeling that that was going to be the memory that popped up, but he didn't think he was going to tell the entire story of that day. He felt so drained from sharing something so personal with everyone, and being alone only made him dwell on it more.

Mitsuru didn't let him stay alone for too long. She brought him some more tea and a box of chocolate sandwich cookies. She kept him company, the two talking quietly for quite some time. She played with his hair while he laid his head in her lap, and in return, he massaged her aching feet. Incredibly, no one came up to check on them, and Mitsuru left before anyone got suspicious of them.

The second to last door showed Yukari's memory. They all watched what had to be close to the end of her first year of high school, sitting alone with her school bag and her archery equipment and lamenting about how she spent the past four years investigating what happened to her father all those years ago. The dorm manager appeared and gave her a letter that had come in just the day before, and the memory ended with her running off.

Mitsuru realized that that Yukari had spent those years trying to learn the truth behind the Kirijo Group's deception all by herself. She suggested that it would've been better if Yukari had gotten to see a memory with her father in it, just like she did, but Yukari still refused to look back to the past. Mitsuru argued that she had been pushing herself too hard doing just that.

It was then that it dawned on everyone that every memory they viewed had to do with their reasons for awakening to their Personas. Since Fuuka awakened to hers in front of everyone, they didn't have to view her memory. Koromaru didn't have a memory to view, but they knew that he had awakened to his Persona when he protected the place where his owner had been hit by a car and died. Metis and Aigis both had the ability to summon their Personas from the start, so there was no need to see their memories, either.

There was still one more door to venture through. However, they had seen everyone's memories that needed to be seen. So, whose memory was left?

And that shadowy figure they kept seeing—Fuuka suggested that it was trying to show them something. When they saw it run past again, she sounded like she was going to identify it, only to fail to finish her thoughts.

They finally reached the deepest part of the Abyss of Time, finding the final door. The SEES members took a moment to discuss some of the research that Fuuka read from Ikutsuki's files, learning that the creation of Tartarus produced a reaction that created the Abyss of Time.

The researchers apparently knew about The Abyss of Time for the ten or so years it has been around, but determined that it was harmless if left alone, believing that it would likely disappear with Tartarus. The files also indicated that there shouldn't be any Shadows inside, since the Abyss was just a byproduct of the creation of Tartarus.

Except, they had been encountering Shadows since they first started exploring the Abyss. While they pondered why, they also started to question why the Abyss of Time was still there, even after Tartarus had disappeared.

"What was supposed to vanish is still here because of some force. One side's removal caused an imbalance," Metis explained.

When asked what that force was, she didn't have an answer. However, she hinted that that force was "deeply connected to all of you".

They hoped to find out what that force was when they opened the final door. They saw Aigis sitting alone in darkness, with a single spotlight shining down on her. She looked so broken, so dejected, and so lost, like she might never find a way out of the darkness.

Another spotlight shone a good distance away from her. Everyone watched in awe when they saw their leader, standing as he always did with his slight hunch, hands deep in his pockets, and head down, exuding the familiar indifference in his posture. He had his back to Aigis, and without a word, began to walk away from her.

Aigis gave chase, but no matter how fast she ran, Minato's slow footsteps seemed to outpace her. Begging for him to wait for her, she tripped, her body clattering to the ground. Minato continued to walk further and further away until finally his spotlight faded, making him disappear into the darkness.

Aigis staggered to her feet. She stared out to where Minato had disappeared, no longer eager to chase him.

"I promised to protect you," they all heard her say. "I dedicated my life to that purpose. But, I cannot fulfill that purpose anymore. There's nothing more I can do."

Her shoulders sagged. "Can I continue to 'live' this way? Does my life have a meaning?"

She let out a frustrated sigh and fell back, landing hard on her backside. "If so, I wish I could return to being a mere machine," she mumbled quietly.

Her words made the others hurt for Aigis. All of them loved Minato, and all of them hurt when he passed away, but seeing Aigis' memory made it clear to them that his death hurt her so deeply that she couldn't bear the pain of loss anymore.

The memory continued to play. A brilliant, white light shone from far off, blinding everyone as it cast out the darkness. Just as the light became too unbearable to see, they made out a shadowy figure that stood up behind Aigis before the memory ended.

The others were confused as to why they were able to see Aigis' memory, since she didn't have to awaken to her Persona. Yukari argued otherwise.

"No, she did. She awakened to the special power Minato had," she pointed out.

Aigis explained that she would always awaken to that nightmare, always chasing after him in her dreams. Losing Minato had been pure agony for her, until one day, the pain left her, and she stopped dreaming entirely.

They all felt the same way. They all wanted to see Minato again, wanted to laugh with him again, talk with him, get ramen with him, and just live life with their friend. They missed him dearly.

"This is the reason for everything, from the Abyss of Time's failure to disappear, to the presence of Shadows—This was born from all of you," Metis said of their guilt.

It was all so clear to them now. Each and everyone one of them felt a deep remorse for not being able to save Minato. Ryuichi understood now that his friends didn't blame him for letting Minato die, but that their anger towards themselves was misdirected at him. Even after understanding this, he still felt a gaping hole in his chest for failing to protect their friend.

As they came to their realization, a Shadow appeared before them where the door to Aigis' memory once stood. It took the form of a shadowy Minato, with silver eyes shining amid his darkened visage.

Even though it looked like Minato, they were all resolved to defeat this monster that dared to imitate their friend's appearance. It even summoned different Personas like he used to, switching so effortlessly and attacking them without a second thought.

When they finally eliminated the monster, they watched as Dark Minato's body slowly had its layers stripped away. His skin flaked off to reveal raw muscles, and shortly after, the muscles lifted away to expose his skeleton and organs, his beating heart visible through his ribcage. Numerous electric blue butterflies appeared around him, covering his body before leaving his corpse in darkness.

"That was the monster born from us?" Yukari asked in disbelief. "But it was..."

She glanced back to Mitsuru, who met her gaze. "Yes. Its power and form were familiar, but it was a Shadow," Mitsuru told them all.

When Metis confirmed that her claim was true, the others had trouble believing it.

"That doesn't make sense! Personas are supposed to beat Shadows, right?" Junpei asked Metis.

It was Metis' turn to be surprised. "What are you talking about? Don't tell me you've been fighting them this whole time without knowing."

Without giving them a chance to respond, Metis launched into an explanation. "Personas and Shadows are the same thing. That's why you're able to fight them in the first place."

They still couldn't believe it. And yet, it was the only thing that made sense just then.

"Did you all think that Shadows were mysterious invaders or something?" Metis' accusing tone didn't rattle them. "Shadows are the lower parts of the psyche everyone has: Suppressed human thoughts given physical form. When people are unable to face their darker selves, they break loose, free from all control.

"But sometimes, humans with special awareness can tame their Shadows," she continued, not losing the attitude in her voice. "Those are Persona-users."

She argued that whoever created her and her sister Aigis should've understood the explanation she had just given. Mitsuru calmly told her that everyone who was involved in their creation died long ago. Yukari flinched from her words.

"Then, the reason for all of this is our Personas?" Fuuka asked.

Metis looked to her now. "The Shadows' power affects time and even space. Through your Personas, your unspoken desires were manifested. You can't stand to see time move on. You don't want to accept your loss of someone precious. It was by each of your wishes that time stopped moving forward. And as a result, you became trapped here."

Ken let out a hollow chuckle. "So we trapped ourselves? Hah. It's almost funny."

No one laughed. Their situation was far from funny, and so absurd that they had no choice but to believe it.

Akihiko asked if defeating that Shadow that looked like their old leader meant that they were now free. As Metis agreed that they should be able to leave the dorm, everyone felt their hands (or jaws, in Koromaru's case) grow heavy with the weight of a key that materialized out of thin air.

"You should be able to leave with those keys," Metis said. "Once you make it outside, the Abyss of Time should disappear on its own."

There were nine keys in total, since they all played a part in getting trapped in the Abyss of Time. Metis told them that the door most likely won't open unless all nine keys are used simultaneously.

Aigis gasped. "'Strength of heart, when united, is barred by no door'," she whispered next to Ryuichi. Before he could ask, the conversation moved on without him.

Junpei grew eager to open up the dorm's front door to leave, but Metis told them that there were two doors of their choosing. The first one was, obviously, the front door of the dormitory. The other door was the one to Minato's bedroom.

"If you go through the entrance, you'll return to the present. But _that_ door leads to the past," Metis explained.

The other doors they had gone through had also taken them to the past, but passing through Minato's door led to what she called "the true past". If they were to enter that door, the Abyss of Time would disappear.

"To accept the past, or to revisit it," Mitsuru said, weighing their options. "You're saying that in the end, we have to choose."

If they left through the front door, that meant that they accepted Minato's death and chose to move forward from it. If they take Minato's door to the "true past", they will be given the chance to save Minato. Consequently, they risked failing to prevent the Fall.

For the time being, they returned to the dorm to think about their options. When they entered the lounge, they were shocked to see massive cracks all throughout the floors, shining golden light from below. Metis warned them that the Abyss of Time was becoming unstable and that if it worsens, they might not be able to escape, even with the keys.

Their arguments clashed on what they should do. Akihiko and Ken were ready to accept their leader's death and wanted to use the keys on the front door so they could go back to their lives. They believed that whatever Minato did to stop Nyx had to be a miracle, and did not want to risk undoing what he had done to prevent the Fall.

Yukari surprised everyone by wanting to go to the past. After all her talk about moving forward and refusing to look back, she became erratic and desperate, unleashing her wrath on everyone whenever they refuted anything she said. She explained that she kept herself busy by going to cram school because she didn't want to waste Minato's efforts in giving them a future. But, when she was presented with the possibility of saving him, the thought consumed her.

"If there's a way for him to come back, I'll take it no matter what," Yukari said darkly to them all.

And then there were those who weren't sure what to do. Junpei expressed that he thought about what he would do if it was Chidori he had to save instead, but also said that he was afraid of having to fight that battle again.

"Well, aren't you lucky!" Yukari screeched at him. "Your girlfriend got to come back to life, so you don't have to worry about trying to save her! And what's wrong with you? Are you saying you're scared to die, but it's okay if Minato does?"

Koromaru seemed to side with Junpei as he stared up at him with his sorrowful eyes. Aigis wasn't sure of what she wanted to do, getting more and more confused as the others continued to argue. Metis said that she would side with her sister in whatever she chose.

Ryuichi felt like he was in the same situation as Junpei. He imagined losing Mitsuru, feeling like he would be acting similarly to Yukari just then. He considered what it must be like for Yukari, to lose someone precious to her without an explanation as to how or why, and then to be given the chance to save him. It seemed to him like he would have also leaped at the opportunity.

And yet, he agreed with Akihiko and Ken. He didn't want to risk undoing whatever miracle Minato blessed them with, and like Junpei, he didn't want to have to fight that battle again, not knowing if they would be successful a second time.

Still, he wondered if it really was possible to save Minato. If they could see how he stopped the Fall, then maybe they could find an alternative solution that could spare their friend. If not, he still wanted to move forward with his life, but...

While he contemplated what he wanted to do, Yukari proposed another way to settle things.

"'Another way'?" asked Fuuka. "Yukari-chan, you don't mean—?"

Yukari swept her deranged gaze over to Metis. "Taking the keys by force," she said. "That'll work too, right?"

Her suggestion alarmed the others. It was pure desperation and insanity pouring out of her, where she was getting out of control, but looking at Yukari now, everyone could tell that she was being serious.

"It's true that the nine keys will merge if they're brought together, even against their holders' wishes," Metis confirmed for Yukari, who seemed satisfied with her answer. The others kept quiet.

But then, Metis shot a glare at Yukari. "But if it comes to a fight, I'll protect my sister with everything I have."

She gestured to the keys they all held. "These keys represent each of your strength of heart. If you take my sister's, she may lose her life."

They had no words. They all looked to Aigis, wondering how true Metis' claim was.

"What do you mean?" Mitsuru dared to ask.

Metis held her glare. "You're only thinking of what's best for you," she said, accusing them all. "The person with my sister's powers died of unknown causes, didn't he? Did any of you ever stop to think that maybe the same thing could happen to her?"

They hadn't. None of them even considered that possessing such a power could result in death.

Metis vowed to protect Aigis, no matter what. If battle was imminent, then she was ready to fight anyone who dared to oppose her sister.

Aigis, however, was hesitant, both in battle and in deciding which door she wanted to unlock. Her inability to choose seemed to set off Yukari even more.

"So, you're just gonna run away? Again?" Yukari taunted her. "Just like the day we said our farewells to him, and you were the only one who didn't show up."

Aigis was clearly shaken by her accusation. No one stepped up to defend her.

"You got to hear his last words," Yukari snarled at her. "You even made him a promise. But here you are, still running."

Yukari's cold eyes met Aigis' blank ones. "Why were you the only one who inherited his power when you can't even make up your mind? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to lose to someone like you!"

This wasn't the Yukari they all knew. Desperation, despair, and jealousy had taken over her, driving her to lash out at everyone and make brash decisions. When Fuuka asked her if she was truly going to fight, she didn't answer.

"This decision hinges upon someone precious to us all. Our difference can't be settled with a compromise," Mitsuru said calmly in a grave voice. "No matter what Aigis decides, we have no choice but to fight."

She then shocked everyone by siding with Yukari.

"What are you saying?" Ryuichi gasped at Mitsuru, who averted her eyes without a word.

"You're taking her side?" Akihiko growled at Mitsuru. "Are you serious?"

All Mitsuru did was nod. It was all it took to confound and frustrate the others.

Ryuichi still couldn't believe that Mitsuru chose to support Yukari, after how brazen and borderline psychotic she was behaving. She wouldn't have allowed such behavior before, and to support it now, he wasn't even sure if it was really Mitsuru who stood before him.

"Follow me," Metis said to everyone. "I'll lead you to a place suitable for battle."

They all looked to her in curiosity, wondering how such a place could exist.

"If we fight there, no one can appeal the result," Metis told them, and turned and headed towards the back door.

Ryuichi watched as his friends' bonds fractured before him. He thought hard on what he wanted to do, but the harder he tried, the harder it was for him to process his options. He wanted another alternative, where they could save Minato and then start time again with him in their lives. He wanted everyone to calm down and try to rationalize their decisions so they wouldn't have to fight. When he finally looked up from his thoughts, he saw that everyone had chosen their groups. He stood alone.

"Mitsuru," Ryuichi uttered as he approached her. "Are you sure about this? Don't you want to think about it first?"

"I've already made up my mind," she said coldly to him. "As I said before, I will stand with Yukari."

He couldn't believe it. "But why?"

"I agree with her on some points. Furthermore..."

She hesitated, avoiding his woeful gaze. "We might have to fight you, but I won't concede," she warned him. "So there's no need to hold back."

She walked away. As she passed him, Ryuichi saw nothing but raw agony in her eyes. That was all he needed to know that Mitsuru didn't completely agree with Yukari's reasoning, yet for some reason, she still sided with her.

When everyone was ready, Metis took them to the back door. A blue light shone through the cracks, and when she opened the door, they were all transported to a new place.

Ryuichi found himself standing alone in a circular space made of carved stone. Tall lamps with candles stood on either side of a lush, red carpet that spanned across the floor, heading up some stairs to a massive, intricately carved door with a glowing clock motif above it. There was no ceiling, but there was a warm, yellow light in the sky, like it was the middle of the afternoon. Beyond the stone space were some bushes that surrounded the area.

"Where is this?"

Ryuichi looked around. Sure enough, he was the only one there, despite having walked through the door with everyone else. All he had on him were a few items in his pockets, the cheap replica katana he got from Paulownia Mall, his Evoker, and that cursed key that everyone sought after.

He wasn't sure what else to do, so he approached the large door. It opened at his touch, taking him to a large arena that looked to be carved from the depths of hell itself. The darker stone had another clock motif that covered the floor, and every second, one Roman Numeral number there would flash a bright orange consecutively. An iron gate surrounded the arena, preventing anyone from retreating, should the battle start to go badly for them. Tall, unlit torches stood on spiraling stands, but there was no need for them, as the vast arena was lit up by the fiery sky up above.

Ryuichi made his way to the center of the arena. A flash of light caught his attention, and to his horror, the door on the opposite side of the arena opened, and Yukari and Mitsuru appeared.

Yukari had a swagger about her when she saw him. "Well, if it isn't Ryuichi-senpai," she sneered at him. "How does it feel knowing that your _girlfriend_ doesn't agree with your decision?"

Ryuichi said nothing. He kept his stern stare on Yukari, just barely seeing the discomfort leave cracks on Mitsuru's visage.

"What's the matter? Not even going to deny it anymore?" Yukari shook her head in disappointment. "It's not like you guys tried to hide it anyway."

Ryuichi steeled himself, feeling his chest tighten. "Yukari, Mitsuru—Can't we talk about this? Can't we try to find another way?"

"Geez, Ryuichi-senpai. You're so pathetic." Yukari frowned at him in disgust. "Looking at you now, I guess I had it wrong: There's no way Mitsuru-senpai could be into someone as pathetic as you."

Her words shot him in the heart. "When you start attacking a person instead of arguing about the topic at hand, it means that you've already lost the argument," he snarled back at her.

Yukari slashed the air with her bow. "You're one to talk!" she spat. "At least I've made my decision on what _I_ want to do. You still haven't decided, have you? What do you even think you're fighting for?"

"To stop you," he replied in a calm voice. "If I can stop the two of you here, then at least the others have a chance to make a rational decision."

"'Stop me'? Hah!" Yukari nocked an arrow and took aim at him. "I'd like to see you try."

Ryuichi looked to Mitsuru now. "Mitsuru, you gotta talk to her," he pleaded with her. "At least reconsider your decision."

She brandished her sword at him. "If you're intent on stopping us, then prove it in battle," she challenged him. "I'm warning you now: I will not hold back."

"But what if there's another option?" he said to her. For just a second, she seemed to consider it. "Remember what happened with the Fall? It was supposed to be inevitable, but—"

Yukari loosed an arrow. Ryuichi leaned away in time for it to only graze his neck. He touched where it scratched him, finding blood on his fingertips.

"I'm done with listening to you!" Yukari raged at him, and pulled the trigger on her Evoker.

Her Garudyne only tossed him into the air without scratching him, then dropped him to the ground. He knew his own wind spells would only achieve the same effect against Yukari, and instead planned to use it only to stun or stall her, if necessary. He cast enhancements on himself, making it so he was too fast for either of the girls to strike him. His increased defense reduced the damage they dealt to him, where he barely felt it when Yukari tried smacking him with her bow.

"Fight seriously!" Yukari yelled.

Ryuichi refused to attack them. He saw that even Mitsuru hesitated to summon Artemisia, where she carefully calculated her aim to blast ice near him, but not onto him nor in his path when he propelled himself forward with his wind spells.

"Don't get soft on me now, Mitsuru-senpai!" Yukari raged at her. "Or what, does he mean that much to you? Are you scared to hit your own boyfriend?"

Mitsuru's frigid demeanor hardened. She turned to Ryuichi and pulled the trigger. Panicked, he thrust himself away with a powerful Garudyne, casting it twice after to dodge more of Mitsuru's spells. Ice bombarded the arena, and as Ryuichi sped around Yukari, another block of ice almost struck her instead.

"Hey!"

Horrified, Mitsuru lowered her Evoker. "S-Sorry," she murmured, and raised it again to fire more rounds into her head.

Yukari hurled ice with wind. Each chunk of ice missed Ryuichi and smashed against the fences. He kept dodging with wind, even flying up in the air. Ice that formed up there with him fell and crashed to the ground.

When Yukari cast Magarudyne, he grabbed onto one of the unlit torches and held on. Mitsuru protected herself and Yukari in ice while powerful winds sent ice chunks swirling and smashing into anything they could reach. Ryuichi had Heimdall appear and shield him with his massive armored body, and sent him away when the winds died down.

Another arrow almost struck him while he jumped down from the torch. He dropped to the ground and used Garudyne to pop Yukari off of her feet. He gasped and looked away when he accidentally caught a glimpse of her pink and white striped underwear before she held down her skirt.

"Oh, that's really low, Ryuichi-senpai!" Yukari growled.

"W-Wait, that's not what I was trying to do!" he pleaded with her.

She fired a round into her chest, and a pair of familiar white orbs of light appeared high overhead.

"Megidolaon?" he yelped. "But how?"

He barely uttered the words when the orbs struck the ground. The force sent him hurtling in the air until he slammed into one of the large doors and fell to the floor. Panting and shaking, he looked up to see another Megidolaon coming for him. He fired three rounds, using wind to launch him away from the blast zone. Another pair of light orbs descended immediately after, and he saw that it came from Mitsuru.

"You, too?" he cried out in a panic, barely dodging that one.

Yukari cast it again. And again. She didn't notice that Ryuichi had gotten close to her, and while he avoided it, she was caught in her own spell.

"Shit! Yukari!"

Ryuichi hurried over to check on her. Apologizing, he started helping her up, but she shoved him away and thrust him back with Garudyne.

"Don't pity me!" she screeched at him. "Why won't you fight back? Are you that indecisive that you won't even try? Or are you too scared to hit your girlfriend?"

Ryuichi resisted the urge to look at Mitsuru. "I want to try to find another way!" he bellowed back.

"For what? Either we go back and save Minato, or we just walk away and pretend like he never lived!"

"But he did live! We're not forgetting him, we're just moving forward with our lives!"

"But you'd rather take away his chance to live! Is that it?"

"No. Yukari, please—"

She threw a Zionga Gem at him. Electricity exploded down on him, and his body locked up. He dropped to one knee, still grasping his Evoker. He managed to raise the muzzle under his chin as Mitsuru hurried over to press the tip of her sword to his throat.

"Mitsuru?"

She had nothing but pure anguish on her face as she looked upon him. She kept her sword pressed to his skin, her other hand keeping her Evoker aimed at her temple. Looking at her now, all the betrayal he felt from before left him.

"It must be so hard for you right now, huh?" he asked her softly, taking pity on her. He peered around behind her, seeing Yukari get up with a gleeful look on her face.

Mitsuru pressed her sword deeper into his throat. She held it there as Ryuichi staggered to his feet. He kept his Evoker pointed under his chin.

"What are you waiting for, Mitsuru-senpai? Finish him!" Yukari shouted at her. She wasn't smiling anymore.

Mitsuru's face twisted up in excruciating anguish. "Ryuichi, I'm sorry," she muttered under her breath to him.

He knew she wouldn't have said anything or shown the agony on her face if her back hadn't been towards Yukari just then. He said nothing, only bowing his head to accept the final blow.

It never came. He looked up to see Mitsuru's hand shaking as she tried to squeeze the trigger. She took a deep breath and held it, and when she tried to pull it again, Ryuichi pulled his first.

Warm, rejuvenating light enveloped both Mitsuru and Yukari as an arrow struck Ryuichi in the chest. Stunned, he looked down to see the fletching sticking out over his heart. Mitsuru stood frozen in wide-eyed horror as he collapsed to the floor.

"Ryuichi!"

Mitsuru knelt by him, her mouth agape as she touched the area around his chest where the arrow had struck him. She frantically cast Diarahan over and over on him, trying to keep him alive.

He couldn't even feel the pain from the arrow ripping through bone and flesh, nor the warmth of Mitsuru's healing spell. He barely heard her desperate apologies and her pleas for him to live.

"Mitsuru..."

She fell silent and peered down at his face. Smiling, Ryuichi uttered in a raspy voice: "I forgive you. Yukari, too."

He disappeared beneath Mitsuru's fingertips in a cluster of fiery light. The flames of his being appeared over one of the unlit torches, burning brightly but adding no light to the arena. With his loss, the first key was claimed.

When all the battles were over, Ryuichi regained consciousness and found himself standing in the arena with everyone. The wounds he suffered were healed, and the arrow in his chest had disappeared. He looked up to see Mitsuru staring at him with apology in her eyes, looking like she wanted to run over to him. He gave her a look to tell her to stay put.

The others appeared stunned, but also were silently seething in their failures. Even the victors, Aigis and Metis, appeared disgusted with themselves as they clutched the True Key, which was awarded to them once they defeated the others and combine all their keys.

Without warning, Yukari tried to wrestle the key away from her, demanding that she give it to her.

"It's no use," Metis said to the enraged girl. "Only my sister can use the true key now."

At her words, Yukari let go of the key and dropped to the floor. Her tears spotted the ground as she began to sob.

"I want to see him," she wept in quiet anguish. "I, I made a promise to him, too. I promised that I'd try my best to change this world, so that people would stop wishing for the Fall."

She bowed her head even lower. "It wasn't like yours," she said to Aigis. "It was something I promised myself while holding his cold hand. That's why I decided to put the past behind me, and look forward."

"Yukari-san." It was all Aigis said, but her voice was filled with compassion for her friend.

Yukari sniffled. "But I can't—I can't be that person," she uttered. "I wanna see him. I don't care about anything else! I just wanna see him again!"

They all felt badly for her. They all wanted to see Minato again, but it was clear to them that Yukari wanted it the most. All they could do was watch her sob in despair, having lost her chance to see Minato.

Mitsuru knelt in front of Yukari and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Yukari," she said softly, "there's no way to truly put the past behind you. In the end, you only succeed in running from it. It's painful to face, but if you don't, your wounds will never heal."

The anguished girl raised her tearful face and glowered at Mitsuru. "So if I keep facing it, someday everything will be okay?" she sassed at her. "Eventually I'll forget all about him, or stop caring?"

She knocked Mitsuru's hand off of her shoulder and looked away. "Like that's ever going to happen!" she hissed. "No one knows that better than us!"

The tears rolled down her face once more, fresh and hot as she bowed her head again. As she trembled, Mitsuru let out a sigh.

"You're right," she said to Yukari. "But, can't we be there for you, when things are at their worst? The way you were there for me last year?"

It was Mitsuru's turn to look away. "That may not have been what you meant at the time, but even now, I consider your being at my side last year as one of the most cherished moments of my life. That's why, when we lost Arisato without being able to thank him, I swore deep down..."

She took a breath. "If something ever happened to make you suffer, I'd put my own feelings aside and stand with you," Mitsuru said to Yukari.

Slowly, Yukari raised her face, the awe plain in her gaping expression. "Mitsuru-senpai," she murmured, appearing rattled by Mitsuru's confession.

Mitsuru turned back to face her. "Yukari, to lose someone you had such a strong bond with is agony. But, there's no need to suffer alone. You have us with you. Isn't that the whole point of forming such bonds?"

Yukari's face twisted up again, and she leaned her head into Mitsuru's shoulder, letting her tears flow freely once more as she sobbed harder than ever. Mitsuru held her without saying a word, offering the comfort of simply being there for her.

Aigis knelt down by them. "Yukari-san, I understand your feelings," she told her carefully. "Ever since I was born, I have spent all my time thinking about him. So, I suggest we see it. To find out once and for all what he left for us."

Everyone looked to her in confusion as Aigis stood up.

"We still don't know the real reason behind his death," she reminded them all. "Without knowing that reason, I can't decide what is right. That's why I would like to see the past again, before using the key—To see the truth of what happened the moment he used his power."

Aigis figured out that there had to be a way to experience the final battle again without the risk of undoing Minato's efforts. All they needed was a door to see into the past. Akihiko pointed out that all the doors had vanished already, but Fuuka remembered that there was still one door left: The door to Paulownia Mall.

"'The doors reflect the minds of those who enter them'," Aigis recalled Metis telling them long ago. "If our wish is strong enough, we should be able to use that door to look into the past."

Metis found it strange that the door to Paulownia Mall was still there. After all, once the other doors fulfilled their purpose, they disappeared, and yet that particular door remained. She pointed out that the door's role was to enable them to prepare for battle, but now that they finished fighting Shadows and dueling with one another, it still had not vanished. Mitsuru concluded that the reason being was that there was still another enemy waiting for them.

"Our feelings are the reason for all of this, and what Aigis proposed relates directly to the core of our pain," Mitsuru told them. "We should probably expect to encounter something unknown."

They made the decision to go through the door to Paulownia Mall. When they stepped through, they found that, instead of the mall, they were standing back in the Desert of Doors. At the center of all the other doors they had gone through now stood a large, dark door exuding black smoke. After resting up and restocking their supplies, they entered the new door to face their final opponent.

They stood in outer space, just as they did after the last battle. Immediately, they all noticed that they were able to move around and interact with this memory, unlike all the others they had seen.

"I said before, if it's a past that everyone experienced, then you can actual interact with it. The same as that shopping mall," Metis explained to them.

"Wait, everyone?" Junpei asked. "But, you weren't here to experience this."

Just as Metis began to answer, they all looked up to see Minato rising high above them with his hand outstretched towards Nyx. A brilliant, blinding light radiated around him, engulfing him, and when the group could see again, they saw a gargantuan door with shifting eyes before them. They all gasped when they saw Minato, now a stone figure, braced against the door with his arms outstretched and held there with what looked to be barbed wire.

"What, what is this?" Fuuka uttered.

"This is his life essence," Metis said.

They all turned to her, still mortified by what they saw.

Metis never took her eyes off of Minato. "As you can see, this is what happened. He himself became the Great Seal."

Everyone turned their gazes back to the door, trying to process Metis' explanation.

"But, relinquishing one's life essence means death for a human," she continued to say. "He must have already found it: His own answer to life."

Aigis cast her gaze downward. "The answer to life," she murmured to herself.

Metis looked to her sister. "I don't think he has any regrets," she told her. "He managed to keep his promise to you all before his consciousness faded away."

Ken glanced back at her over his shoulder. "'His promise'? You mean to meet up on graduation day?"

"Wait a sec." Akihiko turned to Metis now. "How do you know about that promise?"

"How? I just know," was her answer. "I'm probably just like Nyx and the seal this person became: Something that belongs on this side."

No one understood what she was saying, but she wasn't done.

"Nyx's awakening means the destruction of everything, but think about it: If she's that powerful, how was she contained before he became the seal?" Metis asked everyone.

Fuuka started to suggest that someone else must have been the seal before Metis cut her off, asking about the time before humans ever existed.

"As I understand it, Nyx is neither hostile nor malevolent," she explained. "A seal really isn't necessary."

Yukari balled her hands into fists. "What? Are you saying he did all this for no reason?"

Before Metis could answer, a great rumbling noise through space caught their attention. It reverberated all around them, filled with a devastation and despair that threatened to drain them of any shred of hope they might be carrying.

They saw a colossal monster rising out of a dense smoke that came off of its own body. It had the appearance of two dark, human-shaped torsos attached at the ends of their spines, both with powerful upper arms holding it up like four legs. Its heads were only the lower half of skulls, the teeth grinning below its great horns and massive, glowing, crimson eyes. One of the ends of the monster clawed its way to the door and grabbed onto Minato, fighting to tear him off the door.

The monster was called Erebus, and Fuuka confirmed it was not a Shadow. She described it as "the accumulated malice that came from the hearts of countless living people", and that all of them were crying out for Nyx to put them out of their misery.

Aigis watched the monster continued to paw at Minato. "Last December, I, too, wished to learn death. It's probably true that people in town are wishing to touch it somewhere in their hearts. There is only one thing that differentiates life from stillness: It's that we die. That's all there is."

In that moment of clarity, the monster let out a cry and sank down into its own smoke, away from the door.

"I think I understand," Yukari responded to Aigis. "When your life loses its meaning, the fact of death can be kind of comforting. That lurking malice we're unaware of is strong enough to give birth to such a huge monster. And maybe, that's just how it is these days."

The monster rose back up out of the smoke and now turned on them.

"What's it doing?" Junpei yelped. "Why the hell is it after us?"

Metis gasped. "It wants my sister! She has the same power as the one who created the seal!"

Mitsuru took out her Evoker without saying a word.

"Don't tell me you're going to fight that thing!" Metis shouted at her. "It's impossible! It's just too big!"

"This is a battle we can't run from," Mitsuru told her in a bold voice. "The feelings that gave birth to this abomination were inside me, as well. Because I couldn't accept reality, I foolishly sought solace in a past filled with death and strife.

"There's no mistaking it: This monster is the reason for all our troubles," Mitsuru concluded.

Akihiko flashed her a smug grin. "You got that right. If we run away from this, we're off to a lousy start for our future."

The others resolved to fight the monster, no matter how impossible victory felt. They stared up at the grinning skulls and struck it with everything their Personas possessed. After a long, arduous battle, the beast writhed and sank back down into nothingness.

The team celebrated their victory, but Fuuka didn't join in.

"But, will it be enough?" she asked them. "For that monster to truly disappear, everyone's feelings must change."

Reality struck them hard. Even if they beat the monster, that didn't change the hearts of the people who summoned it.

"To stop the heart's yearning for destruction—It's a formidable task," Mitsuru realized aloud. "People try to keep death at bay, but without it, they lose sight of life. It may be that there's no way to fully eliminate this monster."

Hopelessness fell upon the team, but Aigis turned around to face Mitsuru.

"No. I'm sure we can do it," she said, her voice emboldened with determination. "We can all change someday. As long as we're alive, it can happen. After all, even I was able to do it."

"You've got that right!" Junpei agreed with a grin.

Akihiko looked to Aigis, her determination spreading to him. "If we want the world to change, we have to believe it'll happen. People aren't that hopeless; we should know that already."

They all started smiling again. The hope that Aigis restored within them continue to grow, melting away the darkness that lingered from the monster of malice.

Yukari turned to Aigis with remorse in her eyes. She apologized to her for all the things she had said to her before, telling her that she had been envious of her receiving Minato's power instead of her. She came to accept that, out of all of them, Aigis probably wanted to protect Minato the most.

Yukari turned to look up at Minato hanging on the door. "If there wasn't a seal, the world would soon yearn for Nyx again. That's why he's here: For us.

"Even if we went back to before the last battle, the world wouldn't be saved unless he did the same thing," Yukari said, her voice heavy with realization. She began to laugh. "I can't believe I didn't see it before. If there was an easier way, he would've taken it."

She fell silent for a time. Mitsuru called out to her, but she only lowered her face to the stars beneath their feet.

"If I think of him as protecting us forever, it helps a lot," Yukari said to the others.

The others felt the same way. They now knew that Minato willingly gave his life to protect them all, taking some comfort in knowing that he chose to sacrifice himself for their sake instead of being needlessly killed.

They returned to the dorm, where Aigis was to use the True Key on the front doors. She took out the key but stopped, turning back to the others.

She told them that she was happy to have known all of them. Even though they had been through so much, they realized that their struggles brought them closer together.

"I see. Friendship," Aigis said to herself. "What gives you life? What makes you realize you're alive? If it isn't just death, if there's something else, it could be... friendship."

She stared down at the key in her hands. "Is this the answer to life I'm supposed to find?" she asked herself.

As she said that, a small, blue butterfly appeared and fluttered about her head. It permeated through the door, and Aigis finally unlocked it.

When they stepped through the front door, they were teleported to a room that had the appearance of a spacious, blue elevator. An intricate gate towards the far end of the elevator showed lights passing by, as though they were in transit shooting upwards. Aigis was seated among the group in a chair shaped like a lyre, and sitting across from them was a gnarled, old man with a very long nose. He sat behind a round table between Metis and some white-haired girl in a blue dress holding a massive book. The man had a wild look in his eyes as he smiled at them.

He astonished them with his kind, soothing voice, saying that he and the others wanted to say farewell to Aigis. The SEES members were surprised to learn that Aigis knew this man, and apparently about the strange room, as well.

"This is where those who are about to awaken to their power receive guidance," Metis said to them. "My sister and your friend were guests here."

"Wait, How come you're standing there smiling like you know it all?" Akihiko asked for everyone.

Her smile became warmer. "Don't you remember what I said before? My place is here, on the 'other side'."

Metis walked around the table over to Aigis, who stood up from her seat. "The Abyss of Time will soon disappear. Time will flow again, and you will return to your daily lives," Metis told them all.

She looked to Aigis and smiled. "Congratulations, Sister, and the rest of you, as well."

Metis looked to Aigis with reassurance, her smile fading slightly. "Sister, you said before that you promised to protect him. If you've truly come to appreciate your ties to others, I think you can still keep that promise."

Aigis took a step back. "What?"

"Someday, when more people come to realize that, the world will stop yearning for Nyx, and that monster will be vanquished," Metis said to her. "For that day to come, your every action will be important. Isn't that another way of protecting your friend?"

Aigis stood frozen for a time. "I can still keep my promise?" she uttered with uncertainty.

Her sister nodded, smiling again.

"Metis, who are you, really?" Mitsuru asked her. "Won't you tell us?"

Aigis glanced over her shoulder at the others. "I think she's the other me," she said, confusing them all.

She told them that, after Minato passed away, she was so deep in her anguish that she wished to go back to being a machine again. When she made that wish, she cast off the part of her that made her human—her emotions—and that part became Metis.

Aigis welcomed her sister back, and Metis disappeared, returning to Aigis once more. She fell back onto her chair, fatigued but still conscious.

"Hmmm. It seems our guest has safely reached her destination," the man with the long nose said, grinning. "Her answer to life."

No one was sure what he meant, but Aigis seemed to understand it well.

"Please, tell me," she said to the man. "Now that I've found my answer, is my life at its end?"

Alarmed, the others asked her what she meant. Aigis smiled peacefully in her chair.

"It's strange. I feel so satisfied," she said in a tired voice.

Yukari went to check on her. "Aigis, you, you're not—No! This isn't happening!"

There was no worry in Aigis' tone. "I think I'm finally at peace with losing Minato-san," she said weakly as she began to cry. "Odd. For some reason, the tears are only now coming.

"I should have attended his farewell," Aigis lamented, too weak to wipe away her tears. "I was so foolish, locking myself away. Looking back, I remember that Metis would cry. To think I had discarded such a basic emotion."

With parting words from the old man, the others rushed over to surround Aigis, pleading with her to live as their visions faded. When they awoke, they were back in the lounge, all of them slumped over on the couches and chairs. The cracks on the walls and floors had disappeared, the giant heavy doors under the dining room floor was gone, and the TV was on, showing a news report that announced that it was now just past midnight on April first.

They all still had their memories of their ordeal and were surprised to be back in the dorm. Akihiko went to open the front door to look outside, and he confirmed for them that everything had gone back to normal. The Abyss of Time had disappeared.

The only one who had not awakened was Aigis. Scared for their friend, they hauled her upstairs to her room, where they began to look her over to see what was wrong. They had her sit in her giant pod while Fuuka and Mitsuru scanned her vitals on the large computer there. Mitsuru called the Ergonomics Lab to have someone come over to take a look at her, but it was so late at night that no one was available.

"Did you find something?" Junpei asked Fuuka when she gasped.

"Her synaptic circuits," she said, trembling. "They're completely burned out."

Fuuka determined that her ability to summon multiple Personas was the cause of a massive overload. While the parts could be replaced, she let them know that she ran the risk of not waking up as the person they knew her to be.

Without warning, Aigis stirred. Her eyes opened, and she looked around to everyone's relieved faces.

"Um, has something happened?" Aigis asked them.

"Geez. You had us worried sick, sleepyhead!" Yukari told her, her voice shaking with relief. "You took so long to wake up, we thought you might've died."

Fuuka told them that Aigis waking up shouldn't be possible, but said that it was as if Aigis was truly alive.

Aigis apologized for not waking up sooner, saying that she was having a dream, the first one in so long a time. She started saying that she dreamt of all the fun memories she had with everyone, until she got quiet and murmured, "Strength of heart, when united, is barred by no door."

No one knew what to make of it, and Aigis quickly dismissed it.

"Sorrowful partings only show us the weight of our relationships," she told them afterward. "But the joy of living comes from those who care about you."

She smiled at them all. "I'm a very lucky person."

With Aigis safe, everyone felt ready to go to bed. Before they could head out, Mitsuru called them back.

"About collecting everyone's Evoker, I'm thinking of calling that off," she told them. Surprise crossed their faces as she continued. "Our ordeal has given me a lot of food for thought. My own way of running away may have been to try to collect these and put them away forever. But even if there are no Shadows left, the battle against ourselves is ongoing."

Mitsuru took out her Evoker and held it up. "Each of you should hold onto yours," she said, smiling.

Yukari beamed at her. "Until the day when everyone can change, right?"

They all agreed, and appeared glad to be able to hold on to their Evokers as keepsakes.

The next morning, everyone gathered in the lounge. All the futons, pillows, and bed sheets they used while they were trapped were left in their rooms. The cheap dishes and tea sets remained in the kitchen cupboards. Any snacks or food left over were taken by whoever wanted them. They didn't have much trash or recycling to throw out, as they had been tossing them in the Paulownia Mall's bins whenever they had the chance.

Fuuka and Ken both had their bags packed and ready, and had already had their heavy boxes and luggage sent ahead to their new places. The others had either completely moved out prior to their end of the month celebration, or were waiting for a moving company to send someone to take their stuff to their new homes. Junpei was the last one to clear out his room and tried bringing all of his bags down to the lounge all at once. None of them were surprised when he came crashing down the stairs, but were impressed that his luggage hadn't burst open.

With all the new seniors, Ken, and Koromaru moving into the dorms at Gekkoukan, Mitsuru decided to give everyone a ride there. It was on the way to the lab where they were taking Aigis, who had decide that she wouldn't be going back to school to finish her senior year. When the Kirijo car arrived, Aigis changed her mind and asked if she could enroll in school again, wanting to enjoy her life as a student with her friends.

Mitsuru regrettably told her that, since she was no longer part of the school, she wouldn't be able to simply have her added to the school roster. A few seconds after saying that, she changed her mind and informed her driver to head to Gekkoukan High's Tatsumi Hall, cancelling the stop at the lab.

On their way out to the awaiting stretch limousine, Akihiko punched Ryuichi in the arm.

"Hey, sorry I was a jerk to you last month," he said to him.

Ryuichi fought to not grab the sore spot on his arm. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys right away that I moved out," he said with a sigh. "But, I guess we were all still trying to cope with Minato's passing while trying to move forward."

"Yeah. We just went about it the wrong way."

They both watched as the driver began loading everyone's luggage into the car.

"Do you still feel bad about not being able to save Minato?" Ryuichi asked Akihiko.

He shrugged. "Not really. He chose to save us, so there wasn't anything we could do to save him," Akihiko said. "We gotta show him our thanks by easing the burden on him somehow."

He turned to Ryuichi next. "How about you? You were beating yourself up pretty bad about it, too."

Ryuichi exhaled heavily through his nostrils. "Part of me wishes there was something we could've done, but I think I can forgive myself for not being able to do anything," he replied. "But like you said, the least we can do is help him out."

Just then, Junpei ran back up to the dorm's front doors and flattened himself against them in a big hug. The two guys chuckled as Yukari berated him for acting dumb.

"So, what're you gonna do now? Hit the gym?" Ryuichi asked.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna give Hayabusa a call."

Ryuichi nearly choked on air. "Hayabusa? You mean Shiori?"

"Don't act surprised." Akihiko shyly smoothed the hair on the back of his head. "You gave her my number, remember? She said something about you telling her I could give her some workout tips. Well, she asked me out awhile back, but I ended up being a jerk to her. I'm hoping she'll pick up so I can apologize."

"You're damn right you're gonna apologize to her!" Ryuichi exploded on him. "Call her right now and say you're sorry!"

The boxer had a panicked look on his face. "Right now?"

"Yeah! And ask her out on a date and take her someplace nice!"

"W-What?"

"No beef bowls!"

"But—!"

Ryuichi watched Akihiko's confidence shrink as he slowly dialed Shiori's cell phone number. He was spared the embarrassment of Ryuichi hovering over his shoulder when Mitsuru called for everyone to get into the car. Akihiko waved everyone off, saying he was just going to go on foot to wherever he was headed, but the others threw him into the car and piled in after him so he wouldn't escape.

Everyone was chatting and laughing throughout the car ride. It had been too long since they all laughed together, dissolving the guilt that used to tar their insides. Even Yukari was laughing with them and expressed that she couldn't wait to have Aigis as her new roommate.

When they arrived at the Gekkoukan dorms, everyone got out of the limo, but instead of going to their new rooms, they all followed Mitsuru to the school's Tatsumi Hall to get Aigis enrolled back into school with them. The secretary there asked for everyone to wait outside the office to let Mitsuru and Aigis fill out some forms. While they waited, the others went to drop off their bags at their new dorms. Akihiko accompanied Ken and Koromaru to Ken's new room, fondly recalling when he also lived in the elementary school dorms as a kid. Only Ryuichi and Yukari stayed in the hallway just outside the office door.

"Hey, uh, Ryuichi-senpai?"

Yukari motioned for Ryuichi to follow her a little ways away from the doors. Curious, he went with her, seeing the guilty expression on her face.

"Um, about our battle," she began, "I'm sorry I shot you, and for saying all those things. I was way outta line."

She bowed low to him. "I'm really sorry, Senpai," she said in a morose tone.

Ryuichi leaned his shoulder against the wall and showed her a soft smile. "I forgive you," he told her.

Yukari straightened up with alarm on her face. "Really? Just like that?"

"Yeah."

He slipped his hands into his pockets. "Minato must have really meant a lot to you, didn't he?" he figured. "I think if it were me, I would've done pretty much the same stuff you did so I could see someone really important to me."

Yukari managed a sly smile. "Are you talking about Mitsuru-senpai?"

"Maybe. Who knows?"

She glanced around the empty hallway. "She must really mean a lot to you, huh, Senpai?" she asked, keeping her voice low. "I didn't know that she saved your life like that back then, so I used to think that you were just dedicated to her because you had a crush on her."

"You and the rest of the school thought the same thing," he groaned, hoping that meant that she still didn't know about them.

Yukari stepped around him to peek inside the office again. Ryuichi poked his head in just above Yukari's, and both of them watched as Mitsuru and Aigis went through a stack of paperwork for Aigis' enrollment.

Ryuichi felt someone tap his shoulder. Yukari had slipped out from under him and pointed back down the hall where they could talk some more.

"You know, a lot of us really hoped that you and Mitsuru-senpai would get together," she said to him. "And for all we know, you guys are dating and have just been hiding it from us."

Frowning, Ryuichi exaggerated tilting his head at her in annoyance. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well, you guys always look so happy together."

"Well, yeah. People are usually happy being with friends, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

She seemed to be scanning his claim for a hint somewhere. "So, you're going to continue as her bodyguard?" she asked, carefully watching his expression for any subtle changes.

"I am," he replied. "I've already started up my training again."

"Already? Did you even get a break after graduation?"

"Not really. I've still got a lot of stuff to learn, since I'll be dealing with human enemies now instead of Shadows. I'm also planning to continue as her butler, too, so that's even more training I have to go through."

Yukari looked to him in admiration. "They're really working you hard, aren't they? Well, if it's you, Senpai, then I feel better knowing that Mitsuru-senpai's in good hands."

She spun around and turned her back on him, clasping her hands behind her. "Well, now that that's taken care of, I have another question for you," she said in a mischievous voice.

He already knew what she was going to ask and braced himself for it.

"Are you and Mitsuru-senpai dating?"

He didn't flinch, nor did he feel nervous. He had a feeling that she was banking on him getting flustered to get the answer she was looking for.

"No, we're not," he said without hesitation.

It wasn't a total lie, seeing as he and Mitsuru haven't been on an actual date in so long a time, nor did it look like they would be going on one anytime soon. He held his gaze on Yukari, neither of them blinking as they stared each other down. Yukari's eyes twitched, and she blinked first.

"Geez, you're good." She wiped a tear from her eye. "But you know, you mean a lot to Mitsuru-senpai, too. You could really tell she didn't want to fight you during our battle."

Her expression darkened. "I feel like I really hurt you guys, making you fight like that."

"It's okay," Ryuichi reassured her. "But, how the hell were you able to cast Megidolaon like that?"

She blushed as she glowered at him. "Maybe because you were asking for it!" she lashed out at him. "I used to think that you were the only guy out of everyone who wouldn't pull something like that, but boy, was I wrong!"

All at once, Ryuichi remembered those white and pink stripes he saw after using Garudyne on Yukari. "Hang on!" he shouted. "You hit me first! And it's not my fault you decided to wear a skirt in battle!"

"You could've cast Garudyne sideways or something!"

"And send you tumbling? That would've shown everything off even more! I was just trying to stop you from killing me by knocking you off your feet!"

"You could've just—"

Ryuichi held up a hand to get them to stop arguing. "Hold up," he said, and thankfully, Yukari quieted down. "Look, I'm sorry about that, okay? It wasn't my intent. I was only trying to keep you from attacking me."

She glared at him, still livid with embarrassment. "Fine," she said, straightening up. "I guess I've known you long enough to know that you wouldn't pull something perverted like that, so I'll believe you this time."

Yukari's hardened expression became riddled with misery. "Still, I guess I got so mad at you that I just wanted to cast something that wouldn't miss," she said glumly. "I'm sorry, Senpai."

She bowed again. Feeling badly for her, Ryuichi bowed back.

"I'm sorry about embarrassing you, too," he said.

They both straightened up, looking to each other with mutual understanding that all was forgiven.

When Aigis was enrolled back into the school, they called the others back to meet them by the car to say their final good-byes. They high-fived and hugged one another, and exchanged promises to try to hang out whenever they got the chance. Their smiles radiated with confidence in one another, knowing that their bonds wouldn't fray just because they were apart. They all went their separate ways, and Ryuichi went with Mitsuru out to the limousine.

Mitsuru still had some work to do with handling Aigis' sudden change in plans. She had to call the lab to inform that of the situation, then had to make a request to have all of Aigis' possessions moved from her bedroom in the Iwatodai dorm to her new Gekkoukan dorm that she would be sharing with Yukari. When she finished with her phone calls, she pocketed her phone and let out a weary sigh.

Up at the front, the driver raised the opaque window between him and the passengers to give them some privacy. Without saying a word, Ryuichi took hold of Mitsuru's hand. She squeezed it in reply, then let her head rest against his shoulder.

He knew she must have been exhausted from not only being trapped in the Abyss of Time with everyone, but also from staying up half the night trying to find what was wrong with Aigis and having to make the arrangements for her reenrollment. She wouldn't have much time to rest before work, and he wanted to make sure that she at least had a chance to have some quiet time away from everything, before life could pummel her again.

They didn't exchange any words during the ride back to the mansion. They just took their time feeling each other's presence without moving beyond breathing and holding hands, communicating in silence. When they were driving beneath the dark canopy of the Kirijo forest, Ryuichi gave Mitsuru a little peck on her head in the darkness.

Two rows of maids and butlers welcomed them home. They offered to have brunch prepared for them, giving them a chance to freshen up before they ate. The two thanked them and headed up to their rooms to shower and get a fresh change of clothes before meeting back downstairs in the kitchen, where their meals were waiting for them.

"Ryuichi."

He looked up from his buttered toast. From across the table, Mitsuru eyed him with her weary gaze, her hands poised to smear cream cheese on her bagel.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," she said to him. "Is something the matter?"

He finished his piece of toast and rubbed his fingers clean on his napkin. "I do, but I don't know where to start."

"Well, is there something that stands out to you more than others?"

There was, but he felt like he was being petty for bringing it up. "Yeah, actually," he said quietly, and looked up when Harumi poured him some more coffee.

Mitsuru set her bagel and her butter knife down. "What is it? It looks like it's been bothering you for some time now," she said, looking worried.

He took a sip of water before answering. "I've been thinking about when you sided with Yukari," he told her, seeing her straighten up in her seat. "After we finished fighting, you said that you would put your own feelings aside and stand with Yukari if anything ever made her suffer."

Mitsuru took a deep breath and released it slowly, closing her eyes as she did so. "I had a feeling you would ask about that."

Ryuichi nodded, seeing the woeful look in her eyes. "I get that you were trying to support her, but to take it to that extreme—I'm sorry, but to me, it felt more like you were enabling her to be more destructive than helping her."

Somehow, Mitsuru didn't seem all that surprised to hear that from him. She didn't say anything for a time, nor did she touch her food to stall her answer.

"I felt terrible, like I had abandoned Yukari in one of her darkest hours when I couldn't be there for her after Arisato's passing," she finally told him. "She was in so much pain, and yet, I just left her when I should've been there for her."

"But you had work."

"That doesn't matter."

She grasped her arm, her anguished renewed. "I wanted to make it up to her somehow. I thought that, no matter what, I needed to be there for her. Looking back now, I know that was foolish of me, but I remembered how devastated I was after my father died and how Yukari sought me out and helped me through one of the darkest moments of my life. I can only wish that I had been there to do the same for her."

"How did Yukari help you, if you don't mind me asking." Ryuichi drummed his fingers over his water glass. "Did she also cast aside her own feelings to support your decisions?"

"Thankfully, no." Mitsuru's woeful eyes met his. "She was against anything I said and slapped me."

He wasn't expecting that. "She slapped you?"

"Yes." To his astonishment, she smiled. "After losing my father, I lost my will to live, but Yukari was there for me and helped me snap out of my stupor."

Mitsuru let out a bitter chuckle. "I see now. So that's what you've had on your mind."

Ryuichi nodded. "That's why I found it so weird that you were willing to just go along with whatever crazy idea she decided on," he said to her. "With me, you were always against any of my decisions that you thought was wrong, like when I was trying to deal with my family and when I said I wanted to continue as your bodyguard.

"You even stood up for me when I tried to apologize to Miyashiro," he murmured, lowering his face. "It made me wonder where we'd be now if I'd just gone along with whatever my parents wanted, or if you decided to continue with the marriage."

"It's certainly something to think about, isn't it?" She squeezed her arm, putting wrinkles in her blouse's sleeve. "I also wonder what would've happened, had you not stood up for me against Miyashiro. I doubt that I would have survived the marriage."

She leaned her head back and sighed. "Last year, when you confided in me about trying to end your life in middle school, I thought a lot about what you must have been through to make you feel that way," she said. "After losing my father, I think I understood you a little more. I felt like my purpose for living had been taken from me, that everything I had been fighting for was for naught. Is that how it felt for you back then?"

He looked to her with compassion. "Mine was a little different, I think. I felt like I had no purpose, except for my usefulness to others," he said in a somber voice. "Your father said it best when he told me that I needed to learn to value myself. I just didn't know how.

"I felt like I found a reason for living when you saved me from that Shadow back then," he told her, smiling wryly as he rested his face against his fist. "Back then, I really clung to you because it felt like you gave me a reason for living, even if I still couldn't see the value in myself."

Mitsuru sighed again. "So, I helped you, and Yukari helped me. And all I ended up doing was a disservice to Yukari by leading her down the path of destruction."

"Hey, you thought you were helping her."

"My intent may have been for good, but that doesn't justify what I did."

Mitsuru grimaced at her poor decision. "Though, I did agree with her on some parts of her reasoning," she told him. "Like everyone else, I also wanted to save Arisato. However, my reasoning was pretty selfish."

"And that is?"

Shame crossed her face as she squeezed her arm even tighter. "I tried to image what I would've done if I was in Yukari's position and you were the one who died," she said in a small voice.

Ryuichi understood her feelings just then. Sitting up, he let his arm rest on the table. "I thought the same thing," he admitted.

He touched the spot on his chest where Yukari's arrow had pierced him. "But, I know you wouldn't have agreed with my decision if I tried to save you," he added.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I could imagine you scolding me for endangering humanity in exchange for your life."

Mitsuru managed a tiny chuckle. "I think you're right about that."

Her expression turned cold again. "It seems that I still have a lot to learn about my friendship with Yukari. With you, I feel like I can be honest and speak my mind. With her, I feel like we've always been abrasive towards each other, and so I still don't know how to talk to her."

She hung her head. "I have to apologize to you, as well," she said. "I'm sorry I chose her over you like that, and for attacking you."

"It's okay," he said, holding up a hand. "It must've been a hard decision for you to make. But, Yukari needed you, so I can understand that much."

Mitsuru's eyes tensed up. "You're too kind," she murmured. "After all that, I expected you to be at least a little more upset with me."

"Somehow, I don't think I'm the one you need to worry about."

"Oh? Then who?"

"Yukari."

He flashed her a crooked smile. "She asked me if you and I were going out, and I flat out said no. So, when she finds out about us, I'm leaving her to you."

She blinked. "You're half of this relationship, so you should at least help me talk to her," Mitsuru said, putting on her authoritative voice.

"I'm going to have to talk to the guys, remember? You can handle the girls."

"Why don't we just tell them all together?" she suggested.

He liked the idea. "Sounds good to me," he said, and was about to nibble on his cold piece of toast when Keigo brought them both fresh plates of toast with eggs on the side. Thanking him, Ryuichi looked back to Mitsuru. "By the way, when should we tell them? I mean, you've got a mansion full of people who know about us, so wouldn't it make sense for our friends to know eventually?"

"Unfortunately, we absolutely cannot let anyone else know about us, probably for at least a few years," she said regrettably, and Ryuichi understood the many reasons why. "As for the maid staff, they discovered it all on their own. Of course, they naturally find out the most intimate details of anyone, so only time will tell when they learn everything about you, too."

As she said this, Kikuno came by to refill Mitsuru's teacup. She had her smug little smile aimed at Ryuichi, and he instinctively adjusted the napkin over his lap to cover himself up.

"Tell me about it," he muttered, and made a face at Kikuno that only made her smile even more.

They both ate a few bites of food while it was still fresh and hot. Ryuichi made a sandwich with his eggs and toast, and Keigo brought him some mayonnaise and ketchup to give it a little extra taste.

"So, what do we do now about reforming society?" Ryuichi asked Mitsuru after eating half of his sandwich. "We can't just order people to be happy, and you're already busy enough with work. Everyone's circumstances are different, so for us to spend time solving everyone's problems would be impossible."

"You're right that we can't help each individual person, but we can at least try to influence others and encourage them to change their ways of thinking," Mitsuru suggested. "Even if we help only a few people, that's still a drastic impact we could make on their lives. We'll just have to help them one at a time."

He uttered a despairing groan. "'One at a time'? Well, as long as change happens, I guess."

Ryuichi noticed that she was smiling now. "What's that look for?"

She circled her hands around her teacup. "I was just thinking about the drastic changes your family made since last year," she replied. "All of you went through a lot of growth, and even though it's only four of you who changed, that was all it took to have an impact on those around you."

He took a few moments to think about what she had just said. He thought about his family and their transformations, and then his own.

"Do you see it now? Back then, your father was despised and feared, but when I started working with your family to make changes to the restaurant, he became bearable, and even a pleasure to work with," Mitsuru told him with pride. "Even after the restaurant burned down, when most of your family was still devastated, you gave them hope to rebuild. And from what I've seen, your mother also stepped up and took charge in the rebuilding process."

Ryuichi imagined water ripples forming around his family. "I think I see what you mean," he said slowly, still thinking through his realization. "After you helped my dad, even the workers started enjoying working there. They even helped clean up the restaurant when it burned down and offered any assistance we might need."

"That's right. Don't you see, Ryuichi? Sometimes all you have to do is affect a single person to bring about change in others."

Mitsuru looked fondly to him. "Even you helped me back then," she said. "I was stubborn at the time, but you kept urging me to break off my engagement and tried telling me that what I wanted in my life mattered, too. You may have only wanted to spare me from a doomed marriage, but I feel like my life has improved exponentially just by acknowledging that seemingly small detail.

"And don't forget about your life, either. Had you not made the decision to move into the dorm and work for me, your life may have been different from how it is now."

She was right. He knew she was right, and he didn't want to even try to imagine what his life would have been like had his parents refused to let him move into the dorm.

Sighing, Ryuichi let his head bob a few times to acknowledge that he agreed with her. "Okay, you got me," he finally said. "So, since you're busy with work, I guess I'll handle helping people stop yearning for Nyx?"

Mitsuru lowered her teacup from her lips. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," she said. "For the past few months, I realized how little I know about business, no matter how much I tried to study up on it. There are still many things I don't understand, and so I was thinking of stepping down as president for a little while so I can pursue a degree in business first."

Ryuichi raised his eyebrows in amazement. "You can do that?"

"I don't see why not. The Board of Directors are far more capable than I am in leading a company, though I intend to remain involved in any major decisions they might make."

"Well, that's great!"

He found himself grinning at the idea until he remembered something. "Oh, but the deadline for enrolling in Kawaguchi's already long over," he realized woefully.

That didn't seem to faze her. "I can always take the exams again," she said, as if it was no big deal. "I passed the first time, and now I'm better prepared for the next time."

"You're serious about that?"

"Quite. You will help me study for my entrance exams, won't you?"

All he could do was utter noises of shock for those few seconds to follow. "Hold up. How are you going to balance college, being the head of your family, checking on the Board of Directors, and obtaining world peace?" he demanded to know.

She crossed her arms in front of her again, thinking. "If I recall one of my chats with your sister, she said that college was so simple compared to high school that even she was able to pass her subjects despite hardly ever attending her classes," she reasoned. "And from what your father told me, college in America was much more rigorous, even though he was only there for a semester. If what they said is true, then college might be the least of my worries in this case.

"However, my concern goes back to our conversation from just a few minutes ago," she said, turning her head to look out the window at the garden outside. "Even though the Dark Hour and Tartarus are gone, I can't help but wonder if Shadows have truly disappeared. My grandfather was able to collect Shadows prior to the creation of Tartarus, and with the knowledge that Nyx is still out there and that people continue to call out for her, I get the feeling that we haven't completely eradicated Shadows."

Ryuichi hadn't thought about the possibility of Shadows still existing. He thought that they were done with them after the business with the Abyss of Time, but after hearing what Mitsuru had on her mind, he began to wonder if there were people out there still succumbing to Apathy Syndrome and unwittingly creating Shadows from their despair.

Looking at Mitsuru, she appeared to still be deep in thought about their new situation. "I know that look," Ryuichi said to her, leaning his face against his fist again. "You're planning on fighting Shadows even with your crazy schedule, aren't you? This isn't like before where all you had to worry about was school and fighting Shadows for one hour a night. You're still going to be busy with—"

"I know that already." Mitsuru fixed her gaze on him. "And before you say anything, I don't intend to handle the Shadows all on my own."

He hadn't expected her to agree to readily. "Oh. Well, good," he uttered. "So, what, SEES the sequel? Are you gonna tell everyone later about what's going on?"

"For now, all I really have is speculation, so we'll have to wait and see whether or not Shadows still exist," she reasoned with him. "If it's so few that we can handle them ourselves, then we won't have to say anything."

Ryuichi tilted his head from side to side to pop his neck. "If that's the case, then I guess I've got more training to do," he said, then slumped in his chair. "But man, after spending what, weeks or months trapped in the Abyss, I feel like I could use a day off."

"I've already put in a request to have you take today off from training, so you can enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure," Mitsuru told him, finally popping the yolk on her egg.

"You did? Wow. Thanks, Mitsuru."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Did you give yourself a day off, too?" he murmured in a low voice.

She finished chewing through a bit of egg before answering. "I cancelled my meetings for today, but I plan to use that time to look through more of the documents regarding the experiments from back then," she said. "I want to learn as much as I can about everything they researched and experimented on, and I also want to look more into those files we found in the Chairman's room."

Mitsuru grasped her elbow again. "I can only hope that I'm wrong about all this," she said with a sigh. "As much as possible, I don't want to interfere with your quiet life just to continue fighting Shadows."

"Psh." Ryuichi mopped up runny egg yolk from his plate with his sandwich. "After everything I went through last year, this'll be a breeze!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "And don't even try to come up with any excuses as to why I shouldn't help out," he warned, struggling to hide his smug grin. "I've already made a lot of progress with my training, and adding Heimdall to the regimen should be easy with those Dark Hour ring simulator thingies."

Mitsuru snorted over her eggs. "You knew about those?" she uttered, covering her face with embarrassment.

"We read about them in the reports, remember? I didn't even know they existed until I read about them, so now I can train with Heimdall whenever I want.

"With your permission, of course," he added quickly afterward.

Her eyebrows raised. "Interesting. I don't mind lending you one, but just don't overdo your training."

Her expression became more serious, and she didn't move at all as she stared down at her plate. Ryuichi knew that look as Mitsuru's thinking face.

"You know, Kikuno-san probably already got a ring thingy for you so you can train, too," Ryuichi sang teasingly at her. "She knows you hate being outdone."

"It's not a competition, Ryuichi," Mitsuru said, flashing him a tiny smirk. "Although, your strategy for subduing Yukari in our battle against each other was something to be desired."

Just then, Harumi came by to set down a tube of burn ointment in front of Ryuichi. He took one look at it and scowled at her.

"You don't even know what happened!" he yelled at the maid, who, with a gleeful bounce in her gait, made her escape while everyone else stifled their snickers.

After their late breakfast, Mitsuru was ready to go sifting through all those old files she mentioned earlier. Ryuichi suggested that she get some rest first, but she told him that she only freed up the one day in her busy schedule and couldn't afford to rest.

"All right, then I'll help," Ryuichi said, determined to assist her in any way possible.

She was reluctant to take his day off from him just to read through numerous pages of research, but he insisted that he help her out. He followed her to her father's old study, where the maids and butlers brought all the files from Ikutsuki's room. There were more boxes of files than he remembered seeing, and Mitsuru explained that there was more research stored in several other places that she had the maid staff bring over, as well. Together, the two read through countless files, searching for anything interesting that might help them in the future.

Hours later, Ryuichi eventually straightened up with a groan, his spine popping loudly as he stretched. His eyes refused to focus, having strained them from reading so much. He looked over to Mitsuru who was still seated at her father's old desk, surrounded by boxes and stacks of papers and poring over the files.

"Say, Mitsuru?"

She kept her face bent over the papers in her hands. "What is it?"

He approached the desk, leaning his hip against it. "I was just thinking that we should probably grab something to eat," he suggested with a shrug. "You know, to take a break and stuff."

Mitsuru perked right up. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well, I heard from Shizue that Dad's looking for taste testers for his food," he said. "He had to make a few changes to the menu to adapt to the smaller cooking space in the food truck, so he's trying some new things and experimenting with new ways to keep the barbecue fresh and hot before they reach the customers."

He chuckled. "It feels like I last talked to Shizue months ago, since we were trapped in the dorm for so long," he realized. "In reality, I only spoke to her just yesterday. She was hoping you and I could drop by and visit.

"So, you up for some food?" he asked her with a sly smile. "We can even bring some home for your mother, too."

Mitsuru's face brightened. "Shall we go around dinner time?"

They agreed to head over to his parents' house in a few hours. Until then, they decided to put their research on hold to spend some time relaxing together. They took a walk around the garden, chatting idly about what their futures held for them. When they discussed Mitsuru taking the college entrance exams again, Ryuichi realized that he would in all technicality be a year ahead of her by the time she enrolled in Kawaguchi.

"Does that mean I have to call you 'Senpai' from now on?" Mitsuru teased.

He shuddered. "Is this what it feels like when I call you 'Ojou-sama'?" he asked, cringing.

The two ended up laughing. Ryuichi pleaded with Mitsuru not to call him "Senpai", but she still teased him with it, and he retorted by addressing her as "Ojou-sama". Amid their chuckles, they held hands and continued their relaxing stroll around the garden, neither of them bothering to glance around for any maids or butlers who might see them.

Around dinnertime, they got ready to head over to Ryuichi's parents' house. Kikuno, Keigo, and Harumi were waiting for them downstairs in the foyer with their leather jackets, helmets, and gloves, and two maids brought their motorcycles to the front for them to take.

"Are you ready for the first of many spontaneous family visits you're obligated to do every once in a while?" Ryuichi shouted to Mitsuru over their motorcycles' rumbling engines.

"Obligated or not, I'm looking forward to it!" Mitsuru called back to him.

Ryuichi took a moment to check to make sure that the box with the coffee cake the chefs prepared for them was securely tied down. When they were ready, the two shot down the long driveway, engulfed by the darkness from the dense trees. Their headlights guided them out to the gates, where they went bursting out into the fading sunset towards food, family, and a few hours they could spend together.

Though Ryuichi knew that he and Mitsuru wouldn't be able to spend a lot of fun time together often, he knew for certain that they could overcome their greatest obstacles so long as they had each other. Though the future that Minato secured for them was guaranteed to be full of struggles and pain, there was also life and hope to help them keep moving forward.

For now, they would savor the precious moments they shared, storing them up for those times when they were apart or for when they tumble into difficulties. Through it all, they knew they could continue to build their future one step at a time. Together.

 **The End**


End file.
